In terms of branding, PR slickness, celebrity status and participation from major global publishers, Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair can’t be compared with the London Book Fair. However, in terms of footfall, the 41-year-old book fair has no problem attracting a huge number of visitors. The 2024 edition, which ran for 10 days from 24 May to 2 June 2024, recorded 1.8 million visitors, a rise of +38% over the number of visitors in 2023.
This is impressive given that the country is still recovering from post-pandemic recession, like everywhere else. It was reported that between 2018 and 2023, 95 bookshops including branches of book chains were closed because of the economic situation. The KLIBF footfall, on the contrary, proved very encouraging.
The number could be attributed to a food fair that ran at the same time at the venue, Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC). We were informed that 30% of the visitors that went to PWTC during that period went to the book fair. However, the 30% felt like a stampede already. Most likely, the huge crowd was the result of the book vouchers gifted by the Malaysian government to students – in time for the book fair, which took place during school break. The government gifted RM50 (£8.30) book vouchers to students from Year 4 to Year 6, and RM100 (£17) to high school students, high institutions and teacher’s training colleges. The values might seem low to people in the UK, but the purchasing power is similar to £50 and £100 respectively.
The event, backed by the government, is also not ticketed. The crowd intensity was like that of MCM Comic Con on a Saturday – hectic and surging with humans. The booths were popular with children. Those who couldn’t stand the crowd went home and bought books from Shopee and TikTok Shop. Shopee is the Malaysian equivalent of Amazon, and TikTok Shop was one of the main sponsors of KLIBF.
Authors and artists used this book fair to meet with fans who came from all over the country. The Asian Rights Fair, aimed at academic book buyers, was also held here. It would be great to see the likes of Hachette or Penguin at KLIBF, taking advantage of the huge crowd. The fair attracted participants mainly from Asia and one European country: the United Kingdom. Language wouldn’t be an issue despite Bahasa Malaysia being the main language of the books showcased. Book lovers came here to also buy books in English and Mandarin, and they came from various ethnic backgrounds.
Hopefully, future KLIBF events would see more publishing houses and genres beloved of book fans worldwide. Understandably, there are book genres that may be off limits in Malaysia. But book lovers in this country are curious about the world beyond their borders. The virtual reality (VR) gadgets and digital simulations are intriguing, yes, but books that enlighten and challenge their assumptions of the outside world? Highly irresistible.
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