Second-hand books have few takers in the city

Second-hand books have few takers in the city    Srishti Shinde | Aug 23 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai) For most of us, petrichor is some thing that sets the mood -for love, passion and excitement.But for book lovers, it's biblichor that defines ultimate rejuvenation. That feeling when you enter an old book store or a library, is so satisfying and can't be replaced with anything. However, as kindles with daylight and night vision modes have occupied permanent places in our bags and the few books that we read are usually ordered online, most bibliophiles in the city yearn for that long lost smell of old books, as second-hand booksellers are slowly disappearing from the scene. From hundreds of them on the streets of Mumbai about a decade ago, to only a handful now. Are we going to see enough of them in the l future, is actually a question we t should ask ourselves. TECHNOLOGY TO BE BLAMED Bandra-based Naseer Shaikh, who owned one of the oldest second-hand bookstores in the city , moved to Vashi s five years ago, due to inflation. “The t rent was increasing manifold and it was getting difficult to maintain the store in Bandra, with everything from t electricity bills to employees' salaries going over budget. Vashi has comparatively lower rates, when it comes to real estate prices. Frankly , the secondhand book business is not affected due to online sales or kindles, it is the lifestyle that has negatively impacted the sale of books in general. These days, people spend more time looking into their phone screens, rather than reading. Be it social networking sites, WhatsApp or games, people today pick up their phones more than books,“ says Naseer, whose family has been in this business for the past 35 years now. He does have some loyal customers, who still prefer reading books, but they are not as many . When asked about the most favourite book among people, he quips, “Harry Potter is a hit among kids and even teenagers, while grown-ups prefer a Sidney Sheldon or Chetan Bhagat. In fact, classics like Lolita do not deserve to be kept at book stores, as readers are unable to respect literature of this calibre.“ BOOKS COME CHEAPER ONLINE While most authors are releasing their books online, it has become easier for people to avail exclusive books, at throwaway prices and that too, even before they are released. “This is one of the reasons why people opt to buy books online. The fact that most people like to keep the books they buy as a part of their library , it is getting more and more difficult to source them.There are hardly any people who come over to give away their novels, which is why the we do not have a lot of options when it comes to second-hand editions, especially the new releases,“ says Rituraaj Manek, a book seller in Cuffe Parade. He also mentions that the maximum time it takes for new books to come to the second-hand market is three months. In fact, there are several discounts on books when bought online, which is a stronger reason why most people don't even consider branded bookstores, let alone second-hand dealers. PEOPLE DON'T READ ANYMORE The habit of reading is slowly dying. “I remember my mom would make me read at least one book a month, when I was in school. In fact, I had a vast collection of Panchatantras and various fairy tales that she would source, so that I develop the habit of reading. In fact, I would also make frequent visits to a nearby library to read Hardy Boys, while I was a teen. However, I don't see kids read anymore,“ says Rachika Nagar, a teacher by profession. Look around, as it is difficult to find people reading; they are either busy looking at other people's lives on social networking sites and gossiping about them, or worrying about their problems. “The fact that people don't read anymore is why second-hand book sellers have a tough time selling books.Ask someone what did they read last and they will have to ponder for a while before they answer,“ says Mayank Patkar, a second-hand book seller from Andheri. WEBSITES HAVE ALSO ENCROACHED THE MARKET There are about nine different websites that deal in second-hand books.They are extremely convenient, and sell books at almost the same price as roadside book sellers in the city . From novels to children's titles as well as general management and academic books, they have everything in store. In fact, some of them also follow a slightly different concept, wherein they act as a lending library, where you can rent a book. They have various subscriptions plans -monthly and yearly . They follow the same pattern that second-hand book dealers do, wherein you can return the book after reading it and order another set, depending on the plan you have taken.The best part about these websites is that they have a `Cash on delivery' option and deliver books to your doorstep, free of cost.