BOOK sales in the country have plunged due to the economic crisis that has seen readers opting for illegally photocopied and online material.
BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA
This came to light at this year’s edition of the annual Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) which ended on Saturday.
Some stalls were visibly empty as hundreds of students from different schools thronged the venue where a variety of books were on show and representatives from different publications attributed this to financial constraints.
Legal Resources Foundation’s marketing and administration officer Lonkina Viriri said despite great interest in some of the material on show, people could not purchase books.
There was a 50% discount on the booklets.
“Due to the financial crisis, some people couldn’t even buy booklets going for as little as $1 so we had to put a discount to half price because we are more concerned about the dissemination of the important legal information,” Viriri said.
Precious Mafuba, of Bible Society of Zimbabwe, said Bible and Christian books’ sales had fallen over the years.
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“In the past, we used to enjoy it when churches were on the rise, but now, although they may be sprouting everywhere, Bible sales have dropped greatly,” she said.
Most historical books, however, seemed to be on demand at the book expo, according to Southern African Research and Documentation Centre marketing manager Bridgette Mutengwa.
“Our sales have been booming and I think Zimbabwe is appreciative of historical material as it has been thriving (during the Book Fair) even with the economic crisis,” Mutengwa said.
The week-long event, which began with a two-day indaba, was an eye-opener to most authors and readers as a wide range of issues were discussed, including the transition to digital publications and the effects of piracy, among other things.
