Sale of e-books not rising, even shrinking in some countries: Damon Galgut

Jaipur Literature Festival 2024: In a conversation with Business Standard, Galgut said currently non-fiction is thriving, and fiction is more under stress

At the Jaipur Literature Festival 2024, Damon Galgut, winner of the 2021 Booker Prize for Fiction, discusses his early life and the future of books. Edited excerpts:

How important do you think literature festivals like JLF are?

These festivals are interesting. They actually have nothing to do with the writing of books, yet the book business increasingly depends on them.

In fact, it's almost possible to imagine a future where there are no more bookstores, only festivals. Most book sales will happen at these book festivals.

What will be the future of novels, especially fiction?

Currently, non-fiction is