INDORE BOOK FAIR: Readers’ ‘digest’ romantic, fantasy novels

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Even in the era of Social Media, time and again it has been proved wrong that books aren’t read. At all major book fairs across India, including the International Kolkata Book Fair and the famed Jaipur Literary Festival, it has been proved that bookworms do exist!

With the craze over romantic novels, authors like Colleen Hoover, Jane Austen, Ali Hazelwood and others have become the top choices of the people in the city. Those days are gone when practical and educational books used to rule the market. The Indore Book Festival located at scheme 140 has prominently witnessed the hype over novels ranging from romance to fantasy.

“We never expected that people would opt for novels, as a result of which we piled up our stock with educational books, but in a week’s time, all of our novels in stock written by famous authors were sold off. We have been setting up the exhibition in different towns and cities of the state, but only Indoreans have shown immense interest in the novels,” said Ashish Prajapati, exhibitor.

Academic books are a window to the world, while literature classics are an escape from the window. The exhibitors claim to sell novels worth Rs 40,000 to 50,000 daily. The exhibitor informed the Free Press that 80 per cent of the total revenue is being collected from the fantasy novel, while 15 percent from Hindi literature and the other 5 percent from academic books.

Jane Austen still a hot favourite

When it comes to classic literature, the most influential European author Jane Austen tops the list. The exhibition brings along the best classic hits of history having great essence of art, drama, composition, poetries, and prose. “Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion are among the most opted classic novels by the people in the city.” said Prajapati.

Mahabharata, Chanakyaniti among top Hindi literature

“Even though the exhibition consists of a limited edition of Hindi Literature, people have shown immense interest in the Mahabharata and Chanakyaniti-based novels from the historical section. We have sent over 5,000 Chanakyaniti and 2,000 Mahabharata books in the city,” said the distributor.

Murthy, Tharoor, and Bhagat’s book in demand

Indian authors have no less influence over people when it comes to novels of varied genres. Sudha Murthy’s bedtime stories book called “The day I stopped drinking the class of milk” while Chetan Bhagat’s “The three mistakes of my life” have grabbed the attention of many. Shashi Tharoor’s books regarding India’s policy and global status have been a centre of attraction to many in the city.

(Contributed by: Ravina Narvale) 

Published on: Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 12:00 AM IST