With the series of measures Egypt has adopted to curb the spread of the coronavirus, many businesses were forced to either downsize their activities or shut down temporarily. Publishers are no exception.

Egypt's publishers have resorted to new marketing methods to help them save their businesses during this time of crisis by delivering books to readers' houses and encouraging people to purchase books online via their websites.

Dar El-Shorouk, one of the largest bookstore chains in Egypt, is offering free delivery services to readers who purchase its books from its website.

Dar El-Shorouk has also made its books available on Amazon, Kindle and Google Play store with some of its books free for its readers.

Tanmeya bookstore adopted the campaign #StayAtHome, offering 20 and 30 percent discounts on books for the public and doctors, respectively. Egyptians have named doctors “the white army,” in appreciation of their role in the fight against coronavirus.

Al-Dar Al-Masriyah Al-Lubnaniah launched the campaign Al-Qiraa Hayat (Reading is Life), as part of the #StayAtHome campaign, offering free delivery services for orders over a certain threshold.
The founder of the publishing house Mohamed Rashad said in a press release “as people stock up on food and groceries, we wanted them to stock up on rich cultural meals, we don’t want the homes to smell like chlorine and rubbing alcohol. Culture has to be part of this quarantine too."

While bookstores are allowed to operate on weekdays from 8 am to 5 pm and completely close on Fridays and Saturdays during the curfew, Diwan Bookstore announced the closure of its stores all over Cairo until further notice “in light of the current circumstances to support flattening the curve.” However, it will continue to sell books via its website.

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