KUCHING: Big Bad Wolf Books is expanding its outreach beyond its annual book fair by engaging schools and making books more accessible and affordable to students and educators.
Marketing manager Zach How said the organiser had been reaching out to schools this year, including rural schools, to encourage more people to access books.
“We have been going into schools to make sure the outreach is there, giving them special discounts, specifically for students and educators.
“We are even giving out vouchers to certain schools so they can come and purchase books. Some of our books are as low as RM5, so a RM5 voucher can already help a student get a book,” he told Sarawak Tribune when met at the Big Bad Wolf Books fair here recently.
How said affordability remained a key focus of the book fair, with the organiser making an effort to bring in new and recently published titles whenever it returns to East Malaysia.
“Every time we come in, we make sure we are bringing in new books, the latest books that just came out and the latest published books.
“On top of that, we make sure all the books are affordable and available for everyone who wants to purchase,” he said.
For the current Kuching edition, How said about 7,000 visitors had been recorded by the third day, with the organiser expecting the figure to reach between 60,000 and 70,000 throughout the 11-day event.
He said the opening day, which coincided with a public holiday, saw strong crowds, with visitors already queuing outside before the doors opened.
The Kuching edition is being held from Aug 25 to Sept 6 at Boulevard Shopping Mall, from 10am to 10pm daily, with free admission.
The fair features various books, with selected titles starting from RM3 and discounts of up to 95 per cent. Students and educators are also eligible for special offers, while schools, learning centres and libraries can receive discounts on bulk purchases.
The fair is also offering lucky draw prizes worth RM20,000 in total, with a 10g gold bar as the grand prize.
Beyond Kuching, How said Big Bad Wolf Books is also looking to bring its event to more parts of East Malaysia.
“We actually have plans to expand to Bintulu and Sandakan, but it is still in the midst of planning because there are logistics plans here and there.
“We wanted to do it this year, but it was a bit too rushed for us. We want to make sure there are enough books and that the quality of the books is always there. We don’t want to force ourselves to go in just for the sake of doing it,” he said.
He added that the next Sarawak stop would be Miri, scheduled for the end of September.
