Friday, 19 December 2014

Book sales turn new page at Arab international fair


BEIRUT: Contrary to a commonly held belief, the popularity of printed books is on the rise in Lebanon, as evidenced by the turnover of this year’s Beirut International Arab Book Fair, according to several publishing houses who took part in the exhibition.


“People were coming to read. I felt this year that there was a young generation present [among the book fair visitors], more than usual,” said Rana Idriss, the director of Beirut-based publishing house Dar al-Adab, which took part in the book fair.


Idriss said the turnover at this year’s edition of BIABF was far from disappointing, with the level of sales almost the same as last year. “This is not bad. We are always concerned that sales will drop,” she said.


Idriss said new novels and children’s books were most in demand.


Bestsellers at Dar al-Adab included books by novelists Hanan al-Shaykh, Wassim al-Aaraj and Bassima al-Khatib.


Idriss noted that wholesalers from countries that Lebanese publishing houses could no longer reach because of instability, such as Libya and Iraq, have also bought books from the BIABF this year.


Organized by the Arab Cultural Club and the Union of Publishers in Lebanon, the 58th edition of the BIABF took place between Nov. 28 and Dec. 11.


Ghassan Chebaro, from the Arab Scientific Publishers, said that business this year was even more fruitful than the previous edition of BIABF.


“This year was better than the last one in terms of sales,” Chebaro said. “Last year was very bad.”


Commenting on large crowds drawn to BIABF this year, Chebaro said that not all those who showed up were actually interested in reading. “Many people come to the book fair just to attend a book signing event ... but still some people wait for the book fair from year to year to buy books at cheaper prices,” he said.


For the last five years, all of ASP’s books have been available for download on e-readers such as Kindles.


But Chebaro said that demand for paper books was much higher during this year’s edition of BIABF: “Many people began demanding e-books when they were first introduced. But now, demand has dropped and this is not only the case in the Arab world.”


The BIABF issued the final statistics on the sales: In the category of general works, topping sales was an English-Arabic dictionary by Munir and Ramzi Baalbaki; for political books, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah’s “Hezbollah and the State” was the bestseller; in social sciences, Saoud El-Mawla’s “Shiite Politics” was No. 1; while in poetry, Ahlam Mustaghanmi’s collection “Alayka al-Lahfa” topped the lists.


Nirmin al-Khansa’s “Another Person” was the most popular novel, while “Qahwajiyat,” a book of humorous literature, was the most sold in the category of literature. In history and geography, “Arab and the Civilized Challenges,” by Ahmad Bu Melhem was the bestseller, and in sciences it was Ziad Kreidieh’s “Our Digestive System.”


Talal Shatawi’s “You Are Still in my Thoughts,” topped sales in the category of biographies and translated works, while “Ma’akul al-Hana” by Chef Antoine Hajj was the best-performing art book.


Saqi Books’ Manal Chamoun described this year’s sales as “much better” than last year.


“The turnover was better and we had important book signing events,” she said. “There was high demand for political books and novels this year.”


“The Islamic State: Roots, Savagery: Future,” by Palestinian journalist Abdel-Bari Atwan and a translated version of “Jamila” by Russian novelist Chingiz Aytmatov were among the titles by Saqi Books that sold the most this year.


Echoing Chamoun, Mahmoud, from Egyptian publishing house Dar al-Shurouq, said that business in the latest edition of BIABF turned out to be better than last year.


“It was not bad, there were a lot of shoppers,” he said.


He explained that novels, poetry books and politics books were demanded the most this year.


“Many people bought books by [Egyptian journalist Mohammad Hassanein] Haykal and [novelist] Alaa al-Aswany,” he explained.


But Nasser Fleiti, from Riad El-Rayyes Books, had something different to say.


He noted that the turnover in the previous edition of BIABF was better than this year.


“Last year was better in terms of sales and the number of participating Arab publishing houses,” Fleiti said.


According to Fleiti, Lebanese and Arabs in general were becoming more and more interested “in hearing and seeing rather than reading.”


Other reasons for the drop in sales were the deteriorating economic and security situations, according to Fleiti.


He said that topping sales at Riad El-Rayyes Books this year were poetry books, novels and political titles.



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