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'Pop religion' books join best-seller lists
In the Times magazine, Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar-Abdalla once called preacher Abdullah "Aa Gym" Gymnastiar the "Britney Spears of Islam" due to the cleric's popularity
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n the Times magazine, Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar-Abdalla once called preacher Abdullah "Aa Gym" Gymnastiar the "Britney Spears of Islam" due to the cleric's popularity.
Before the preacher's polygamous life was publicly announced last year, Aa Gym merchandise, including books, sold like hotcakes.
His books were collections of his sermons on topics such as self-control, personal morality, tolerance and faith, and advice on how to cope with the challenges of child rearing and succeed in business.
Publishers categorized these reader-favorite books in the genre of "popular Islam"; as part of pop culture.
"Books on religion, which are written in a popular way, including novels and 'self-help' and 'how to' books, are best sellers now," Yuniawan Nugroho, director of publishing company Panta Rei, told The Jakarta Post last week.
Ayat-Ayat Cinta, Laskar Pelangi and the translated version of The Da Vinci Code are among the religious-themed best selling books in the country. (JP/A. Junaidi)
The recent success of novels Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love) and Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior) -- both of which have been reprinted more than 10 times and made it to the big screen -- may be connected to this pop-religion trend.
In the two literary works, Islam is portrayed as a tolerant religion and an inspiration for people to achieve success without turning their backs on their faith.
In Ayat-Ayat Cinta, which was written by Habiburrahman El Shirazy, the novel's main character is an Indonesian graduate student at Al Azhar University in Egypt who marries a Christian girl.
Polygamy, which is viewed negatively in Indonesia, is depicted in the book as a necessary action to help the Christian girl, who is dying.
Meanwhile, Laskar Pelangi reveals the life of 10 students of an elementary school run by Muhammadiyah, the country's second-largest Muslim organization, in a remote area on Belitong Island, Sumatra.
The translated version of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which was published by local publisher Serambi, was also among the best sellers here. The work of fiction with a Catholic history background attracted many readers.
Besides literary works, religious books, such as La Tahzan, Jangan Bersedih (La Tahzan, Don't Be Sad), which discusses ways to cope with the many difficulties people face in life, have also enjoyed high sales in the country.
Yuniawan said his company would soon publish a book titled Dokter Rohani (Spiritual Doctor), by an Egyptian writer, which had been translated into Indonesian.
"The doctor in the book advises readers to not become jealous or envious. (The book contains) simple spiritual advice in regard to the challenges faced by people these days," he said.
Translated books, especially from Arabic, are now preferred among publishers as payment is not directly made to the authors and translators.
"We pay based on a royalties scheme, both to the writers and the translators. Getting permits from Arab publishers is easier than American publishers," Yuniawan said.
In addition to Dokter Rohani, he said his company had published 15 other titles with some even selling out, including 40 Bisnis Menggiurkan (40 Lucrative Businesses), which is to be reprinted.
He said a current high unemployment rate contributed to the success of the book, which offered readers ideas for small business opportunities.
Separately, chairman of the Indonesian Publishers Association, Setia Darma Madjid, acknowledged that books on religion, as well as education text books, were now the highest sellers in the industry.
"With local autonomy, many publishers have released text books with local content," Madjid, who is also the director of Persona Praja Purna publishing company, which focuses on books on art and theater, told the Post.
The brother of senior film and theater actress Ratna Riantiarno said the money in the text book business could reach Rp 4 trillion a year, on the assumption that the number of students from elementary to high school was 40 million.
The current challenge publishers were facing, he added, was the rising price of paper, which accounted for 60 percent of production costs.
The recent fuel price hike may also push the cost of production up higher and deter people from buying books, he said.
"We have yet to take into consideration the current fuel price rise. But paper prices have risen by about 30 percent ... really pushing up production costs," Madjid said.
Another challenge in the industry, he said, was the shortage of writers, which many believe is attributed to the small income authors make.
Most writers in Indonesia are paid based on a royalty scheme that remunerates a total of 10 percent of the number of their books sold.
Yuniawan said publishers could not increase the 10-percent royalty for writers as a rise in royalties would mean an increase in the price of the books.
Current best-sellers are priced from between Rp 40,000 to 50,000 a copy, with some special books reaching up to Rp 100,000.
"We urge the government to not apply an income tax for writers, to encourage people to write books.
"We also hope local administrations could offer preliminary funding for writers. So, before they approach the publishers, the writers would already have money to complete their books," Madjid said.
