



India turns the page: Publishing boom opens new chapter for books
₹2 crore over five days, excluding revenue from souvenirs and other merchandise. The estimated economic impact generated for hotels, transport services, restaurants, artisans and local businesses is pegged at ₹130 crore, according to KLF officials.It was not an isolated spike.
The Kolkata Book Fair, which concluded in early February, drew a record footfall of 3.2 million visitors, up from 2.7 million last year, with total sales touching ₹27 crore, the organizers said.At the New Delhi World Book Fair in January, the organizers reported a 20% rise in attendance, while several publishers clocked their highest-ever revenue at the eight-day event. At the 19th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival last month, co-director William Dalrymple noted that over 44,000 books were sold; authors faced some of the longest signing queues in the festival’s history.The numbers tell a story: India’s book business is booming.Publishers, bookstore owners, literature festival directors and industry watchers are unequivocal—the current moment appears to be a structural upswing rather than a post-pandemic blip.According to NielsenIQ BookData and GfK Entertainment’s international study for the first eight months of 2025, more than half of the 19 markets surveyed saw higher book sales revenue than during the same period last year.
India led the growth with a 28.6% increase, followed by Brazil (10.8%), Colombia (9.6%) and Portugal (8.4%). During the same period in 2024, India’s revenue grew by 18.3%, and in 2023 (full year) it was relatively slow at 7.1%.India’s book exports rose from about ₹2,454 crore in fiscal year 2024 (FY24) to ₹2,603 crore in FY25, according to publishing and printing research firm IPPstar.
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