Writers, publishers drive sales through social media

Increasingly more writers and publishers have been resorting to social media sites, especially facebook, to increase sales of their books during Ekushey Book Fair this year. 
As facebook, over the past few years, has become ever more saturated and a vibrant platform for sharing all sorts of ethos, the month-long book fair in the capital has been occupy almost all booklovers’ facebook timeline.
Though publishers utilise varied media for publicising their products, facebook is emerging as one of the most communicative and effective among the virtual platforms nowadays as it offers easy access to marketing and networking by linking the product with a potential mass following, publishers and writers said.
Poet Leyoja Akter, who has brought out her second title Chhuye Jawa Hridoye Akuti from Ittadi Grantho Prokash, has over 5,000 followers on facebook. 
She said that she had posted photos and brief description of her books when the book was launched and she got huge response from her facebook followers.
Poet Helal Salauddin, who has over a thousand friends on facebook, has brought out his first title Sonali Bhumir Shasyakona from Behula Bangla. Helal said, ‘My well-wishers who bought my book publicised the title on their facebook timeline by posting photos and reviews.’
Famous writers and publishers have also been utilising the virtual media for marketing their new titles.
Mohit Kamal, a famous writer and psychotherapist, have been updating his facebook page, irregularly though, with group photos of his fans holding titles he authored.
Recalling that the writers used to depend on newspaper advertisements for introducing their new titles, Mohit said, ‘Today, social media have opened a wider opportunity for us as we could publicise our works.’
Publishers are also following the trend as many of them have been updating their facebook pages very frequently.
Mazharul Islam, president of Academic and Creative Publishers’ Association of Bangladesh and chief executive officer of Anyaprakash, has over 8,000 facebook followers. Recently he posted photos and description of his son Amio Mazhar’s travelogue Sun, Fun and the Sea: the Magic of Thailand.
On the 27th day of the fair on Monday, booklovers poured into the fair premises to make their last moment book purchases.
On the day, 155 new titles hit the fair.
A discussion arranged by writers-readers-publishers was held on the academy premises commemorating writer Humayun Azad. Osman Gani, publisher at Agamee Prokashoni, chaired the event where Bangla Academy director general Shamshuzzaman Khan presented the keynote.

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