Malaysian books as year-end presents

Susan has declared on Facebook Page that all her Christmas presents this year will be Malaysian books!

This is how it started. She sent me a link to a Publishing Perspective story about how Finns (unlike Malaysians) take their home-grown authors seriously, even though theirs is such a small market. I replied saying, “Obviously, the Finns are proud of who they are. Can’t say the same for Malaysians, who either think they are inferior or superior (bodoh sombong) to everyone else.”

Then Ksyatriya Words N Rhymes chipped in, “It’s still very much a feudal mind, methinks. Everything white/Caucasian is celebrated and the idea the local is inferior is very much rooted in that …” (Never mind the native-speaker syndrome.) That’s when Susan decided to do her bit. Good on you Susan, less talk more action is what we need.

It would also help if countries recognised and respect their own writers.

I was in Frankfurt mid-October. I attended as a trade visitor. First, I felt it was way too expensive to take a space at the official Malaysian stand. Second, I preferred the freedom of walking about, observing and learning from other displays, and meeting people.
This year, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore all had stands in Hall 5.0, and next to each other. (Malaysia was in the middle.) Maybe the organisers thought that ASEAN members would like to stick together. They probably didn’t know that ASEAN does not have a common currency like the Euro, but survives on suspicion, jealousy and envy; with the chances of working together on books and publishing (on a G to G level) ranging from zero to nil.

With the three stands next to each other, it was tempting to compare and contrast; to determine winners and losers. The task was easier than I expected. There were simply no winners. So, which country had the worst stand? Without hesitation, I’d say Singapore. What were they thinking? They had Pearson and Marshall Cavendish promoting 'O'-level English and Mathematics textbooks! And a host of others with their own ‘educational’ books.  (They were probably there on national duty.) Okay, Monsoon Books was there as an indie publisher. I couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. “Where are your general publishers, particularly indie ones?  Where were yours authors and their books?  For God’s sake, this is Frankfurt; show off your best."

It’s difficult to take their own home-grown authors seriously, when the government treats them with such disdain. Yes, authors are dangerous; they can say things the government might not like. But, they are the life-blood of a nation.

Score: D- (Very gomen with focus on KPI, not effectiveness. I expected much more.)

As for the Malaysian stand, let me say the good things first. The design (in black) was minimalist and classy. Then they had one wall for displaying the 50 best Malaysian titles (in Bahasa and English) of the year. This was at least in keeping with the spirit of Frankfurt. Then it was downhill. The cost of participation for publishers was up from RM1000.00 last year to RM6700.00, as a result of which there was only one private publisher present, PTS. The others were government bodies, quasi-government bodies, those who got grants from the government or those who (one way or another) didn’t have to pay to get their space. Less than half of those who took part last year were present. It was sad. (But there were several others with independent stands scattered around that floor.)

Then, they had to bring a wayang kulit performer. I have nothing against him, but why? If the MOT wanted a cultural component, then they should have paid for it. At least, that would have made it cheaper for the rest of us. This was Frankfurt, not a MATTA fair! And what did they expect one performer crouched behind a TV-sized white screen, with a back light, to do? I am unsure if I felt more sorry for him (doing his wayang kulit thing for a totally bored audience), or the uninterested audience trying to be polite at the pathetic display.

Then, they decided not to pay for any writer. Children’s book author and wonderful illustrator, Emila Yusof, who had four or five books on display at the stand, paid her own way, while the wayang kulit man's trip was sponsored. (I was told that three years ago, Pak Samad was knocked off the list for a Mak Yong dancer.)

Score: D+. (Also very gomen. I have learned not to expect too much.)
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The Thai stand was on the other side. Well, to start with, they gave out nice little elephant key rings. Most of the exhibitors were private, though they appeared to consist of the usual suspects – the big boys. They had a good selection of books on display, some of them interesting. One would guess that they had done their homework well before coming to Frankfurt, and appeared to have a much better understanding of the market, compared to their two neighbours in the South.  They didn’t promote school text books or workbooks and, like the Singaporeans, they threw a party. (Malaysia didn’t.) But their stand design was rather basic and not particularly exciting.

Score: C+. (Also gomen, but less so. Since they don’t have that ‘English’ albatross thing hanging around their necks, they are less pretentious and willing to learn. They will improve.)

I wish representatives of all three countries would simply walk around Hall 5.0 (and hall 5.1 upstairs) to see the Central European and Latin American displays, some of which were stunning. One common theme they’d see would be the way these countries show off their writers and their works, and how obviously proud they are of them.

(Malaysian officials often wonder about the total lack of interest by the international publishing industry in some the titles, normally from gomen presses, on display in their stand, of which they are so proud – you can guess which ones. What does one say?!)

Raman

The first 1Malaysia bookshop opens

A Bernama report says: “Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today launched the first 1Malaysia Bookstore at the Kuala Lumpur Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) Building, the renamed Pudu Sentral, here.

“The shop is the flagship store, several branches of which will be opened throughout the country, including in Sabah and Sarawak.”

It was a surprisingly low key announcement after all that fanfare leading up to it. Although, we have been expecting it for a while, and many unanswered questions remain. The report in the (print version) of The New Straits Times only mentioned it ‘by-the-way’: “It also houses the Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia, 1Malaysia Textile shop and the new 1Malaysia Bookshop, which was launched yesterday.”  Readers specialising in in-between-the-lines messages must be having a field day.

According to market talk, this is a joint-venture between ITBM (The Malaysian Institution for Translation and Books) and MPH, a well-known local chain, with the participation of several other local distributors, who appear to have been called up for national duty. Rumours also say that books will be sold at 15% below market price, which brings up two questions.

First, book margins are notoriously small; so how is this 1Malaysia bookstore supposed to make money, when Pudu Sentral is one of the least favourite places for city dwellers -- one to pass through quickly, not to hang-out in.  If run on a pure commercial basis, the overheads will eat up any profit made (never mind the leakages). It’s entirely possible that a long-term sweetheart deal on rentals has been negotiated with the the developers of Urban Transformation Centre (UTC). However, one industry source speculates that they’ll make money ‘some other way’, and that will be the return for their national duty. 

The Bernama report’s last paragraph gives a hint: “Besides books, the shop also supplies school and library stocks.” So, is the 1Malaysia bookshop about to monopolise library and school-supply market? Well, the rest of us in the book trade who have grown up in a decidedly dua Malaysia economy for decades, without expecting anything from the government (except for the occasional crumb through sales by third party vendors), are not shaking with outrage (although we should be), but it remains to be seen how those who have been surviving on this largess, will react.

(It would easy to make money if the government bought everything one published, no matter what quality, and bought all its supplies at a premium, too. It’s a no brainer. But a business is about making ends meet on a level playing field.)

Second, stories are circulating that in future Bauchar Buku 1Malaysia issued to students will be redeemable only at these stores. This will certainly affect many more traders than the first, with far more people will be pissed off. One understands how this whole 1Malaysia bookshop thing is really all about politics; but is it good politics?  (Many friends, more cynical than me, do not expect the 1Malaysia bookshop to survive long after the next GE, but let’s see.)

Still, the core question is: why is the government, yet again, competing with the private sector? First, Dewan Bahasa started publishing books (though they didn’t seem interested in selling any). Then, ITNM (funded by the government, but claiming to be private) became ITBM (although they started publishing before that.) More recently, one hears of Kotabuku (the Book City) going ‘commercial’; that is, competing directly with private publishers whilst having salaries and perks paid by the government.

Yes, the Malaysian book industry is budding, but it’s not exactly thriving, not by any stretch of imagination. We are just picking ourselves up after the collapse of the global ‘mega bookstore’ madness. So, while we do not expect handouts, we would appreciate if the government did not give us the ‘pasang kaki’ either.

The government’s job is policy and governance, not business. Stick to it, and do it well. Don’t meddle in business; your track record is not good.