Clearly CM Baqar neither knows nor understand that Pakistan has 116 million people online, every one of them by definition owning a device that could be used to read Pakistani publishers’ books on.
As previously reported, this year’s Karachi International Book Fair pulled in over a half million visitors, demonstrating a clear interest in books among the Karachi public.
But there are problems facing publishers, as Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar points out.
1. Paper costs and import duties. The fair organisers will be pressing the government to lower import duties to encourage book sales. But regardless of import duties, paper prices will continue to rise.
2. A lack of a reading culture. Per the report, “95 per cent of the people in the country had not read any book except those in their curriculum.” That of course being a problem in the education sector that the government urgently needs to address.
3. Mobile phones. Yes, mobile phone are being blamed for Pakistan’s publishing problems.
“Books create awareness among people and lead to mental empowerment,” Baqar said.
Which I guess means Baqar has not read many books himself, as his mental empowerment is clearly somewhat lacking if he thinks mobile phones are stopping people reading.
Here’s the thing: If someone has learned the joy of reading, they will find books anywhere they can, including on their mobile phones. We only have to look at the western markets to find that mobile phones are huge drivers of reading, and that digital books underpin the publishing economy.
But given so few Pakistani publishers are offering digital versions in any format, that can be challenging for readers in Pakistan.
The reality is that the Pakistani education system is failing its people, its authors and its publishers by year-fate-year failing to inculcate the joys of reading in its school and college students.
Blaming mobile phones, which are the easiest way by far to get books into the hands of readers, shows just how out of touch the Sindh CM is.
The report does not mention the views on digital books held by the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association Chairman Aziz Khalid, or the Karachi International Book Fair Convener Waqar Mateen, so we can only hope they have a more enlightened and forward-thinking view of Pakistan’s publishing prospects.
Clearly CM Baqar neither knows nor understand that Pakistan has 116 million people online, every one of them by definition owning a device that could be used to read Pakistani publishers’ books on.
It’s a similar story across South Asia, where many influential people seem not to understand that digital books are real books, and reading a book on a screen is infinitely better for the publishing industry and for the country than reading nothing at all.
