Pune: The publishers' association had taken a sceptical stand on its participation in the upcoming 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Delhi due to the cost of participating and the sale of Marathi books there.

The team announced that it will now participate in the book exhibition as the rent for the stalls has come down.

Rajiv Barve, president of the Publishers' Association, said, "We had raised the issue with the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Mahamandal and the organising bodies 'Sarhad, Pune' that the rent of the stalls should be reduced. Considering this, the fare was fixed at Rs 3,500. So we'll be happy to participate."

Book exhibitions provide a great opportunity for publishers to sell books, but the cost of travelling, sending accommodation books, etc. to participate in places like Delhi is huge.

Apart from this, there are doubts about the sale of Marathi books there. Some publishers had expressed their displeasure. In light of this, the team had announced that it would take a decision based on whether it would get any concessions.