PANAJI
The two-day conference to bring global booksellers together with the aim of fostering bookselling and encouraging the reading habit concluded at Sharjah with a lone Goan bookseller attending it. Organised by Sharjah Book Authority in collaboration with the government of Sharjah, the international Booksellers’ Conference witnessed 12 participants from India including the Margao based Leonard Fernandes, co-founder, The Dogears Bookshop.
“This was an amazing experience of meeting with other booksellers and understanding how they are navigating the post-Covid world. It was also a knowledge sharing session where marketing and store management techniques were discussed. One on one meetings and other networking opportunities allowed us to get to know people and develop personal connections,” shared Leonard in a telephonic conversation with The Goan.
Being a founder member of the Independent Bookshops Association of India, Leonard was also engaged in speaking to people and organisations so that all can, going forward, strive to increase the profile and business prospects of their member bookstores. The two-day event saw panel discussions, one-on-one meetings and other networking opportunities.
“It was also nice to see the efforts of the Sharjah government and Ahmed Al Amri, chairman, Sharjah Book Authority to encourage the book culture in Sharjah and the UAE and we can only hope that the Indian and Goa government did something similar,” feels Leonard.
There were 12 Indian participants from Kolkata, Gangtok, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram etc. While 200 participants were from 40 countries including UAE, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Morocco, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Slovakia, Poland, Estonia, UK, USA, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy etc.
While the highest book sales were registered in the US, other countries are also trying. “Many publishers have opened bookshops to promote their own books. I met with two booksellers from Pakistan. They publish in Urdu and Pashto. People read, and they do sell books in that country,” stated Leonard, adding, “Many booksellers like us, and Rachna Books (Gangtok) also publish books.”
The conference scheduled for May 15-16 was postponed by a day due to the death of the UAE president and was held on May 16-17.
“This was an amazing experience of meeting with other booksellers and understanding how they are navigating the post-Covid world. It was also a knowledge sharing session where marketing and store management techniques were discussed. One on one meetings and other networking opportunities allowed us to get to know people and develop personal connections,” shared Leonard in a telephonic conversation with The Goan.
Being a founder member of the Independent Bookshops Association of India, Leonard was also engaged in speaking to people and organisations so that all can, going forward, strive to increase the profile and business prospects of their member bookstores. The two-day event saw panel discussions, one-on-one meetings and other networking opportunities.
“It was also nice to see the efforts of the Sharjah government and Ahmed Al Amri, chairman, Sharjah Book Authority to encourage the book culture in Sharjah and the UAE and we can only hope that the Indian and Goa government did something similar,” feels Leonard.
There were 12 Indian participants from Kolkata, Gangtok, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram etc. While 200 participants were from 40 countries including UAE, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Morocco, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Slovakia, Poland, Estonia, UK, USA, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy etc.
While the highest book sales were registered in the US, other countries are also trying. “Many publishers have opened bookshops to promote their own books. I met with two booksellers from Pakistan. They publish in Urdu and Pashto. People read, and they do sell books in that country,” stated Leonard, adding, “Many booksellers like us, and Rachna Books (Gangtok) also publish books.”
The conference scheduled for May 15-16 was postponed by a day due to the death of the UAE president and was held on May 16-17.
