Fiction Is Flourishing In India

Just watched a BBC feature on books, reading, and writing in India. One image I can't shake is that of sidewalk tent-stores selling mountains and mountains of all kinds of books in many languages, with endless passersby browsing, looking for something to read.

The reporter said, and I'm paraphrasing, "There was a time when writers here would rather write something that would win them an award, but now there is a great demand for more popular and general fare as well. People actually ask for stories of crime, or science fiction, but no one is writing them. Publishers here are actually on the lookout for new writers to fill this need." And then they featured a lady who gave up her investment banking career to become a chick-lit writer. Her first book became a best seller, and now she's a full-time writer. She admits that as the publishing industry matures in her country, it will get as competitive as it is in the West.

In my opinion, that's a good thing, because it means more people are reading. This huge appetite for reading among the Indian population will determine what books sell and what stories will be read.

My gosh, a country with a growing readership, all hungry for books!