Just a marketing event?
Photo: Ofer Amram
Hebrew Book Week sparks controversy
Annual book fair is perceived by some as a 'celebration of books,' but others believe it hurts authors and publishers by turning books into commodity judged primarily by its price
Hebrew Book Week, which opened in cities across Israel last week and is held until June 20, has already drawn tens of thousands of people, whether avid book readers or not, to city centers where the festival is usually located.
The annual book fair seeks to get the general public, and mainly children, to read more books, and does so by offering discounts, special deals and many cultural attractions throughout the week.
This year the event has also prompted much criticism among those who believe that the fair only contributes to cheapening books and authors by turning them into a commodity whose value is determined solely by its price.
Celebration of books? (Photo: Ofer Amram)
In a column published on Ynet Ariana Melamed claimed that the book fair is nothing more than a marketing event and that the excessive discounts on books hurt, first and foremost the authors who receive fewer royalties for each copy that is sold.
The competition in the field, said Melamed, "might be good for the consumer's pocket, but a book isn't just another commodity, but an entire world of content. And just like the struggle between the television networks produces shallow programs, the same is true in this case.
"If you look closely at the books that are being sold for suicidal prices you will soon realize that they are the intellectual equivalents of 'Survival'."
Mati Shmuelof, an editor and poet, wrote that "the public must know that there are losers in such sales. The losers are the authors and the small bookshops that are not part of the large chains. And the losers should be viewed through a wide social and cultural perspective.
But there are those who disagree. Author Shiri Lev Ari described Book Week as "a cultural choice" and a "celebration of books." The event, according to Lev Ari, represents "healthy democratization of the world of books," and pluralism – by the fact that it allows smaller, independent publishing houses to come in contact with large crowds who don't usually enter bookstores.
