New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 attracts record 2 million visitors.

New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 attracts a record 2 million visitors, reaffirming India’s passion for books, literature, and a growing publishing industry.

on Feb 11, 2025

The New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 (NDWBF) broke all records by attracting over 2 million visitors, thereby cementing the deepening love of Indians for literature. The nine-day literary extravaganza held at Bharat Mandapam from February 1-9 brought together over 2,000 publishers and exhibitors, including major names like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Bloomsbury, Rajkamal Prakashan, and Vani Prakashan.

This year's theme, "Republic@75," celebrated India's cultural heritage and aspirations in every nook and corner that it reached to touch the book lover's hearts from all age groups. According to Milind Sudhakar Marathe, chairman of National Book Trust, NBT, footfalls had increased by 20% over last year. The event would cross 2.5 million visitors this time. "The reading culture of India is surging," said Marathe. "And growth in the publishing industry stands at 18% annually.".

Publishing houses found a wide variety of reader preferences, ranging from fiction to non-fiction, self-help, sci-fi, and children's books. Penguin Random House India (PRHI) reported a high demand for fiction, especially works by Indian authors such as Akshat Gupta's The Hidden Hindu and The Naga Warriors, Nona Uppal's Fool Me Twice, and Srishti Chaudhary's Lallan Sweets.

Manoj Satti, Senior VP at PRHI, said fiction ruled the roost in sales, followed by a growing interest in self-help and personal development books. The 32nd edition of NDWBF reasserted India's lively literary scene, proving that the nation's love for books remains stronger than ever.