Membership hassle mars Chennai book fair, publishers seek transparency

Neelam, which has published over 120 titles in six years, applied for the membership two years ago, but their application was rejected without explanation.
A total of over 20 lakh people attended the 48th annual Chennai book fair in which books worth over Rs 20-crore were sold
A total of over 20 lakh people attended the 48th annual Chennai book fair in which books worth over Rs 20-crore were sold(Photo | Kevin Nashon)
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CHENNAI: Among the thousands of books on display at Neelam Publications’ bustling stall at the 48th annual Chennai book fair, that ended on Sunday, stands the latest issue of their magazine carrying a stinging editorial alleging lack of transparency in granting membership by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (Bapasi) — the organisers of the fair. Many emerging publishers complained that Bapasi’s criteria for granting membership have remained a “mystery”.

Non-Bapasi members, comparatively, are charged much higher to set up stalls at the venue. Neelam Publications editor Vasugi Bhaskar said, “This year, since we were asked to pay Rs 3.5 lakh for four stalls, we decided to take only two, but managing the crowd has become difficult. The members, however, pay only around `1 lakh for four stalls.”

Neelam, which has published over 120 titles in six years, applied for the membership two years ago, but their application was rejected without explanation. “While they claim to have accepted new members, they refuse to disclose the criteria. There are very few publishers who focus on Dalit literature and we are one of them. So, why was our membership rejected?” he questioned.

Further, non-Bapasi members expressed concern over the uncertainty in securing stalls, which particularly affected small publishers. Sri Raja Raja Cholan Booksellers proprietor E Ramesh said, “I’ve been in the industry since 2009 and applied for membership thrice in vain. A membership guarantees us stalls, but as non-members, it is uncertain till the end.”

Science Park editor and publisher L Krishnamoorthy said, “Even the application for the Association of Indian Publishers and Booksellers is available online and easy to get, but Bapasi lacks transparency.” Many publishers claimed that the Bapasi had repeatedly rejected their applications citing “limited membership slots” as the reason.

Former Bapasi president Gandhi Kannadhasan highlighted another concern of double memberships. While saying his Kannadhasan Pathipagam held a single membership despite owning several imprints, he alleged that some held more than one membership under different names to secure extra stalls at the fair.

Bapasi president Kavitha Sethu Chokkalingam said the organisation has recently received 74 applications, of which 24 were accepted while others are being processed. Saying that Bapasi ensures space for non-members, he highlighted that stalls were given to 250 non-members this year. He said the association, with 400 members now, would face challenges in allotting stalls if the membership rose significantly.

“We can only set up 900 stalls, so we are enrolling new members based on seniority.” On double memberships, he said some may have happened years ago and Bapasi has no plans to verify them now. “Moreover, many of them do not participate in the fair regularly,” he added.

Rs 20-cr worth books sold

The 48th annual Chennai book fair, which began on December 27, ended on Sunday. Over 20 lakh people attended the fair in which books worth over `20-crore were sold. The publishers who had completed 50 and 25 years were felicitated on the final day

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