Hero Image

Six indie bookstores have founded an association of bookshops. What do they hope to achieve?

Independent bookstores in India have long been besieged by issues of cash flow, logistical support, and, most of all excessive competition from online retailers offering deep discounts. The outbreak of Covid-19 in India and the subsequent lockdowns have made matters reach a tipping point.

Earlier this week the owners of six of India’s independently owned bookshops – Diviya Kapur of Literati, Goa; Raman Shresta of Rachna Books, Gangtok; Leonard and Queen Fernandes of The Dogears Bookshop, Goa; Vishal Pipraiya of Pagdandi Bookstore Cafe, Pune; Aman and Mayura Misra of Storyteller Bookstore, Kolkata; and Ahalya and Meethil Momaya of Trilogy, Mumbai – came together to start the Independent Bookshops Association of India (IBAI), with the aim of bringing independent bookstores across India together, forging partnerships within and outside the publishing industry, and advocating for rights.

Tw

o of their founding members Leonard Fernandes and Raman Shresta spoke to Sctoll.in. Excerpts from the interview.

When did you start discussions about setting up the Independent Bookshops Association of India? Was it initiated by an individual or an independent bookseller or by a collective?
Leonard Fernandes: The discussions around setting up IBAI were triggered by an article that appeared regarding a co-op online bookstore set up by the indies in the USA. In India,...

READ ON APP