Well, we have the KLAB Fair -- KL Alternative Book
Fair -- so why not an MAFB Fair? The Frankfurt Book Fair is on 10 October 2012, and Malaysia's official Frankfurt Bookfair organisational dance drama has started, and is getting quite tiresome. Again. It appears that the Malaysian pavilion at Frankfurt this year is going to become another event comprising of the usual suspects, for the usual suspects, by the usual suspects. For some it will be junkets: air fares and hotel accommodation, and all other expenses.
Like in the case of anything organised 'officially' by Malaysia, the laws of entropy have long set in.
My first year at Frankfurt was 2010. I was there as a guest of the Book Fair and not the Malaysian contingent, and I had my own stand in Hall 5. (Many were surprised to see two Malaysian stands there!) Anyway, I decided it would be impolite not to visit the country's official pavilion, and I so did. It was humongous, and some would have even regarded it as pretty. But where were the books? Then I found them; a couple of dozen hidden in the crevices. It felt like a monumental waste of money.
"A book fair should be about books, not about a manufactured tourism culture," I said to one of the organisers last year. "There are dozens of independent publishers in the country, and they are doing fantastic work."
So last year, we had a real book fair stand, and many visitors and inquiries. The theme was Books Enrich the Mind. (I had no part in making that up!) Books by several independent publishers were displayed, and the stand actually looked good, worthy of a book fair.
Unsubstantiated rumours say that the theme for the Malaysian pavilion this year will be wayang kulit. Don't ask. Is the Malaysian Tourism Board going to pay for it? Again, don't ask. While the cost per exhibitor last year was RM1000.00 (for a 2 sq. m. space), this year (according to usually reliable sources), it will be around RM7000.00. Apparently, it has been decided that publishers are commercial entities, and they should be asked to pay more.
So its back to the usual suspects again. This sum is fine if someone else is paying for it, and for big publishers who have already made it. But for the rest of us, independent publishers, who take our work seriously, who have to account for every cent paid out and received, RM7000.00 is a hefty sum. (This sum does not include airfares and accommodation.)
This gets even more glaring when one considers that a 4 sq. m. stand at Frankfurt (with a tables and two chairs) will cost about RM4500.00, which if shared by two publishers will come to RM2250.00 each. Certainly, it will have no 'pavilion' look, but who needs that if it pushes up costs by over three times?
The idea of a kongsi stand is to bring down costs; so more can participate. It's about sharing. There's no point to a kongsi when some get a free ride at the expense of those who struggle daily to barely survive. With airfares touching the RM4000.00 mark, and astronomical accommodation and subsistence costs, while one does not expect handouts, one also does not enjoy being exploited. Was the budget for the wayang kulit pavilion discussed and approved by all the other participants? How much of the budget allocation is going to be used for airfares, hotel accommodation and subsistence?
So is it time to organise an MAFB Fair for publishers who are tired of subsidising unnecessary and expensive pavilions? With just over RM2000.00 a piece (excluding airfares, hotel and other costs) we can set up a handsome modern stand for books, and only books.
Raman Krishnan
Silverfish Books
