2 minute read
Message from the President
This Directory of the members of the Singapore Book Publishers Association provides detailed information on the members of the book publishing companies based in Singapore and some of the association’s activities. Members in this directory constitute the majority of the book publishing industry in Singapore and this list continues to grow.
We estimate that our industry contributes some S$1.2 billion to the local economy. Exciting new members have been added to the established local publishers. It is not surprising that education publishing has always been one of our core pillars, stemming from Singapore’s world-class education system. In addition, the local market for fiction and trade nonfiction has been growing with many new locally published books geared for both the local and international markets.
Advertisement
Our STM and professional publishers have continued to form partnership with Singaporean and Asian researchers and academics to publish ground-breaking scientific and academic content.
We are glad to note that large multinational publishers have long been part of our publishing landscape and are an important part of our industry. Attracted by Singapore’s conducive business-friendly environment, IP protection laws and world class education institutions, these companies set up their Asian regional offices here to capitalise on the growing markets of ASEAN and other parts of Asia. We hope to encourage more international publishers to set up their regional headquarters in Singapore to take advantage of the growing Asian book market and be part of our dynamic ecosystem.
Book publishers, local and foreign-owned, partner Singapore’s students, parents, and teachers in education, power Singapore’s research and development efforts with scholarly communications, and play a foundational role in Singapore’s creative economy by supporting our literary talents.
Today, the book publishing industry is facing an uncertain couple of years due to COVID 19. Online sales of print books and e-books have not been able to cover the loss in revenues experienced by physical stores. The number of bookstores in the country has declined due to high rentals and the current pandemic crisis only worsens the profitability of the bookstores, resulting in more store closures. Many physical activities the last two years had to be cancelled and conducted online.
However, we do see the light at the end of the tunnel. As the percentage of vaccinations in most countries reach a certain level, more countries like Singapore are opening up their borders normalising the flow of goods and people. We hope that starting 2022, we will see more physical industry activities like book fairs, book launches, book talks, conferences and other events. I am sure all of us are looking forward to seeing each other in person, networking or just catching up.
With a continued collaborative and positive mindset, I am sure all of us will emerge from this pandemic stronger with a resilient and dynamic book industry!
