Do Malaysians read what they buy at the Big Bad Wolf book sale?

PETALING JAYA, Dec 10 — Malaysians love a good bargain and everyone’s favourite book sale the Big Bad Wolf is a fine example.

Every year since 2009, bibliophiles have been making a beeline to the round-the-clock book event, even at ungodly hours just to beat the crowd, many with luggage in tow to carry their loot.

But do people actually read the books they buy?

Malay Mail sat down with the Big Bad Wolf founders Jacqueline Ng and Andrew Yap to find out.

“The answer is definitely no. A lot of customers say that they bought too many books but they will still come to the sale, just that they buy fewer books,” said Yap.

He added that over the years, regular visitors of the sale have become more selective with their purchases but, in general, there is a sense of contentment that their favourite books are within reach despite time constraints.

“They all feel they will get to it one day. And the good thing is books are evergreen and they make good décor. You’ll never feel that you bought something unnecessary,” he said.

Children’s books are the most popular among customers. — Picture by Azinuddin Ghazali

For Ng, whose 192,000-sq-ft warehouse literally houses millions of books, there is no such thing as too many books.

Ng said she has had many customers who told her they did not get through the books purchased and that some from last year’s sale are still in boxes and bags.

“It doesn’t mean they don’t read at all but that’s the best thing, with books around you, there’s a tendency to pick it up and browse through,” said Ng.

“It’s better to have books around rather than none at all, especially if you have children.”

A Big Bad Wolf-goer spends an average of about RM350, and in the past nine years, more than 40 million books have been sold.

Ng told Malay Mail that children’s books topped the list, not just in Malaysia but across the sale’s international markets such as Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

In Malaysia, children’s books account for 50 per cent of sales, followed by business and self-help books that fall under non-fiction.

Customers still come back for more despite the surplus of books at home. — Picture by Azinuddin Ghazali

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, currently held at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) from now until December 17, marks the start of its 10th year celebrations and book lovers can expect more activity-based events next year.

Previously, the Big Bad Wolf had book signings for Malaysian authors to promote homegrown talents.

Its first collaboration was with Malaysian independent publisher Buku Fixi for a multiauthor launch featuring Malay short stories by 10 writers.

Yap said he would love to organise a book signing with an international author and believes his team can pull it off.

“A lot of publishers recognise the need for what we are doing. The book industry looks at us as a breath of fresh air because, for the past 10 or 15 years, the industry hasn’t moved,” Yap said.

Ng added that publishers in the US, UK, Europe and Australia used to view the Southeast Asian region as an insignificant market but things are changing.

“A lot of places in the world have zero assistance, no distributors and no presence of bookshops. What Big Bad Wolf is doing is going in to kick start and create the market demand to show them (publishers) there are people here (Southeast Asia) who want to read,” said Ng.