Book fair in every district from 2015

Hyderabad Book Fair (HBF) that drew curtains on December 26 received an overwhelming response from book lovers. This edition of the book fair displayed a wide array of books in Hindi, Telugu, English, Tamil and Malayalam apart from hosting talks with writers, editors and other eminent personalities. “It was the great response which drove us to decision of organising a book fair in every district headquarters,” says president of HBF Juluri Gowrishanker, in an exclusive interview with Vaishnavi Girish.

How many book fairs have you organised till date?

This was the 28th book fair and first book fair to be organised in Telangana State. About four lakh people have attended the fair this year, the highest till date. They have requested us to extend it to 20 days but it wasn’t possible.

How many authors have participated in the book fair?

Eight authors from various regions of Telangana took part in the fair and they have sold books more than one crore rupees.

Are there plans in place to organise book fairs in other districts?

Yes, there are plans in place but we will do it step by step. However, they will materialise only after the World Book Fair that would be organised in the city in 2015.

Telangana has very few publishing houses. How logical it is to organise the book fairs in districts when there are none to print?

It’s true that there a few publishing houses and the production of books has come down drastically over the years, but it hasn’t stopped book lovers from reading books. We are confident that the book fairs will bring back the lost glory.

Organising a book fair is a costly affair. How are the cost overheads met?

We are only taking support from the government and other bodies but the funding is wholly done by the Hyderabad Book Fair Trust.

e-books have become a serious competitor to books. How do you brave it?

e-books aren’t a competition. Many do like the feel of book in their hands and by them. Very few prefer e-books.