THE e-book trend serves as a good reason to visit the carnival-themed Big Bad Wolf (BBW) Book Sale — dubbed the world’s biggest annual book sale.
The mega book sale presents the perfect opportunity for parents to turn their children’s attention away from gadgets and cultivate a healthy reading habit.
BookXcess managing director Andrew Yap says e-books have certainly changed the reading habit.
But parents are beginning to realise that their children are becoming less sociable when they are constantly glued to their electronic gadgets.
“The trend has been such that for the popular books, we usually have the hard-cover release, followed by the soft copy before the e-book version.
“But some books can never be turned into an e-book, particularly children’s books, art books and coffee-table series,” says Yap.
The BBW sale, he says, provides an avenue to rekindle the love for books and reinforce healthy and quality reading at an affordable price.
The BBW Book sale is also a feast for the senses of avid readers as over 3.5 million books of all genres —  fiction, biographies, graphic novels, history, automobiles, lifestyle, self-helps and a ton of others — are waiting to be grabbed.
Preview pass winners waiting patiently, some as early as 7am, for the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale to open. — TRP pic by R.S. Kamini
Preview pass winners waiting patiently, some as early as 7am, for the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale to open. — TRP pic by R.S. Kamini
“We’ve built a loyal following for the BBW sale and they look forward to it with great enthusiasm every year.
“What’s really remarkable is that every year, we attract hordes of new fans,
“This is a good sign that more people are discovering the joy of reading and learning,” says Yap when speaking at the BBW press conference and preview launch earlier today.
Some 5,000 local and international fans gathered for the preview today, some as early as 7am, at the Malaysia International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) at Mines, Seri Kembangan, sweeping across sections and hording their favourite reads into boxes, luggage and make-shift trolleys.
For the first time, the sale also offers a selected range of Malay books headlined by Malam — an anthology exclusively made available at the sale.
The book will be launched on Dec 6 at 11.30pm in line with the the nocturnal theme and some of its contributing authors will be at the site for a meet-and-greet session.
Discounts of up to 95% of the recommended retail price are available at the book sale, that will officially open to the public from tomorrow (Dec 5) to Dec 16.
More than 3.5 million books of all genres are up for grabs at this year's book sale with many story books by famous authors going for only RM8. — TRP pic by R.S Kamini
More than 3.5 million books of all genres are up for grabs at this year’s book sale with many story books by famous authors going for only RM8. — TRP pic by R.S Kamini
The 5th BBW edition will run for 278 hours, around the clock to allow readers to shop literally at any point of the day.
BookXcess has also transformed the floor layout to ease movement and accommodate more books.
The Curious Corner section features limited edition books as well as other collectibles, such as framed canvases, plaque posters, tin-plated signs, die-cast models and wood-carved furniture.
To keep children entertained, there will be circus performances and carnival games throughout the sale.
Shoppers can also enjoy meal and coffee breaks in between browsing at dedicated areas within the premises.
This year, BookXcess is once again collaborating with Astro Kasih and Magicbird Publications for the Red Readerhood campaign aimed at encouraging BBW patrons to buy books and donate them to the underprivileged communities.
BookXcess expects close to one million people with a 95% sales target this year.