Chennai Book Fair: Pavement sellers lament over poor sales this year
Their sale numbers are usually good during the Book Fair, as they have certain old editions of publications that are no longer in circulation, and these are sold at a cheaper rate when compared to the stalls inside.
Increase in the number of sellers on the pavement a reason for low sales
CHENNAI: Every year when the Chennai Book Fair is held, bibliophiles who visit the stalls at the YMCA grounds in Nandanam, also visit the booksellers on the pavement. These are sellers who cannot afford the stall charges and so, sell their books (mostly used books) on the pavement.
Their sale numbers are usually good during the Book Fair, as they have certain old editions of publications that are no longer in circulation, and these are sold at a cheaper rate when compared to the stalls inside.
But this year, pavement book sellers are an unhappy bunch. “Sales are poor this year. Usually, the Book Fair continues during Pongal holidays, but this year, the fair ends before Pongal. Also, there is a crowd only during the weekend,” A Mughilvarnan, a pavement book seller said.
Concurring with him was S Ayyappan, another seller, who piped in: “It would have been better if the fair was extended for a few more days because the Pongal sale would be high.”
But the Booksellers’ and Publishers’ Association of South India (BAPASI) has already confirmed that the fair would not be extended and would conclude today (January 12). “For the past five years, I’ve been selling books on the pavement during the fair. Sales in the previous years were good but this year, even the number of visitors was less. I don’t know why,” lamented Mallika V, a familiar face for anyone who visits the Book Fair each year.
Many have pointed to the increase in the number of pavement sellers as one of the main reasons for the dip in sales.
“The display of books on the pavement is easier for us, especially senior citizens. And economically too, considering used books are less expensive, it’s viable for us to buy from the pavement sellers,” explained Sathyamoorthy, a regular visitor to the fair.
The pavement is also in a poor condition due to the extension works. Visitors from Nandanam Metro station to the book fair were seen struggling to walk through the broken pavers’ blocks on the pavement.