Imagine. 280,000 people in one day (average 240,000). At a books event. In India.
The 53rd New Delhi World Book Fair closed on 18 January with 2.02 million footfalls, confirming the highest turnout in its history and vindicating organisers’ decision to scrap admission charges for the first time.
Bizarrely the organisers intend to reinstate entrance fees in 2027.
Held across nine days at Bharat Mandapam, the National Book Trust (NBT) event drew 1,050 domestic and international publishers occupying 3,200 stalls, while more than 1,000 speakers fronted 600 programmed sessions.
Spain attended as focus country and Qatar as guest of honour; rights managers reported brisk activity in children’s, academic and regional-language lists.
Free Entry = Tangible Benefits
Free entry – announced last August as part of the “Books for All” policy -accounted for the 20 % year-on-year jump. NBT chairman Milind Marathe said. “We wanted to remove every barrier between books and new readers; the numbers prove price elasticity works for literacy.”
Trade benefits were immediate. Delhi-based Sage India sold out 4 000 copies of a ₹995 research methods title within four days; Chennai publisher Tara Books secured three co-edition deals for illustrated folk tales; and the French Institute pre-sold 1 500 Hindi-language licences ahead of next month’s Paris salon.
Digital analytics supplied by ITPO showed 41% of visitors were under 25, 53% came from outside the NCR and average dwell time rose to 4.3 hours – metrics welcomed by exhibitors battling online discounting.
“Footfall converted to sales because families stayed longer,” said DK Printworld managing director Ashok Jain.
Security and crowd-flow systems, stress-tested during last year’s G-20 summit, prevented the bottlenecks that plagued 2020’s fair. “We moved 280 000 people on Sunday alone without stalling seminars,” an NBT logistics officer said.
The View From The Beach
Imagine. 280,000 people in one day (average 240,000). At a books event. In India.
The 2027 edition will return to a paid model, but organisers hint at discounted student passes and corporate sponsorship to keep gate resistance low. Publishers have already requested 15% more floor space.
Organisers might want to ask themselves a) if the reason publishers want more floor space if because of increased footfall due to no entrance fees, and b) whether the “Books for All” policy isn’t worth making permanent.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
