What started as a modest literary effort has evolved into one of the country’s largest book festivals. The Pune Book Festival, organised by the National Book Trust (NBT) at Fergusson College grounds from December 13 to 21, wrapped up this year with an estimated turnover exceeding ₹50 crore, registering a sharp rise from last year, organisers said.
More than 250 stalls were set up, featuring regional, national and independent publishers. (HT)
Festival director Rajesh Pande noted that the scale of participation reflected a significant shift in reading habits, especially among young people.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The festival has moved beyond Marathi literature to become a national book mela, featuring publications from across India in multiple languages,” he said at a press conference on Sunday.
More than 250 stalls were set up, featuring regional, national and independent publishers. The eight-day festival attracted nearly 12.5 lakh visitors, a significant increase from around 7.5 lakh the previous year. Weekends saw especially heavy footfall, with families and young readers queuing across the venue. Organisers said nearly 60% of visitors were under 30, indicating a growing reading culture among younger audiences.
Book sales rose in tandem with footfall. Over 30 lakh books were sold during the festival, while between 400 and 500 new titles were launched on site. Several authors reportedly sold out two to three editions of their books within days. Organisers attributed this to the strong presence of writers at the stalls, enabling direct interaction and sales of signed copies. In comparison, about 25 lakh books were sold in 2024, generating a turnover exceeding ₹40 crore.
Literary sessions, often overshadowed by book sales in earlier editions, emerged as a major draw this year. Author interactions saw packed venues, with readers lining up well in advance. More than 1,000 writers, poets and authors participated across the festival days, many spending extended hours engaging with readers at their stalls.
Institutional buying also increased. Public and private libraries from across Maharashtra purchased books in bulk, with public libraries alone buying titles worth over ₹10 lakh.
Student participation remained central to the festival’s operations. Over six days, 32 eminent speakers addressed audiences through lectures, panel discussions and literary conversations.
The Children’s Corner expanded further this year, with around 400 schools participating and more than 30,000 students visiting the venue. Workshops, competitions and interactive sessions were organised to encourage reading beyond textbooks, with organisers distributing gifts to promote early reading habits.
The festival also drew international visitors from countries including the United States and Dubai. As part of a non-commercial outreach effort, more than one lakh copies of Anandmath were distributed free of cost.
Organisers said the festival set three world records this year, though details are awaited. Buoyed by the response, Pande announced that the next edition will be held from December 12 to 20, 2026, again at Fergusson College grounds.
“With the scale we have seen this year, the festival has clearly moved beyond being a city event. It has triggered a wider reading movement,” he said.
Sharad Tandale, founder and owner of New Era Publication House, shared his experience at the festival, saying that the response to their publication stall was truly unbelievable.
“I never imagined such an overwhelming response,” he said. “We were extremely excited to meet our readers from across Maharashtra. Every day, we sold more than 1,000 books, achieving a turnover of over ₹20 lakh within just eight days. This entire sale came only from the book stall.”
He further added that the festival also helped expand their reach beyond the venue. “Because of this book festival, we received many orders from outside , and the demand on online platforms also increased. The growing craze for book festivals has significantly boosted readership. Compared to last year, our sales have doubled this year. The number of readers is increasing, and a large proportion of them are young readers,.”
