Indian fiction isn’t flying off bookshelves like it should. It’s time we asked why
While the landscape of fiction in India is struggling to attract the attention it deserves, it continues to thrive in the world, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, with novels at the top of best-seller paintings and fuel cultural conversations. But given the literary infrastructure developed in these regions, it is not exactly a fair comparison. “Theirs is a more mature market with centuries of access to language, form, styles, genres and a long tradition of publishing,” explains Thakkar. So, the real question is: what will it take to the Indian fiction market to catch up? Does he just need time to mature or are there any ways to accelerate his growth?
The rise in social media has supervised fiction in the West and it is a trend that can also be exploited in India. With more than 200 billion views on Tiktok, communities like #Bobotok have become powerful catalysts for books like A courtyard of thorns and roses And Fourth wing. Although we may not have Tiktok in India, the Indian community of Bookstagram begins to play an important role in highlighting fiction, readers and influencers sharing book recommendations, criticisms and discussions that help promote a dynamic literary community. In my own experience, when a celebrity has published on my novel Red and Rishtas flags On Instagram, the impact was immediate. The Amazon book classification pulled in the top 100, and it quickly reprinted.
However, awareness of social media is only a piece of the puzzle. If the reception for programs based on Indian novels like Sacred games, an appropriate boy, Paatal Lok And Murder in Mahim is something to pass, there is certainly an appetite for the narration which breaks the borders of credibility. But to truly broaden the scope of fiction beyond our screens, we must solve the problems linked to the accessibility and availability of books in regional languages. Much of the successful fiction by Indian authors like Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri and Ruskin Bond is published and marketed in English. It is crucial to remember that most Indians do not read in English, so publishing houses must support regional fiction which will present to native readers the joys of fantastic world construction. “We also need a much better distribution mechanism and an ecosystem to reach distant and rural regions,” admits Thakkar.
