18% Increase in Tehran International Book Fair Sales

Book sales at the 30th Tehran International Book Fair, held May 3-13, saw an 18% increase compared to the previous edition of the event, said Amir Masoud Shahramnia, deputy head of the TIBF.

Going by the transactions made by POS or credit card machines, “we can say there was at least an 18% increase in sales. Moreover, not all the transactions were cashless; many paid cash,” he said at a press briefing on May 10 in the presence of the head of Tehran International Book Fair Seyed Abbas Salehi, according to the website of Iran Cultural Fairs Institute (icfi.ir).

More specifically, in the previous edition, “we sold 349 billion rials ($9.29 million) worth of books. The figure increased to 408 billion rials ($10.86 million) this year.”

The book fair also saw a 10% increase in the number of visitors, judging by the sales of tickets at the ‘Shahr-e-Aftab’ subway station, the main access to the venue in south Tehran.

Referring to the damages caused by heavy rainfall on May 5 to the tented pavilions at the book fair, Shahramnia expressed hope that “by taking into account the criticisms and recommendations (in the media), the next edition of the TIBF will have less problems.”