Jan 07, 2010
When work, family responsibilities, daily chores and chaotic traffic consume most of the time and to add to all this the idiot box making people couch potatoes, reading books has become a casualty.
If you are one of those, then www.eveninghour.com is the one-stop-shop from where you can get your favourite book or movie DVD at the click of a mouse. The website also has a book store associated to it in the city.
“Our endeavour is to make reading books a fad again. This shop is part of the click-and- mortar store concept and offers edutainment for people of all ages, with an array of books made available for them,” said G. Priyanka, a former techie who owns and runs the store.
The passion for books runs in the family with my father and husband, all pitching in and doing their bit, Ms Priyanka said and added buying books was an experience in itself.
The store started on October 23, 2009 issued 300 membership cards to its customers. Books are delivered at home on a request by an SMS, phone call or an online request on their site. It also has a wide range of DVDs of the latest flicks which can be either hired or bought online. Those interested can ask for a door delivery or pay a visit to the store.
Members of the bookstore can borrow books at a nominal fee of Rs 100 per month. It also has schemes tailor-made for the needs of both the novice and avid readers, offering films and books based on their interest.
“We will popularise the website through traditional systems like pamphlets, membership drives in schools, colleges, apartment complexes, search engine optimisation (SEO). As our members are quite satisfied with our service, the main engine of growth has been by word-of-mouth so far and we have been able to breakeven in just three months, “Ms Priyanka informed.
The family-owned store set up with an initial investment of Rs 15 lakh has 10,000 titles to boast of, out of which 600 books remain in circulation. The range of books spreads from fiction to autobiographies, religion, palmistry, health, astrology, and children's books.
It also has books in Telugu catering to varied interests, from religious books for the pious to modern literature from the likes of Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao, Sri Sri among others.
For novice readers spoilt for choice and unable to zero in on a book, the website provides an editorial review of books and suggests books for study every week.
It has a 20 per cent discount offer for those purchasing books for over Rs 1,000. Members of the store can enjoy a discount of 8 per cent on books and 5 per cent on DVDs irrespective of the offer period.
The proprietors of www.eveninghour.com, Ms Priyanka and her father Nagendra Prasad, former Chief Engineer, State Police Housing Corporation, who shares the burden of running the store, say they have many more plans on the cards and hope to expand within the city and outside.
Mr. Prasad said the store had started book reading clubs which held discussions on Sundays and planned to extend to Saturdays also. “
The store has also started arts and craft classes from January which are held on holidays and weekends. “We are holding games based on vocabulary building, puzzles, honing mathematical skills as a part of edutainment,” Ms Priyanka said.
The store plans to emerge as a brand, build a strong online intellectual community for books and hopes to expand from books and movies into crafts and other avocations which hone a person's all round development.
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