How prepared are publishers for the book fair brought forward?

Although the Amar Ekushey Book Fair is traditionally held in February, this year it has been brought forward to December to avoid coinciding with the general election and Ramadan. The question now is: how prepared are publishers and printing presses for the change?

They note that November–December is the rush season for printing diaries, calendars, and textbooks, and amid that crush there is some anxiety about printing creative (non-textbook) titles.

Publishers and press owners say that, with diary-calendar work ongoing, creative books will come under “double pressure”. Paper traders, however, think there will be no shortage of paper for book printing.

Ramadan is expected to begin in the third week of February, subject to the sighting of the moon. Before that, the interim government is pushing ahead with preparations for the parliamentary elections. With both in mind, the organiser Bangla Academy finalised the dates for the Ekushey Book Fair, said its Director General Mohammad Azam.

He told bdnews24.com: “As preparations are under way to hold the national election in February, we discussed how security and public interest around the book fair would hold up beforehand.

“And during the Eid holidays Dhaka empties out. If we were to hold the fair after the Eid break, it would slip into April. April brings storms and rain, so organising a book fair then is not very practical. In meetings on the book fair we decided to start the fair in December.”

On Feb 21, 1972, Mother Language Day, publisher Chittaranjan Saha, founder of Muktodhara, began selling books on jute sacks laid out at the Bangla Academy gate; that effort later evolved into the Ekushey Book Fair.

In 1983, under military dictator HM Ershad, the fair was closed once due to the anti-autocracy movement. Otherwise there is no precedent for the fair being cancelled. During the COVID pandemic, however, the fair dates were shifted to March in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

'DOUBLE PRESSURE' ON THE PRESSES

Typically, printing for the book fair begins towards the end of October. This year the work is progressing on that schedule. Publishers are finalising manuscripts ahead of the fair, and will then prepare and send them to presses.

On the other hand, November and December are when presses usually print diaries and calendars for the New Year. There is also a rush to print textbooks at this time. For that reason, Dipankar Das, head of the bookstore and publishing house Baatighar, feels there will be some complications with printing and binding creative titles.

He told bdnews24.com: “There will be some pressure on presses in November to print diaries, calendars and textbooks, and that will create some complications for printing creative books.”

Mahin Mia, proprietor of Modern Alif Book Binding, told bdnews24.com: “We’re asking the publishing houses who send us books for binding to send them a bit earlier this time.

“Because that period is our rush for diary-calendar work. As a result, book fair work will become double pressure.”

Asked whether there would be a paper shortage, Ashim Acharya, proprietor of Swiss Corporation in Nayabazar, told bdnews24.com: “There is sufficient paper in the market. Prices are currently lower than at other times. A ream of 100g paper is selling at Tk 3,800, and 80g at Tk 3,100.”

In his words, for the creative books usually printed for the fair, “the paper we stock will suffice; there’s no need to import. And not that many creative books are printed anyway”.

“Unlike diaries or textbooks, which are printed in the hundreds of thousands, creative titles don’t have such high print runs. We have adequate paper. Sales of fair-centred paper haven’t really picked up yet.”

Mohammad Shaheen Mia, proprietor of SRL Printing Press in Kataban, told bdnews24.com: “In November–December we mostly print calendars. Creative books are printed less. The margins are lower too.

“If the fair had been held in January as well, our pressure would have eased. Now the pressure will go up.”

WHAT ARE AUTHORS, PUBLISHERS SAYING?

The decision to bring the fair forward to December has sparked varied discussion on Facebook. Some see it as positive, others think holding the Ekushey Book Fair in December would call the fair’s heritage and spirit into question.

Writer and researcher Mohiuddin Ahmad told bdnews24.com: “Better that the fair happens out-of-season than not at all. We know that once the election date is announced, parties will rush to the streets. For at least four weeks before the vote, the atmosphere will be very heated. It’s better if the fair is over before then.”

Mohiuddin also voiced concern that this year’s fair could again face a “mob” scare.

He said: “We must think about how to curb the nuisance caused by drifters and hooligans at the fair, whose recent incarnation is the mob. Last year this ruined the fair’s ambience. Writers and publishers suffered losses. There should be no repeat this time.”

A large section of publishers believe a fair would not thrive amid the election mood in February. And if the fair were held after February, it would also lose its flavour. For that reason, bringing it forward is seen as the practical choice.

On Sept 11, the Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association, proposing that the fair be held before February, submitted three possible date ranges in writing: Dec 15 to Jan 15; Jan 1 to Jan 31; and Jan 5 to Feb 5.

At a meeting on Sept 18, the organiser Bangla Academy set the dates for the book fair from Dec 17 2025 to Jan 17, 2026.

Abul Bashar Firoz Sheikh, director of the Central Executive Committee of the Publishers and Booksellers Association and convenor of its Book Fair Standing Committee, told bdnews24.com: “This time the fair was brought forward for practical reasons. In view of the situation, the Association’s Book Fair Standing Committee unanimously decided to advance it. We also conveyed this proposal in writing to the fair authorities.”

Mazharul Islam, chief executive of the publishing house Anyaprokash, also said that, given realities on the ground, Bangla Academy’s decision to hold the fair in December is positive.

He told bdnews24.com: “Because of the national election in February there would be security issues and various constraints at the fair. In that context, holding it in December is a good decision. I think school and university exams will be over in December. There’ll be a wintry vibe. Taken together, the fair will be quite lively in December.”

Although publishers have had less time to prepare, Mazharul hopes the “comparatively more important books” will still be published at this year’s fair.

Baatighar’s Dipankar said: “Holding the fair before February is the right, realistic decision. But it has been brought forward a bit too much. Now the question has arisen: why is the 2026 fair being held in 2025? If the fair had been scheduled for January, that question wouldn’t arise.”

He also proposes a 15-day fair instead of a month-long event.

“If the fair were held for 15 days from the first week of January, that would have been good,” he said.