Book lovers, get ready to get your hands on amazing books from national and international writers this August 21 to 29, as the Nepal International Book Fair comes back for its 19th rendition. One of the favorite events of the year for readers, the fair is once again being hosted at the Exhibition Hall at Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu.
This year, the show will have 55 national and 20 international exhibitors, bringing hundreds of books on a variety of different topics. Keshav Khatri, Manager, Business Development of Global Exposition and Management Services Pvt. Ltd., the company that organizes the event every year, hints at the releases of some interesting books this year. "Readers can expect some exciting releases at the book fair," he says.
Khatri says that major publication houses from around the world will bring their collection to the fair. Publishers like Penguin, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Taylor & Francis, Harper Collins, Wiley India, Scholastic, and National Book Trust India are among the many publishing houses that will be present at the event.
Publishers at home, meanwhile, have been busy preparing for the exhibition. Mahesh Mahat, Business Promotion Officer at Ekta Books, says that they will try their best to make new books available to their customers. "We are trying to make sure that we compile a variety of books so that we can cater to bookworms of all ages and tastes," he says. He further adds that Ekta will allow a discount of 10 to 15 percent on selected books to encourage people to buy books as well.
Siddhartha Maharjan, Sales Manager at Mandala Book Point, too, is relying on their vast collection of books to present the readers with a unique reading experience. Maharjan says that taking part in the book fair has always been a good experience for them. "It gives us good exposure and we've managed to win more customers every year, and we're definitely thinking of continuing that streak," he says.
Of course the nine days will keep all the bibliophiles occupied in various events like book signing ceremony, authors' program, and literacy and learning activities for children, besides the releases. Khatri is hopeful that all the effort put in to churn out this year's exhibition will be appreciated by all the bookworms, especially with the threat of aftershocks looming over us.
Khatri shares how the exhibition was originally expected to take place in June this year. "But the earthquake pushed back the plans," he says. Not surprisingly, it has made certain changes in this year's exposition. In previous years, there used to be a serpentine path across the exhibition hall designed to make sure that the visitors passed through all the bookstalls. But this time, no such passageway has been designed. "I think this time, the visitors should just visit the stalls freely, with no pathways," he says adding that this will make it easier for people to move about without restraints.
It is also interesting to note that over the years, the exhibition has witnessed tangible changes in the reading habit of the visitors. Non-academic books are favored and loved by the visitors, and the organizers have thought well of taking care of this observation in the event as well. "In the recent years, people sought more fiction and poetry books in comparison to other kinds of books," he says.
This could only mean that their intention of inculcating a reading habit in the masses is slowly turning into a reality. Their festival turn up says a lot about it as well. In the 19 long years, they have been successful in getting three times the number of visitors than they did when they first started. According to Khatri, visitors have a better idea of what to do in an exhibition and what purpose it serves, which makes the event better, not only for the visitors but for the organizers as well. "It's good to see that people's perceptions have changed over the years," he says.
The organizers have been trying to make the event as interactive as possible. Aside from the book signing programs and others, they have also been actively taking feedbacks and suggestions from their customers as well. "A lot of people have given pretty good advices over the years," he says, further adding that they have tried to include it in their preparations. In the coming years, they hope to improve the facilities so that they can bring in more international participants, thus exposing the enthusiastic readers here to a myriad of books and cultures.
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