Interview with Mr. Fabian, Landmark

From 1987 starting the first Landmark in Nungambakkam Chennai, they went on to open in Bangalore , Bombay, Hyderabad, Kokatta and two more in Chennai alone. Here are the titbits of the interview.

Q : Have the number of readers increased or decreased compared to the past?
A : It has increased. People are reading more

Q : How do you rate the readers of the present time with the readers of yester years? any change you find with the readers?
A: Most of the readers who come are youngsters. They are not only going for fiction or literature but also for other bestsellers like philosophy, self development, business more than literature which used to be the most common topic for readers.

Q : What age group of people generally frequent your bookstall? Children, youth, Adult, research scholars.
A:Youngsters and adults. Above forty are the good customers.

Q : What kind of books they prefer?
A :Youth prefer self development books. Most of them go for particular authors. Harry potter was not a favourite of children but they prefer to watch the movie. Research oriented books…are sold better

Q : Has the sale of books increased ? You have opened two more branches in Chennai itself.
A: Yes

Q : Which is read more? Magazines, Books or Newspapers?
A : Books are read more than magazines and newspapers.

Q : Do you strongly feel that television or internet have the reduced the reading habit?
A: No they have supplemented. People instead of wasting time in the bookstore, they spend time to browse through the internet to see the basic details and the availability of the book and they come to buy. Internet is used only for reference. Reading and books were not at all replaced by the internet.

Q : Any boom in sale in the recent years, like the Harry Potter?
A: Harry Potter had a good sale. But in the recent times there was a remarkable sale with the book, “How Opel Mehta got kissed got wild and got a life” by Kavya Viswanathan, 18 years old about the campus life. She copied 40 pages from another author. But the book was banned. This had big sale even in our store. Similarly the book Da vinci Code by Dan Brown is getting sold very well even now. Anything related to Da Vinci Code also sold. For quite a long time this is being sold like hot cakes.

Q : Youngsters are going through lot of books. But are they really buying?
A : Yes. Many come and sit here and read full day and then buy books. I am positive about the reading habit of youth. They come not only to Landmark but also to Higginbotham, Odyssey, IIT books are the best sellers.
Anything for you is from IIM . Such books are sold well. Such books ate picked up by youth. Particularly the graduates.