PUBLISHING BOOKS
A storefront for the Indian book industry
Tamil publishers launch Virtual Book Fair
Kalachuvadu Publications stand at the Chennai Book Fair 2022 . Photo Kalachuvadu Publications
PRIYANKA TANWAR
The 2022 edition of the Chennai Book Fair was scheduled to be held from 6 January onwards but the third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic disrupted these plans . Many of the Tamil publishers had been experiencing decreasing sales due to the pandemic and decided to take the virtual route with the Virtual Book Fair ( VBF ) – a platform for the survival of the Indian book publishing industry at Covid crossroads .
Six regional publishers are behind the Virtual Book Fair initiative – New Horizon Media , Kannadhasan Pathippagam , The Write Publishing , Sixthsense Publications , Vanavil Puthakalayam , and Kalachuvadu Pathippagam . The first virtual edition which started from 14 January , brings over 5,000 titles from 25 publishers to readers from Tamil Nadu . The project has been designed to build an all-India initiative where every publisher can showcase their titles without the fear of losing their distinctiveness in a cutthroat and chaotic digital world . The VBF website was formally launched by the Department of Information and Public Relations on the 73rd Republic Day on 26 January 2022 .
With multiple interactive features , the VBF project strives to duplicate the features of a traditional onground book fair . The B2B model will run two to three times in a year , especially during dry spells in book publishing during the summer and monsoons . The VBF will also list the traditional professional services of book translators in various languages , cover designers , illustrators , and proofreaders , besides an author portfolio .
B2C means books to browse
The B2C angle of the fair is also interesting with readers being allowed to browse through 30 % of the books online to enhance buying decisions . The VBF website will be updated soon to allow maximum exposure to regional Tamil titles , which eCommerce giants such as Amazon and Flipkart fail to provide . The platform is looking at increased interaction between authors and readers . Audiobook , eBook , and adaptations of titles will be available to the readers on the VBF website in the upcoming months .
Participating publishers will be able to customize their digital storefront with banners and 2D displays akin to a physical book fair . Readers and literary enthusiasts will be able to engage in literary activities such as book readings , reviews , book discussions , and quizzes with the assistance of social media plug-ins . The responses from users have , so far , been positive and encouraging .
The digital initiative intends to bridge the gap between the Tamil publishing market and the national and global book publishing industry . With many regional publishers
enthusiastic to convert their books into eBooks to tide over the tough times , there have been several detailed discussions between the publishers on going virtual . Other publishers were initiated into the project through demos depicting the significance of a strong virtual presence . Many publishing houses , however , have resisted the virtual route with fears of piracy and lowered ROIs .
The VBF project aims to have more than 70 % of the regional and Indian language book publishers join the initiative by April 2022 , with approximately 20,000 titles on the website . The brains behind the initiative are planning to host their maiden literary festival once these targets have been achieved . Plans of building an app-based book management system are also underway .
This splendid literary initiative is currently in the process of roping in publishers from across the state . The Virtual Book Fair is free for the time being for all publishers who have joined the project . The VBF plans to have a pan-India presence in the near future and has already started talks with publishers from other regional languages as well .
“ We are working with Nielson to give our publishers a global visibility . In a few years down the lane we believe this will become a pan India event where readers can connect globally !” shared Karthi Kuyan Pugalendi , designats partner , VBF Bookfest . n
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Indian Printer & Publisher | 1 March 2022