Bookfest@Singapore -Lack of Books Written by Singapore Authors

Singapore leading   Telco SingTel is offering  and selling ebook   with the launch of Skoob, Singapore’s first e-books retailer .

Singtel Skoob ebookstore

Being a ebook  reseller  does not mean  that  Skoob  is  a Publisher  as mentioned  by some  major newspaper  in  Singapore

It  was reported that  the service has launched with more than 39.000 books from six major publishers, namely Simon and Schuster , Random house , Penguin , HarperCollins , Hachette Book Group and Macmillan  with books   available  for android  and iOS  edition .  That  aside , SKoob  will also be offering   revision guides for primary –level maths and secondary-level English, chemistry and physics  and  maybe  hopefully  they  will consider to  provide Print of Demand  service  and  Singapore Post  One day in  the future

Picture by Asiaone on Skoob

 Presently  , their   range of books also  include    local  published books from  some leading  Singapore Publishers like   Popular , Marshall Cavendish, Cengage Learning, , Asiapac, Flame of the Forest, McGraw Hill, Sunbear, Monsoon, SAP and janus Education.

Picture taken from Bookfest@singapore

This   show  some  contribution  back to Singapore society   as it will at  least encourage  readers  to have  easy  access to  Local  authors  or Singapore published  books  . After visiting BookFest@Singapore,we noticed  there  were lack of books written by Singapore Authors ,and  I feel local works  will need our a better platform  like Skoob to help local authors showcase Singaporean's works to the World .

Presently in Asean region  , we have  seen  Malaysia  Universities , Thailand  and even Indonesia  venture  into  Print on Demand  service , where   the publisher   encourage   Local Authors  to  Publish their  books .

One such  Publishing company  in  Indonesia   is Nulisbuku ,who believe  to create a dream  for all people to product  their  work in a Free and Easy  way . Nulisbuku.com  also provides an  online  bookstore  that is used  as a platform  for  sharing  new author’s work  ( book ) .

Nulisbuku- Indonesia

As mentioned in their website ; “Our Dream is to make all people  ; be it that their occupation  be a chef, a blogger , a teacher , student ,photographers , professors  , everyone ( including  you! ) Could be a Writer  and publishes  Your Book Dream  .

ebook from ehongkong

We have seen  Singapore  encouraging  young writers to participate  through  the Singapore Writer festival  but  the theme  behind  the whole program is too commercialise ,and the   main keynote to such  program  without a Print of demand  facility  by a  Non  governmental Organisation  is  quite meaningless .

We  only  see  authors  with good media publicity  being enrolled for  such  program .With  Singapore high intellectual , basically  a simple  Governmental support to  a NGO  to  promote writing  through the National Library  board of Singapore  could easily implement   ;

“”Print on Demand service for all Singapore Potential Writer “

Where the Government of Singapore  can  easily install  the  most  efficient Print on Demand   machine  in one of  their  agencies to encourage  all  potential  writers to submit  their manuscript   for    publishing . So far ,  Singapore Book council has run  some course of  self  publishing  with  engaging   some speaker from Australia ,but without  the machine , it is just a  FAR  stone’s throw  away .

P.O.D machine

Such  investment, which is a low cost to Singapore  Governmental agencies  ,   will bring forth  Singaporean  Young and Old , to  take  up some of the interest  and venture into writing as hobby  or even as a career      and   courses of self publishing  can  be frequently organized  at different venues  throughout  Singapore  could  boost and enhanced   additional Added value  to future  organizing of  the  Singapore Writer Festival