Hasmik SImonyan: Armenian readers are not oriented (video)
Armenian readers are not oriented. Writer Hasmik Simonyan realized that when she started working at a bookshop. "They come and say, give me a modern prose, give me a modern poem. If I was told this some time ago, I would not believe. But now I say what i have seen by myself. When you ask them what they have read, they do not know what to say. They say, I know that there is something like that. When asked about the latest writers they know, in the case of poem it's Sevak, and in the case of prose - maximum Matevosyan. Then you start suggesting, asking about their profession, interests, in order to make books their friends instead of relatives." The notion of bestsellers is incomprehensible for the writer when the volume of sales of a specific book grows dramatically over the given period. "They want everything that is spoken about. When they ask me which book is sold better I answer them the one which i will present. I will show you that book, so that you realize that you really need it, and I will not lie to you. I will present the book that you would like to have but did not know about its existence." The demand for diction books is higher. though another tendensy has been recently noticed. Bookseller Anna Stepanyan says, "Now they read more science fiction, and parallel with they read motivational books, such as business-related books. Science fiction depends on what a person has missed out during his life." Today you do not have to go to a bookstore or library to find a book. You may need a few minutes to download a book from the internet. "Electronic books are easier to find. They are more comfortable to read on the phone, on buses and other situations rather than books. Besides, both phones and laptops have lights. There are people who want to have their own libraries, they want to have the printed versions of books. There are people who like touching the paper." Which kind of books do the citizens of Yerevan like? Answers are different. Our survey is available in the video
