As a market for books, India has all that the book supply chain craves for—a long tradition
of learning and literature that both academic and fiction publishers look up to with hope. Unfortunately, India has more than its share of socio-economic problems that has stumped the spread of education and knowledge, evenly, for a very long time. That situation has gradually changed over the last couple of decades with the government’s efforts at speeding up literacy showing decent results across many regions. Today, India claims functional literacy of 80%, which is almost a billion people; if the book industry considers
just a fourth of that population having an appetite for reading, it is nearly as big as the US or EU markets in size if not purchasing power.
Major book fairs in India
The book supply chain in India also has a long history and it has responded to the demand in its own way. Numerous book fairs and exhibitions began in many parts of the country, attracting book lovers and students in large numbers. They became a meeting place for book enthusiasts to find titles they have been waiting for or even meet the authors that made an appearance at the fairs. Book fairs largely are not just about books for knowledge but also for leisure such as novels and poetry, autobiographies and memoirs and lots more. Book fairs are even held in smaller towns like district headquarters although some of these end up as stock clearance platforms for book sellers.
The Kolkata Book Fair, one of the largest in India with a 34-year old history, consistently records large footfalls to this day; the Publishers & Booksellers Guild who organize the event claims this to be the largest non-trade book fair in the world with over two million footfalls. It is one of the most eagerly awaited events in a city known for its love of literature and the arts. The oldest book fair in India—the New Delhi World Book Fair—organized by the National Book Trust and India Trade Promotion Organization, was first held in 1972 and attracts around a million visitors. The book fair is usually held in January and has a guest of honour country every year.
The Chennai Book Fair is another major event for book enthusiasts with a long history of 39 years. It is organized by the Booksellers & Publishers Association of South India and is a very important date in the cultural calendar of this southern metropolis. The book fair, held
annually in January, coincides with the Tamil new year, or Pongal, and attracts a million visitors according to the organizers. The Patna Book Fair is another major cultural event held in November at Gandhi Maidan, the iconic venue in Patna covering an area of 2.5 lakh sq. ft. The event is over three decades old and is organized by the Centre for Readership Development (CRD); the total footfall of around 8 lakh places it amongst the largest book fairs in the country.
The city of Bhubaneshwar hosts multiple book fairs where local Odia literature is promoted in a big way alongside books in Hindi and English. Similar book fairs are held in more than a hundred other places across the state of Odisha, which indicates enormous enthusiasm for books in the state. The North East Book Fair is the largest of its kind in the region and is held in Guwahati every year since 1998. The Lucknow Book Fair, held in October every
year, is also gaining prominence with the number of stalls increasing by 20%, which indicates an increasing interest among enthusiasts. In the south again, the Hyderabad Book Fair in December is a 10-day affair where books in all the languages of South India as well as English and Hindi are showcased.
