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Activists and publishers push for affordable books
Literature advocates and book publishers demand the government give more support to the book publishing industry to serve readers with more affordable quality reading materials
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Literature advocates and book publishers demand the government give more support to the book publishing industry to serve readers with more affordable quality reading materials.
"Despite growing interest in reading nowadays, books are still expensive," said Wien Muldian, the founder of Forum Indonesia Membaca (Indonesia Reading Forum).
According to the Indonesian Publishers Association (IKAPI), there were 1,000 new titles published each month around Greater Jakarta last year, while in 2006, about 10,000 new titles were published. About 60 percent of nationwide book publishing and distribution is around Greater Jakarta.
Wien, who is also a librarian at the National Education Library, said publishers depended on large bookstores and distribution networks, forcing publishers to offer discounts of up to 50 percent to distributors.
"This matter may sound trivial but it affects readers greatly," said Wien.
"A book originally priced at Rp 30,000 ends up tagged at Rp 50,000 because the publisher must raise its price to maintain its own profit after the large discount."
As a consequence, it is not the publisher or even the writer who profits most from the book, but the shop and distribution network, said Wien.
"It is high time the government intervened by creating a book policy acknowledging the interest of readers," she said, in line with World Book Day today.
The chairman of IKAPI Jakarta, Afrizal Sinaro, said 35 to 45 percent of a book's price accounts for the discount given to distributors and stores, 30 percent for the printing process and paper material, 15 to 25 percent for the publisher and 10 percent for the author.
Afrizal emphasized the main component in publishing books is the basic material, paper.
"With the price of paper increasing in the last five years, we have been requesting the National Education Ministry regulate paper prices for book publishing and relax taxes in printing, sales and royalties.
"I wonder why the government still ignores book publishing but not newspapers," said Afrizal.
About 260 publishers in Jakarta and 800 publishers nationwide are listed in IKAPI. Fifty percent of its members are textbook publishers, 30 percent are religious book publishers and 20 percent are children's and general book publishers.
Literature advocate Wien said the lack of access to good, affordable reading materials was the cause of Indonesia's low levels of reading compared to other developing countries in the region.
"It's not a lack of interest in reading that is a problem in this country; our people just need more books."
