Bookstores

Books turn over a new leaf with boom in religion and spirituality

This is a trend confirmed by publishers, who are flocking to the segment, though empirical data might take a while to come

Leadership in a time of constant flux

Covid, climate change, misinformation and Fourth Industrial Revolution have created a perfect storm that needs new paradigm for leadership. Faisal Hoque's Lift offers insights into what that would be

Self-publishing picks up among children, young adults; few go mainstream

Self-publishing picks up among the young; mainstream book deals remain largely elusive

Sanjeev Kumar: In Memoriam

A set of essays by the great actor's relatives and associates offers interesting anecdotes about the man but not enough about his craft

Hindi, Hindu sans Hindutva

A fascinating account shows how much of the maverick writer and polymath's thinking was rooted in cosmopolitanism

France moves to shield its book industry from e-commerce giant Amazon

Amazon said the legislation, adopted by parliament but not yet enacted, would punish those in rural areas who cannot easily visit a bookstore and rely on delivery

Lessons for new owner as it inks a fresh chapter for Crossword

Last year, Covid-19 hit book sales - albeit not publishing per se - with the lockdown months shutting out physical retail altogether

Shoppers Stop sells Crossword Bookstores at Rs 41.62 cr valuation

Retail chain Shoppers Stop on Tuesday said it has closed the sale of a controlling stake in its wholly-owned subsidiary Crossword Bookstores at a gross business valuation of Rs 41.62 crore. The stake in Crossword Bookstores is being sold to the owners of Agarwal Business House (ABH), Pune -- Dinesh Gupta, Aakash Gupta and Family, Shoppers Stop said in a regulatory filing. Subject to receipt of necessary consents, Shoppers Stop shall divest 51 per cent stake, that is expected to be completed within 15 days, and another 39 per cent stake will be divested in the next 12 months, it added. "The business of Crossword Bookstores is valued at Rs 41.6 crore. Under the agreement, ABH will take over all the assets and brand. Any liabilities will be adjusted for arriving at the final consideration," Shoppers Stop said. The sale of the Crossword Bookstores is consistent with the company's strategic plans, which is to focus on its core business and expand its strategic pillars viz, First Citizen

Three publishing strategies to get the book you've authored to the shelves

While the traditional publishing house is still the most popular, don't stress if it junks your work. You have two more ways to see your book morph into paperback or hardcover

Brief escapes

During the Covid-19 confinement, in the breaks from the laptop and the jhadu, pocha, bartan, kapda routine, The Penguin Book of Japanese Verse became a refuge of sorts, writes Aditi Phadnis

John Le Carre, best-selling author of cold war thrillers, dies at 89

Le Carre upended that notion with books that portrayed British intelligence operations as cesspools of ambiguity in which right and wrong are too close to call

Drinking wine through a straw

Book launches are curious animals, a hybrid between earnest intellectualism and unabashed tamasha

Audio books: Reinventing the art of story-telling in the time of lockdown

Audio books score over kindle and e-books as they permit passive listening and allow you to soak in the stories even as you multi-task at home

The popularity of rare and first edition books at Indian auction houses

Why Indian auctioneers are adding first and limited edition books to their sales categories

Nostalgia unlimited

What one encounters in this slim volume is rare for a first book - a mature style, a confident voice, none of the fumbles of a younger poet's first book

This tiny shop in Delhi stocks donated books to spread the joy of reading

Established in 2002, a quaint little bookshop in Delhi stocks some of the finest donated books, and helps slum children read and write by raising funds from the sales, writes Sneha Bhattacharjee

How a bookseller came up with a genius idea to boost sales, engage readers

The idea has not just shored up the business, but actually increased sales by some 20 per cent

Are bookstores back? Yes, no, maybe

The need is being felt again. But this time, they are adding a few tweaks to entice the public