Bookworm Literary Festival Indefinitely Postponed

Beijing's ravenous readers will be left wanting this coming March, as for the first time in a decade, The Bookworm will not be holding its annual Literary Festival.

A statement from the Sanlitun south café and events space – famous for stocking its shelves with a spectrum of various hardcovers and paperbacks, and for regularly hosting authors for book talks – attributed the delay to the financial burden of sustaining the increasingly complex event.

"We plan to take some time to regroup and consider sustainable alternatives moving forward," the statement read. "We feel it is time after 10 years of the Bookworm Literary Festival to take stock and engage in discussions with a range of current and potential partners to work out a feasible strategy for the future."

Bookworm events marketing head Julia Lobyntseva tells the Beijinger that despite a strong following, robust ticket sales and sponsor support, it just has not been not enough to bring 200 authors to Beijing. "Unfortunately, the operating costs for a festival of this scale are high, and as an independent bookshop and festival we can no longer continue to underwrite the bulk of these costs," Lobyntseva said.

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