Publishing in Thailand

Trasvin Jittidecharak

Royal Gazette (Ratkitchanubeksa) How did the people of Thailand learn to read and write before the 20th century? In feudal society, boys and young freemen entered monkhood to be taught Buddhist doctrine. They learned to read and write from text written on khoi paper made from Mulberry bark, in accordion-style folded books, or on tied and bundled palm leaves. Writing surfaces were colour-coated to encourage ink to adhere to grooves made with sharpedged styli. Texts were reproduced by scribes for safekeeping in temple libraries and royal palaces. Education, clearly, was not for everyone.

In 1796, during Rama I’s reign, Catholic priest Arnoud Antoine Garnaut set up a print shop in the Santa Cruz Church, Thonburi. The metal movable typesetting system used typefaces from Calcutta (Kolkata), and later from Singapore. It was not until 1841 that Siam produced its own type. Paper was imported from Europe, as locally produced khoi paper was too rough for mechanized printing. Illustrations, though rare, were created using lithography. Photographic reproduction was not introduced until after 1900.

The first Thai-owned press was established at Boworn Temple in 1843 by monk-prince, and future king, Mongkut (1804–1868). After his accession, King Mongkut (Rama IV; r. 1851–1868) ordered the Government to set up a printing press to publish the Royal Gazette (Ratkitchanubeksa), administrative papers and records (chotmaihet),

handbooks, laws, travel reports, speeches, and domestic and overseas travel books. The Buddhist community also produced books, educational materials, and Thai translations from Pali of Buddhist scriptures and commentaries.

The first commercial press and publishing house were owned by Dr. Dan Beach Bradley (1804–1873), an American Presbyterian missionary and medical doctor. Bradley launched Siam’s first monthly newspaper, the Bangkok Recorder, in 1849. He paid royalties to writer Mom Rajoday, the chief interpreter of the Siamese embassy in London, to publish Nirat of London in 1861, a 95-page ballad describing the city. Subsequent publications by Bradley Press included writing and translations by Dr. Bradley himself and popular Thai stories. The writing, besides Government gazettes and newspapers, was poetic in style.

When King Chulalongkorn (Rama V; r. 1868–1910) returned from his European tour in 1897, he decided to convert the royal library, formerly restricted to nobles, into a public library. His half-brother, Prince Damrong, started the tradition of “cremation volumes.” He encouraged the elite and affluent classes to publish biographies of their deceased relatives with supplementary text from the library manuscript collection for public distribution. This tradition is still practiced today.

Literary publishing reached a high-point during the reign of King Vajiravudh (1910–1925), a prolific writer and translator who was educated at Sandhurst and Oxford. He encouraged his courtiers to write and publish, thereby increasing the contribution of prose and essays to the published corpus. In 1932, Siam became a constitutional monarchy, and in 1941 war broke out in the Asia Pacific, ending the publishing boom.

The publishing industry and market revived in the late 1940s. Bangkok commanded the most significant market share (and still does to this day). However, by the late 1950s bookstores were popping up in the provinces. Newspapers and weekly magazines were flourishing. Most novelists wrote for weekly magazines to generate secondary income, as these royalties were paid as a lump sum; book publishing revenues were linked to sales and could be spread over up to 30 years. Many famous writers died in poverty. It

was not until the 1970s that publishers began to offer percentage royalties based on print-runs, with partial or full advances depending on the writer’s status.

Book publishing flourished again from 1973 to 1976 due to the popular student movement. University students were hungry to read—anything. Print-runs for progressive political books went up from 3,000 to 10,000, with subsequent reruns. The 1976 military coup brought an end to this boom.

During the 1980s, translations of self-help, management, business, spiritual, and childcare books, as well as illustrated educational materials, took the frontline. The 1990s brought a plethora of computing and software books. Publishing thrived at the dawn of the new millennium; at its peak in 2013, the market value of trade books was one billion Singapore dollars. The impact of digital disruption from 2012 onward saw many high-circulation magazines discontinued in the wake of declining advertising revenues. Income from daily newspapers and magazines—the bread and butter of small independent booksellers—dried up, forcing bookstores out of business, especially in the provinces.

We do not have statistics for the buying and selling of translation rights. During the past ten years, Thai publishers have purchased rights to publish Thai translations of English-language business, self-help, popular science and history, and books for young adults. This Chotmaihet

represents more than 50% of the titles in the market. Conversely, translation rights for Thai books in other languages contribute meagre income. There are, however, a few illustrated children’s books that are available in other languages.

Since the 1960s and beyond, the publishing industry has rode the waves of economic growth. Thailand joined the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works from the outset and updated its Copyrights Acts in 1992 and 2018 to conform with the Marrakesh Treaty. The Thai Government supported the publishing industry with the Ministry of Education’s reading and literary promotions. The Book Development Department worked with UNESCO to initiate the National Book Week Fair, a retail book fair that has been an annual event since 1972. Incentives included book prizes and an award ceremony presided by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

During the 1980s, the Ministry of Education handed over management of the fair to the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT). PUBAT was founded in 1959 with the objectives of encouraging quality publishing, promoting writing and translation, creating unity and support among its members, and building networks and relationships with the international publishing community. At present, there are around 600 publishers in Thailand; more than 70% of which are small in size. As of April 2021, only 393 were PUBAT members, down from 544 in 2017.

PUBAT also actively promotes reading culture. In addition to a semi-annual book fair in Bangkok, it hosts and participates in provincial book fairs. A member of the International Publishers Association and the ASEAN Book Publishers Association (ABPA), PUBAT led the steering committee that earned Bangkok the title of UNESCO World Book Capital City in 2013 and resulted in Bangkok hosting the 30th International Publisher Congress in 2015.

Although many studies confirm that printed books bring greater benefit than other reading mediums, especially at an early age, digitisation and the COVID-19 pandemic make the future doubtful for conventional book publishing. Publishers will continue in the roles as gatekeepers of quality and champions of reading. But in light of the radical changes that we have already witnessed during the 21st century, the future is uncertain. Only time will tell…

Trasvin Jittidecharak is a Thai publisher. She founded, and has been running publishing company Silkworm Books since 1991. She served in the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee, from 2008–2021. She is now an Honorary Adviser to PUBAT (2019–21) and the Secretary-General of the ASEAN Book Publishers Association, ABPA (2020–21).