Arab publishing industry hit by Internet: Expert

They, however, felt that the Doha exhibition had been gaining popularity with a steady rise in the number of exhibitors as well as visitors.

Children's books, academic and educational books, religious titles and novels are the most sought after at the exhibition that had entered to the fifth day. Majority of the titles are in Arabic, mainly by publishers from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

"We have been facing serious difficulties in distribution of books due to a fall in the number of readers. If there were 5,000 titles on a subject earlier, it has now come down to 3,000," Osama Musleh, a leading publisher from Egypt told The Peninsula on the sidelines of the exhibition.

Osama Nabeel, from Dar Osama for Publishing and Distribution based in Amman, Jordan said, the popularity of Internet and CDs had dealt a major blow to the publishing industry in the Arab world.

"The situation is not so bad for the industry, though the number of readers is on the decline. Educational books, fiction and children's books still enjoy a good market in the region," said Osama.

His company, established more than 10 years ago is one of the leading publishing houses in Jordan.

Egypt is leading with the highest number of publishers and books in the Arab world, while Lebanon and Syria come in the second and third positions respectively. Jordan, with about 150 publishing houses is in the fourth place, he said.

"Lebanon is famous for printing, while most of the authors come from Egypt and Syria. Iraq has the best readers in the region," remarked Osama.

His titles include a history of the Gulf and another series on the famous tribes in the region, including those from Qatar.

Issam Abou Hamdan, sales manager at the reputable Dar Al Saqi in Beirut has a different view on the issue. He feels that Internet had only boosted the sale of books through reviews and articles introducing the new titles.

"We are getting lot of requests for books online. We have a reputation in the Arab world due to the popularity of our authors and the titles," said Hamdan.

The best selling books of the company include the one on Al Qaeda by the famous Arab journalist Abdul Bari Othwan and works of Arab literary icons including Adonis and George Tarabishi.

The company has a separate wing for English books that features titles on Arab socio-cultural issues, among general topics. The best selling titles in the English stall include "Beyond the veil- Male-female dynamics in the Muslim Society" and "The Gulf Family- Kinship policies and modernity".