An Open Appeal to Publishers in the Indian Subcontinent: Make Books Accessible Again

A few days ago, we read a deeply moving open letter on Scroll.in, written on behalf of readers who love books but can no longer afford them. It spoke directly to what we at Books Mandala have been feeling for years. As a bookstore that has spent over three decades connecting readers in Nepal and beyond to authentic books, we have always been proud to sell every title at the exact maximum retail price (MRP) set by the publisher, with no markup. And yet, there are days when we feel a pang of shame at how high those price tags have become.

This is our heartfelt appeal, rooted in the realities we see every day: readers walking into bookstores with hope, only to leave empty-handed because the prices are simply out of reach.

A Structural Problem, Not a Passing Complaint

The issue is no longer about a few “new releases” being expensive. It is systemic. Prices for many books in the Indian subcontinent are now perilously close to UK or US retail rates, ignoring the vast differences in local economies.

We know that making a book is an intricate, costly process from an author’s years of writing, to an editor’s meticulous revisions, to the precision of printing, to the artistry of design, to the complex logistics of distribution. But there is a growing reliance on blanket pricing, where prices are pegged to Western markets and applied almost identically to South Asia.

For years, independent bookstores like ours have been able to survive because publishers offered region-specific pricing. This allowed us to sell genuine books at rates that matched our readers’ purchasing power. But as that gap closes, we are heading toward a reality where a novel in Nepal costs nearly the same as in London or New York; despite lower production and distribution costs here. This is not sustainable for readers, and it is not fair for independent booksellers.

What “Blanket Pricing” Really Means And Why It Hurts Most

The issue isn’t just that some books are expensive. It’s that blanket pricing is being applied: publishers raising the prices of all titles in one sweep from niche backlist books to the most in-demand bestsellers, without accounting for differences in demand, sales patterns, or local affordability.

For bookstores like ours, the impact is immediate and measurable:

• Overall sales have dropped as customers cut back across the board.
• Bestseller sales have fallen sharply: Once-consistent top sellers now move far fewer copies than they used to.
• The most popular books, the ones that used to bring readers into stores, are now among the most pirated.

This isn’t just bad for us. It’s bad for publishers too. If your most in-demand titles become unaffordable, you lose distributors that sell the books you publish and the very readers who fuel your sales.

The Hidden Cost: Fueling Piracy

We understand that paper, printing, and transport costs have increased. But the scale of recent price hikes cannot be justified by rising overheads alone. What these increases do encourage, unfortunately, is piracy. When authentic books become unaffordable, readers are driven toward photocopies, scanned PDFs, or counterfeit editions.

We have fought against this for years through our ongoing Don’t Trust, Verify campaign, which calls on readers to actively verify the authenticity of their books and avoid supporting piracy. Alongside this, we regularly publish awareness resources like How to Spot Pirated Books and Original vs Counterfeit Books to help readers identify and avoid counterfeit editions. But with every price hike, this fight becomes harder to win.

If these trends continue, piracy will not just be a problem; it will become the norm and when piracy becomes the norm, the legitimate market collapses, leaving no room for trusted booksellers, and no reason for readers to believe in the value of buying originals.

A Culture at Risk

Brick-and-mortar bookstores are closing across the subcontinent. We remain committed to serving readers from our physical stores in Lakeside, Pokhara and Baluwatar, Kathmandu, and through our online store. But the long-term impact of current pricing trends is clear: if books become a luxury, readership will shrink. When readership shrinks, everyone loses; publishers, authors, retailers, and most importantly, the next generation of readers.

Why This Should Terrify Publishers Too

Readers are already walking away. Loyal customers are scaling back their purchases or stopping entirely. Even publishing house representatives, outside of management on the front lines of sales admit they know this is happening. They, too, see that as prices rise without regard for local realities, readers drop away. With distributors consolidating and piracy unchecked, publishers risk creating a future where counterfeit books dominate and legitimate sellers disappear entirely.

And there is a broader, more urgent danger. We are in an era where the lines of intellectual property are already blurring, especially with AI. Authors, illustrators, and designers are watching their work being mimicked, remixed, and replicated by algorithms. Creative livelihoods are harder to protect than ever. By raising prices to the point of exclusion, publishers are making legitimate work less competitive and giving piracy and AI-generated imitations, even more room to grow.

Our Appeal to Publishers

This is not a plea for sympathy. It is a call for action.

We are asking, as partners in the same mission; to get more books into more hands, to reconsider pricing models for the Indian subcontinent. Regional economies matter. Local purchasing power matters. Work with distributors and retailers to create editions and price points that keep books accessible.

Without affordability, we lose readers. Without readers, the industry loses its purpose.

Our Commitment to Readers

To our readers, know that we will keep fighting for fair prices and authentic books. We will always offer the best prices possible within the limits set by publishers, and we will keep raising this issue until there is change. If you share this concern, talk about it. Share articles like this and Support bookstores that refuse to sell pirated books. Choose originals whenever you can.

We want to remain a place where books are for everyone, not just for those who can afford to treat them as a luxury. But for that to happen, those who set the prices must remember why they entered publishing in the first place: not only to sell books, but to keep the love of reading alive.