Essay
Slippery Slopes of Himalayan Publishing
Himalayan publishing in European languages spells big money, but the market is dominated by books about idyllic mountains and touristic pursuits. While serious publishers in the region face hardships, some fly-by-night book packagers take short cuts to big profits.
Rama Tiwari started selling books lO years ago on the streets of Benares. He moved up to Kathmandu six years ago and today runs Pilgrims, one of the busiest bookshops in the heart of Kathmandu´s tourist district with a collection of 70,000 titles and a yearly turnover of NRs 35 million.