Minister of Culture Begins Talks with Representatives of Bookstores in the Capital

Minister of Culture Begins Talks with Representatives of Bookstores in the Capital
Santo Domingo, December 3rd, 2013

The Minister of Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, began talks with representatives of bookstores in Santo Domingo to find ways to avoid the closing of their businesses.
In this regard, Minister Rodríguez requested a written report detailing the worries and concerns of bookstore owners, in order to be considered by the Ministry he presides to find appropriate solutions which could even involve other State agencies, if necessary.

At the meeting, held last Friday at the Ministry of Culture headquarters, the booksellers expressed their concerns related to the book market, the application of tariffs to businesses, and the impact of online publication deals on book sales.

Once the report on the issues affecting the sector is submitted, the Minister of Culture will meet again with the bookstore owners to continue working on finding solutions to the problems that are presented.

During said meeting, the Minister of Culture expressed concern over the closing of some bookstores and invited attendees to a deep reflection that goes beyond the cessation of operations by the businesses.

Rodríguez said that in a world marked by the constant advancement of technology, it becomes necessary for traditional bookstores to pay special attention to the digital format in order to sell books.

“The same happened to record stores, most have disappeared because consumers buy their records online. I think it is time to rethink how to sell books,” Rodríguez said.

He added that the Ministry of Culture would commit to a project that prioritizes the online sale of the works of Dominican writers.

The meeting was attended by Hans Huehn, of Cuesta Bookstore; Virtudes Uribe, of La Trinitaria Bookstore; Luisa Povedano, of Mateca; Luis Luna, of Luna Bookstore; Denis Peña, of the Dominican Chamber of  the Book; and, Gilberto Capellán, of Unibro, among others.

Also participated in the meeting: Valentín Amaro, Director General of the Book and Reading; Fidias Aristy, Legal Consultant; and, José Tejada Gómez, Director of Communications of the Ministry of Culture.