KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- Writers are unhappy over the demand by distributors who wanted up to 65 per cent in commission.
They said the matter was tantamount to killing the book industry and an oppression towards writers and small publishers.
The commission was previously at 40 per cent and was increased to 50 per cent last year and as high as 65 per cent this year.
Dr Lim Swee Tin, a writer with 40 years experience, said the high commission for distributors can only mean bad things for writers.
"This will push up book prices," he told Bernama when asked to comment on problems facing the book industry.
The prices of books are normally set at three times more than their cost.
The country's book industry is still lagging compared to those in the neighbouring countries which have a wider genre and represented by a wider variety of titles.
The local book industry is still seen to be progressing on a narrow path with the inclination to publish popular books based on the readers' demand.
The influx of foreign books compounded the situation further.
Prolific writer Faisal Tehrani, 36, likens the current situation in the country to the "kitsch" culture in Germany which refers to the proliferation of sub-standard reading materials that contributed little to the cultural development of the people.
He agreed that the high percentage of commission demanded by distributors and bookshops was not helpful to small publishers and writers, especially full time writers.
Faisal claimed that some bookshops gave priority to imported books over the local ones due to factors like profits.
He likens the market domination of publishers, distributors and book shops as perpetrating a vicious cycle which oppresses writers and stalls the growth of the local book industry.
The year 2008 saw 16,000 books being published but the amount is far from being able to balance out the country's 27 million population despite the country having a clear National Book Policy.
Compared to 20 years ago, parents are now more forthcoming in giving money to their children to buy reading materials but many would find it difficult to get the books they want due to market manipulation.
"It's not that the book is not there. The book is there but not sold. This causes disappointment among the readers," he said, pointing out that many writers resorted to selling their books on the Internet or book festivals like the 10-day Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair starting tomorrow at Putra World Trade Centre.
To overcome the shortage of local books, writers should publish and distribute their own books to ensure their works can reach the masses at a minimum price.
The problem is, not all writers have the means to do so.
Several years back, the same problem was faced by National Laureate Datuk A. Samad Said whose manuscripts were collecting dusts due to problems in getting them published. To overcome the problem, he decided to publish them on his own.
Lim called on the government to intervene by coming out with a mechanism to determine the commission rate and to bring home the point that distributors too have got a crucial role to play in spurring the book industry and not just to rake in profits.
Faisal said if the film industry can be protected under the compulsory screening scheme, it was now time for the book industry to have a "compulsory selling" scheme by placing 40 per cent local books in shops.
"Just like the film industry, the book industry should also be safeguarded," Faisal said.
-- Sumber asal di BERNAMA
They said the matter was tantamount to killing the book industry and an oppression towards writers and small publishers.
The commission was previously at 40 per cent and was increased to 50 per cent last year and as high as 65 per cent this year.
Dr Lim Swee Tin, a writer with 40 years experience, said the high commission for distributors can only mean bad things for writers.
"This will push up book prices," he told Bernama when asked to comment on problems facing the book industry.
The prices of books are normally set at three times more than their cost.
The country's book industry is still lagging compared to those in the neighbouring countries which have a wider genre and represented by a wider variety of titles.
The local book industry is still seen to be progressing on a narrow path with the inclination to publish popular books based on the readers' demand.
The influx of foreign books compounded the situation further.
Prolific writer Faisal Tehrani, 36, likens the current situation in the country to the "kitsch" culture in Germany which refers to the proliferation of sub-standard reading materials that contributed little to the cultural development of the people.
He agreed that the high percentage of commission demanded by distributors and bookshops was not helpful to small publishers and writers, especially full time writers.
Faisal claimed that some bookshops gave priority to imported books over the local ones due to factors like profits.
He likens the market domination of publishers, distributors and book shops as perpetrating a vicious cycle which oppresses writers and stalls the growth of the local book industry.
The year 2008 saw 16,000 books being published but the amount is far from being able to balance out the country's 27 million population despite the country having a clear National Book Policy.
Compared to 20 years ago, parents are now more forthcoming in giving money to their children to buy reading materials but many would find it difficult to get the books they want due to market manipulation.
"It's not that the book is not there. The book is there but not sold. This causes disappointment among the readers," he said, pointing out that many writers resorted to selling their books on the Internet or book festivals like the 10-day Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair starting tomorrow at Putra World Trade Centre.
To overcome the shortage of local books, writers should publish and distribute their own books to ensure their works can reach the masses at a minimum price.
The problem is, not all writers have the means to do so.
Several years back, the same problem was faced by National Laureate Datuk A. Samad Said whose manuscripts were collecting dusts due to problems in getting them published. To overcome the problem, he decided to publish them on his own.
Lim called on the government to intervene by coming out with a mechanism to determine the commission rate and to bring home the point that distributors too have got a crucial role to play in spurring the book industry and not just to rake in profits.
Faisal said if the film industry can be protected under the compulsory screening scheme, it was now time for the book industry to have a "compulsory selling" scheme by placing 40 per cent local books in shops.
"Just like the film industry, the book industry should also be safeguarded," Faisal said.
-- Sumber asal di BERNAMA
1 comments:
brilliantly said! Akan tercapai..sekiranya terus menyalak.... moga ada yang nendengar... satu hari nanti pasti ada jika anjingnya gagah dan perkasa...
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