Book Fair: season for all readers
Piyasena WICKRAMAGE
Colombo International Book Exhibition (CIBE) has become a most
important cultural event year by year. People from all races, religions,
and from various social strata in the Sri Lankan society flock to BMICH
(now in its 11th year – CIBE made it a venue from year 2000) in
thousands, ten thousands and at the end of the show one hundred thousand
or more!
The proud organizers of the CIBE – The Sri Lanka Book Publishers’
Association has proved it to be an internationally acclaimed Book
Exhibition in South-east Asia – with the slogan ‘well organized book
exhibition’ in any standard. The SLBPA (Sri Lanka Book Publishers’
Association) is consisted of some one hundred and fifteen (the maximum
so far) of the private sector book publishers. It is the professional
organization at a national level in Sri Lanka which was formed in 1984
with less than twenty publishers. Book Publishers – who do book
publishing as an organized publishing house – is considered as a
professional publisher. Professions like Engineering, law is considered
at a higher level in Sri Lanka. But quite unfortunately all people
always inquire “Who is a publisher? Is he the printer of the book? Or
what does he actually perform as his part? If the writer prepares the
manuscript to be printed, and if the printer is printing the book, what
is the role played by the book publisher?
As an organized publishing personal, the publisher is responsible for
(a) Selecting manuscripts suitable for publication – out of various
manuscripts submitted by authors.
(b) Editing, thereby improving the quality of the publication wherever
possible
(c) Checking the grammatical and specially in Sinhala manuscripts – the
standard of the language etc.
(d) Prepare a costing sheet after planning and designing of a
book/Author’s rights etc.
(e) The kind of readership which may serve I general reading II
subjective III reference etc.
(f) The marketing & promotion of the book after the printing is over.
(g) Maintaining the Author/Publisher relations and with the reading &
book purchasing general public plus the various libraries &
institutions.
Apart from these, the publisher may commission any suitable writers
with specialized knowledge – university professors etc. to prepare
manuscripts on various subject areas which may create need from time to
time.
The publisher may draw up a plan to do a special translation
programmes from time to time (specially in a country like Sri Lanka) as
and when the needful books to be translated into a national language
like Sinhala or Tamil. All these process need some – expertise knowledge
in the world of books. The publisher who has special taste in fiction
titles may be popular, classical or adventure, thriller, war etc. to
have a balanced publishing programme. In text books – specially in a
country like ours, there is a big demand for exam oriented Q & A (model)
books.
Sri Lankan Publishers has build up their publishing programmes
according to each and everyone’s choice which they plan according to an
experience gained through working for a long time themselves. Unlike in
other professions, sharing their knowledge and experience with each
other – still there is a long way to go for the Sri Lankan Publishers.
The new technology is peeping through the windows to the book publishing
industry – whatever happens in the future, the printed book may prevail
in the Colombo International Book Exhibition.
It’s a traditional customer who visit to the CIBE is the majority.
There is a certain amount of percentage who are familiar with the new
technologies – but they also still prefer the printed book. The printed
book is a tool which you can read seated near a table, or standing –
leaning to something, in broad day light or with a chimney lamp – even
lying on a bed. In whatever position, there is no need of a knowledge
specially for using a new technology; the ability to read is the only
need. So the Colombo International Book Exhibition may go on and on for
many more years to come till the printed book may survive.
Till that day as it happened for twelve successive years – the entire
Sri Lankan nation may come an a pilgrimage to the world of “Printed
Books” to see the wonder of books which gives them the reading pleasure
and knowledge they seek.
A grandmother told me – she saves whatever money she can save
annually – to purchase books for her grandchildren. “See – this time
I’ve collected two thousand rupees ‘taking it out from her jacket. May
be she is doing a cottage industry!
In the world of books parents forget their young children when they
are roaming in the world of books, and complain to the media unit – CIBE
is organized in such a way everyone who visit the exhibition is with
noble feelings – only a few unlawful elements has come to being/in the
recent few years. So that is obvious! The Good-Bad and the ugly elements
consists of a society.
I’m quite sure of one thing. The love for books, that books are a
tool to achieve knowledge, reading a book is a pleasure and collecting
books to one’s taste is a good hobby! I met a young girl with some
twenty books or more which she has spend her entire pay of the month for
the sake of reading pleasure. Extremes.....? No, she says she can afford
– her father helps her!
So once again everybody interested in the world of books may visit as
usual – this year too to the CIBE. The wonder world of the printed word.
But as for the exhibitors - business first; pleasure afterwards
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