End of traditional bookstores?

PUNE: Visit any bookstore around you, and you are likely to find CDs, kids' toys, stationery, school/college textbooks jostling for space. Some stores even go as far as to showcase lifestyle accessories like gadgets, bags, home decorations, jewellery, watches and even perfume.

But if you are thinking that reading has waned, you'll be far from the truth. According to sources, reading has gone up by an estimated 15%. Books still form an integral part of our lives. With an estimated 90,000 titles produced every year in India by almost 19,000 publishers, and a projected growth of 30% a year, the fear that reading is going out of fashion seems to be unfounded.

If earlier it was piracy that was eating into book sales, now the new threat is the internet. E-book readers and e-commerce websites are defining the way we read nowadays. But Girdhar Agarwal, manager, of a leading bookstore chain on Senapati Bapat Road, says, "I personally feel readers still like browsing through books before purchasing. So sales at bookshops will not be largely affected. Yes we have suffered a loss of

5-10%, but I don't think it will be more than that."

Vimannagar resident Manohar K Pendse says, "I make it a point to visit a couple of my favourite bookstores every alternate month or so. Nothing can replace the feeling you get when you are hunting for books. But

unfortunately not many traditional bookstores survive today. Most are lifestyle stores masquerading as bookshops."

Anitha P Srinivas, a resident of Magarpatta says, "I often go to bookstores. But my objective is to check

out the titles I would like to read. I jot down their names, come back home and order them online. It is cheaper, as online sites always give you discounts. Many people I know do this."

E-book reader Kindle is another technological marvel that has changed reading habits. It is a library on the go. Hundreds of books are available to readers on their fingertips. The value of portability is not lost on readers. Imagine carrying a collection of all your favourite books wherever you go!

Devendra Gehlot, who floated an e-publishing company a year ago says, "E-publishing is still at a nascent stage in India. But people are getting more interested. As Kindle and tablet sales go up, e-book sales too would rise. It is just a matter of time before the big boom happens."

Even municipal school students in the city are being introduced to tablet PCs; this generation will not be buying

paper-and-ink books. E-publisher,  Abhaya Agarwal, adds, "Authors today are more tech-savvy. Hence, for them, e-publishing is always more inviting than print."

Amidst all this, traditional bookstores are facing the heat. Upendra Dixit, the owner of the oldest English bookstore in the city in Deccan, says, "Conventional and old-fashioned booksellers are feeling the pinch of technology. The effect on sales is marginal as of now, but it's growing every day. In five to 10 years' time, it

will be difficult for traditional bookshops to survive."

Kunal Ombase, who runs a bookstore on Laxmi Road that deals in Marathi books, though is quick to remind you that Marathi book sales have remained steady. One reason could be that Marathi books do not have to contend with e-book readers or e-commerce sites.

But for most bookstores, it is a difficult route. They are left with only a few options: either to turn their stores into a lifestyle store, as most big bookstore chains in the city are doing, or to branch out into selling stationery and textbooks, as medium-rung bookstores are opting to do. Either way, it is the readers who are losing out on the experience. Omkar S Varde, a resident of Koregaon Park, says, "There are so many new bookstore chains coming up. But, how many of them are traditional bookstores in the real sense? Why would I want to go to a

bookstore and buy  perfumes and chocolates?"

Ameya Shridhar, who runs a bookstore in Aundh, says, "We have had to branch out into selling stationery items and textbooks to supplement our sales. Piracy had already affected sales. Now, with massive discounts on online sites and availability of e-books, footfalls in stores have come down."

With bookstores metamorphosing into lifestyle stores, old-timers can only remember the good old days when

going to a bookstore meant just that.

Source | Times of India | 6 March 2012