24 October,2021 08:35 AM IST | Mumbai | Jane Borges
The app’s store will show you trending and bestseller lists, offer a curated set of titles based on your interests, and even connect you to physical bookshops, where you can buy from
Most writers won't shy away from talking about their first book. But Faheem Bhat, 22, is of another breed. The Srinagar resident, whom we connect with over a phone call, refuses to share the title of his debut fiction that released in 2017 - even though it's just a Google search away - and became one of the fastest selling books locally. He goes on to tell us how he was most amused that his love story actually found so many readers in Kashmir, where "there isn't a huge culture of reading [among the youth]". "I can't relate with that book anymore. I even told my publishers to stop printing copies," he says. One thing that stood out, however, was his protagonist Fenin's obsession with reading. "He finds solace in books⦠reads about fictitious worlds all day. One day, all of a sudden, he finds himself living the life he always wanted," reads the blurb of that novel.
Bhat, who was all of 18 then, was probably living a page out of his own book. Soon after its release, Bhat dropped out of engineering college, much to the consternation of his family, to pursue a career in publishing. "I always believed that books could save me." He launched Lieper Publication, a self-publishing house, to encourage more writers to release their books, and in different languages. Though, looking back, he admits, that he could have taken sharper editorial decisions, that experience emboldened the young literary entrepreneur to invest deeply into the world of publishing.
A visit to a leading bookstore in Kolkata, which was struggling to keep afloat, led him to think of developing an app that would empower and safeguard booksellers and bookshops, both big and small. Two years on, Bhat's project has taken a life of its own. He is now just a few weeks shy of launching a first-of-its-kind social media
app, Lieper.
Bhat, who now travels between Srinagar and Mumbai, where he has registered his new company Lieper Books, which is behind the app, believes that the platform will be a one-stop destination for all things books. Not far removed from a regular social media app, this one too allows the user to create a profile, where they can share stories, write blogs and post photographs, but the conversations mostly always, revolve around books. "Also, the user's profile is not only defined by the number of followers they have, but the number of books they've read. If one wants to have a verified account, they'd need to have read 250 books-plus," shares Bhat. He feels that having a dedicated app just for books will even provide a fillip to the slowly growing #bookstagram community, where they can share reviews or discuss the most recent titles they've read.
What makes this app different from the more popular Goodreads, which currently has nearly 20 million members globally, is its hyper-local agenda of also connecting readers directly with their local booksellers. Bookstores can even host events, and keep readers abreast of latest titles and new discounts. Qubra, who prefers to be called by her first name, and is a core member of the Lieper team, was tasked with reaching out to bookstore owners in Mumbai. "Most of these stores have an online presence on big retail sites, but are admittedly struggling with their profits and revenue margins. So, their skepticism was evident, when we asked them to join," she shares. It took her nearly four months, before she could get a slim roster of 30 stores and booksellers from the city, to join the app. "We've signed an MoU with each one of them. Our goal here is not to make any profits, but give them a platform where they can directly connect with their readers and vice versa," says Bhat of the self-funded project.
Writer, visual creator and books blogger Resh Susan says that an alternative book space sounds like a great idea, especially with "platforms like Instagram not giving you options to browse your interests". "But it also makes me wonder how many of us would be willing to start anew, find like-minded readers when we are so deep in this Instagram mess and global Insta friendships that we've grown to like."
Anish Chandy, literary agent and founder, Labyrinth Literary Agency, shares other concerns. "Bookstagrammers aid in the discovery of new books, so any such platform that allows for that, always adds value. But, with a major e-commerce player offering huge discounts on books and home deliveries, it's impossible to assume that users will still want to connect with their nearest bookstore online. What I'd be interested in seeing is a platform that allows you to explore new, lesser-known titles."
To know more: https://lieperbooks.com/
