Books by kilo: This mega book fair in Mumbai is a paradise for bibliophiles

Hidden in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai is a paradise for all bibliophiles of the city. From best-selling novels to children's books, this warehouse loaded with books, has it all. Butterfly Books/BooksByWeight is for those avid readers who look for economical options to buy books. Why, you ask? The books here are sold by weight.
Unlike most other bookstores in Mumbai where books are sold starting at Rs 100, this book fair sells books at an average cost of Rs 33 depending on the size. Madhavi Gupta, who co-founded Butterfly Books/BooksByWeight with her husband Ajay Gupta says, "Our aim is to make the purchase of books economical for all those who love to read."

This venture is over 10 years old and has been acting as a blessing to the readers since. Before starting out with this mega book fair, the couple was into book trading for over 25 years. "It was only natural for us to start with this," says Gupta. With books by best-selling authors available at such friendly prices, there was no way we were going to let this book fair go unexplored without finding out everything about it.

A unique venture that is more beneficial to the customers, is a rare find. The plunge in the sale of books due to the rise of online purchases of books by people on e-commerce websites compelled this couple to think of a strategy to pull back readers to the classic way of buying books. "We had to figure out a way to attract readers to something more interesting. That's when we thought, why not provide them with an open space where they can visit and scan through a wide variety of options and make bulk purchases at affordable prices," shares Gupta. Gupta claims they are the first to have invented this unique system of selling books, with others following the lead.

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Book fairs and cost of books
You can buy one kilogram of books at Rs 100 for small-format fiction books like that of Dan Brown. The price rises to Rs 300 per kilogram for popular fiction novels like Tom King, Jeffery Archer and Agatha Christie due to their heavy weight and the higher price at which they are procured.

The book fair also sells children's books at Rs 300 per kilogram. In one kilogram, you can buy around 8-10 A4-sized books (depending on the size). Books for babies that are hard bound are sold at Rs 400 per kilogram.

The couple has been conducting this book fair across metropolitan cities of India that include Mumbai, Pune, Ahmadabad, Baroda, Coimbatore, Bhopal, Chennai, Bangalore and Vizag. Currently, the book fair is being held at their main office in Mahalaxmi and will last till July 6.

"It is a unique way to reach out to more and more readers in an economical way. Besides selling books in brick-and-mortar warehouses/halls, we also sell them through an online fair by conducting video calls to customers residing in remote parts of India where we can't reach," says Gupta. The duo has had purchase requests flooding in from people of Kashmir and Leh and Ladhak via Facebook and Instagram due to this novel way of selling books by weight.

Gupta reveals that a book fair of 10 days succeeds in making a sale of approximately 20,000 books. "We always witness the highest number of sales in Mumbai as compared to other cities." While the number of readers in Mumbai being high is one factor responsible for high sales, she says that the city's large population is another key factor.

Besides commoners, Gupta's book fair has also been graced by many Bollywood and international celebrities from time to time.

Popular titles at the book fair
Books available at this book fair are procured from the UK, the US and Australia. While all English novels and children's books can be found here, Gupta says, "We don't procure more of Indian authored books. Only a few are procured locally and on special requests by some customers." That is not to say that Indian-authored books are low in demand. A huge chunk of people enjoys reading books by Indian authors. When asked for one Indian author who is in popular demand, without batting an eyelid, Gupta says, "Sudha Murthy. She is the most popular among children as well as adults."

Speaking about international authors, Gupta lists Tom King, Sidney Sheldon, and Jeffery Archer among other age-old authors to be a top preference for Indian readers. She adds, "Most young adults today enjoy reading thrillers having a gripping story. There is also a section of college-going students who enjoy reading romantic novels from time to time."

Interestingly, Gupta shares, "I have seen many customers who come looking for books of their preferred choice of genres going back with a newfound interest in other genres due to the wide range of options made available to them."

Since books of all kinds are found at this book fair, people of all ages visit the venue.

The Guptas too are avid readers and take immense joy in reading from time to time. "Though we find it hard to make time for reading, we are always on the lookout for something interesting to read. I used to enjoy reading fiction a few years back and now prefer to read biographies and autobiographies. Two of my favourite authors to date are Pearl S Buck and Agatha Christie."

Even as book fairs such as theirs are popular, has the sale of eBooks hampered the sale of hard copies? "Absolutely not," Gupta answers confidently. "True fun of reading books is in holding the copy in hand. Honestly, people want a break from screen time since everything today has become digital. Reading books helps them disconnect from their gadgets." She says that eBooks are mostly used by adults who travel more and don't wish to carry extra weight.

About the book fair:
Till: July 6, 2023
Timings: 10 am - 6 pm
Closed on all Sundays
Address: Butterfly Books, 83/C ground floor, Hansraj Pragji building, L N Pappan Marg, off Dr E Moses road, close to Worli Naka, Worli, Mumbai 400018.