Delhi Book Fair stall owners get creative

Updated on: Monday, September 05, 2011

With a relatively low footfall at the Delhi Book Fair, stall owners are now coming up with innovative ideas to increase sales.

Bright Publications, which specialises in books for competitive exams like AIEEE and GMAT, has put up a banner promising a free cricket bat with a three-year subscription of their general knowledge and science magazines for Rs 500.

Cashing in on the Anna Hazare hype, some stalls are prominently displaying books on the anti-corruption crusader.

"The Hazare book is selling like hot cakes, with sales over 100 copies per day," said Praveen Kumar, a Diamond Books employee. The book is titled 'Anna Hazare: The New Revolutionary' and is available in English and Hindi for Rs 95.

A few stall owners have branched out into other merchandise to attract visitors.

The Book Fair began on August 27, at the height of Hazare's agitation for a strong Lokpal and publishers feel that he drew away crowds and took more space in newspapers and local channels which otherwise would have ran more news stories on the fest.

Inder Malik, who used to sell educational CDs earlier, has introduced activity-based games like Rubik cubes in his stall.

"Despite the low footfall this year, our stall has attracted many customers. We have activity-based games for children from 4 to 18 years which are meant to improve brain activity. Children, parents and even teachers are taking an interest in our kits," he said.

Placards offering 'any novel for Rs 100' are common among most stalls. With the fair coming to an end, stall owners might be forced to give higher discounts to sell off their stock.

Delhi Book Fair stall owners get creative

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