Publishers on Saturday said that they focus on the content and skills of writings, instead of writers’ gender.

They also said that the lack of high-quality manuscripts results in fewer books by women-authors, as well as a decrease in overall publication.

The University Press Limited managing director Mahrukh Mohiuddin said that as a female publisher, she reads manuscripts carefully and promotes women issues if the content is publishable.

‘My editorial team is almost women-led, although our focus is on quality rather than gender,’ she said, adding that they also translate women-related writings written by authors across the globe.

Bhashachitra co-owner Mousumi Khandakar said that without merit, no one can stay in the professional publication industry, but the number of good manuscripts was low this year.

‘Normally, we receive a smaller number of manuscripts from female authors, but we publish quality content instead of promoting authors based on their gender,’ she said, adding that different initiatives are needed to inspire female authors.

Gronthik Prokashon publisher Razzak Rubel said they focus on non-fiction. Although they received a small number of manuscripts from women, they always prioritise quality.

Chapakhana Prokashoni has published only books by female authors since 2019 and has received a huge number of manuscripts over the years, said publisher Sharmin Chowdhury.

‘We formed the organisation to promote female writers and now need a strong editorial team for selecting manuscripts for publication,’ she said, adding that female authors need patronage and inspiration to publish quality content.

Ismat Shilpi, Poet and editor of Nandik, said they inspire female authors to write diverse content for publication.

‘We received a huge number of poems from female authors but a smaller number of stories, novels and non-fiction. Little Magazines and daily literature pages cannot create strong authors for book publication, which is a matter of huge investment,’ she said, adding that different workshops are needed to improve author skills for good manuscripts.

Adorn Publication’s chief editor, Syed Zakir Hussain, said that the number of women author is not small, but the number of good publications is still fewer and need to be increased.

There was 185 new arrivals on the 10th day of the fair, and a total of 758 books were published in this fair so far, according to academy officials.

A discussion on the first female journalist in Bangladesh, Nurjahan Begum, was held on the main stage of the fairground in the afternoon.

On Saturday, a huge number of visitors also visited the fairground, which began at 11:00am as children hour.