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Laman Ismayilova

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Baku Book Center has become a popular destination for book lovers in Azerbaijan. Its wide collection of literature and unique offerings attract readers from around the city. As people seek escape from everyday worries, the Center focuses on acquiring popular books and keeping its collection up-to-date.

In an interview with AZERNEWS, the Baku Book Center's PR manager, Nigar Huseynova , shares insights into the Center's recent successes, the evolving trends in literature, and the pivotal role of storytelling in shaping the minds and hearts of the youth.

With a keen focus on popular literature, Nigar Huseynova discusses how the demand for engaging storytelling—particularly classical works and contemporary bestsellers—has surged.

As digital technologies evolve, the Baku Book Center also contemplates integrating new formats like e-books and audiobooks, exploring innovative ways to remain relevant in a changing literary landscape.

Q: How do you assess the activities of the Baku Book Center over the past year? What events attracted particular public attention and generated significant interest?

A: The Baku Book Center continues to be one of the most popular places in our city. Last year, the Center's operations were marked by the appearance of a large number of new literary releases and exclusive editions. The demand for fiction literature in our country and around the world continues to grow, especially for classical works. Readers are increasingly turning to books because they help to distract from everyday cares and stresses, creating a space for relaxation and immersion into other worlds. Therefore, our main focus is on acquiring in-demand literature, ensuring a wide range of books, and constantly updating our collection.

As for significant events that took place at our Center last year, I would like to highlight the autumn seminars as part of the educational project "YüksƏL," which we conducted this time in partnership with the Baku Executive Authority, as well as a number of book presentations on Azerbaijani linguistics.

The premiere screening of the documentary film "Azerbaijan's Irevan" supported by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, garnered considerable public interest, along with the meeting with the famous Russian art historian Zelfira Tregulova and the presentation of the Anthology of Ukrainian Poetry. We must also mention our festive events for children with disabilities, creative workshops, and "Reading Hours," which have become a tradition.

Q: Which books became bestsellers last year? What do you think contributed to their popularity among readers?

A: Among the bestsellers of the past year are Genki Kawamura's "If Cats Disappeared from the World," Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos," Jonathan Franzen's "Corrections," Cormac McCarthy's "Suttree," novels by Agatha Christie, as well as works by Azerbaijani authors Rovshan Abdulloglu, Chingiz Abdullayev, and Elchin Safarli, alongside foreign and Azerbaijani classical literature.

The popularity of certain books depends not only on the quality of the work itself but also on a number of other factors, including sociological, psychological, cognitive, cultural, economic, technological, and even psychoanalytic aspects. Readers often choose books based on the emotional response they elicit. If a reader sees a reflection of themselves in a character, it creates a deeper connection to the work and contributes to its popularity. Many readers are interested in the genre of psychological drama, as well as self-development books that help find solutions and new approaches to various life problems. There is also another category of readers who are attracted to a wide variety of genres and themes, as well as stories about people-regardless of whether the literature is fiction or non-fiction. Modern media also play an important role in shaping reading preferences. Advertising, blog reviews, and social media recommendations from well-known personalities can significantly increase interest in a book.

Q: How does the Baku Book Center plan to develop its initiatives to promote reading and the culture of books among young people and other target groups?

A: Promoting reading among the youth is a relevant issue that requires close attention from library specialists and systematic work. After all, it is often during youth that a person encounters their "main book," which can significantly influence their career choices and attitude towards life. We attach great importance to this issue. Of course, new, popular, and simply good books are needed to attract young readers. However, even with very limited resources, it is possible to make the reading space more appealing. In this regard, the reading area in our Center is organized with the needs of our readers in mind. Additionally, we can say that practically all our projects have always been and will continue to be aimed at promoting the culture of reading among young people and other social groups.

Q: How do you evaluate the role of digital technologies in modern book publishing? Does the Baku Book Center have plans to integrate new formats, such as e-books and audiobooks?

A: Speaking about the book market in general, the growing role of electronic literature is evident. In recent times, e-book has become a kind of synonym for the modern era with its easy access to information from any point in the world. While worldwide there is talk of significant harm caused by reading literature on information carriers for vision and overall health.

For traditional bookstores, including our Center, e-books and audiobooks can be beneficial, but this requires overcoming certain challenges. For example, selling such products can be less profitable because many of these books are sold through intermediaries (for example, through online platforms that take a percentage of each sale).

Thus, the success of selling e-books and audiobooks depends on how a traditional store can overcome these challenges and whether it can integrate digital assortment into its model profitably.

Q: What new releases in the literary world and projects are planned to be presented in the near future?

A: Predictions regarding literary genres that will be in trend in 2025 are relative, and it is impossible to predict bestsellers. However, some trends are already visible. According to many foreign literary experts, 2025 will open new horizons for relatively new literary movements, such as climate fiction that explores the consequences of climate change and solarpunk, which offers an optimistic view of the future. Among the most anticipated books of 2025 are "The White Line of Night" by Kuwaiti writer Khaled Nasrallah, "The Woman Who Could Whistle" by Antonia Susan Byatt, "Grace" by Paul Lynch, "Impossible Life" by Matt Haig, "Breakdown at the Edge of the Galaxy" by Etgar Keret, "The Bite of the Bee" by Paul Murray, "The Time of Chimeras" by Bernard Werber, the novel "I Don’t Say Goodbye" by South Korean writer Han Kang, "The Vanishing World" by Sayaka Murata, "The Roll of Thunder" by Laura Cumming, and many more.

As for projects by the Baku Book Center, in 2025 we plan to continue our traditional projects aimed at promoting reading among young people. There is also an idea for a new project, which involves organizing meetings for young people with specialists from various intellectual and applied professions who are ready to share their knowledge. The meetings will take place in the format of workshops or talks about their work. A key part of the meeting will be a practical assignment from the guest, which will provide participants with an initial understanding of a specific profession or craft. The project is currently in the development stage.