ASIA PUBLICATIONS: New light for books left out in the dark
Published on Sep 17, 2004
Local publisher Asia Publications has launched an online service to boost book
sales and counter the censorship that sometimes impedes the public’s access to
controversial titles.
The firm hopes that its website, www.asiapublications.com, will promote free
speech.
“We’ve formed a strategic alliance for printing and publishing with Location
Thailand to lower costs,” says managing partner and IT director Graham Mills,
adding that Asia Publications will release the “Location Thailand Film
Directory” next year.
It will soon also release “The Magick Papers”, a detective story by Antonio
Pineda. Published by IQ Inc, it was described in a recent review as “an
exploration of underground cultures” with “delightful detours”.
And with two more books from Pineda currently in production, Asia Publications’
website should prove useful for those wishing to obtain more controversial
novels in the future.
The firm has signed distribution and direct-sales deals for publication of
controversial author Ian Quartermaine. It promises to be the perfect vehicle for
handling his “Sleepless in Bangkok”, a prime example of a novel whose “dark
influences” may have actually hindered sales.
Recent royalty statements from the former sole distributor of “Sleepless in
Bangkok” confirm that the book was grossing more than Bt35,000 per month, even
though it was only available at 12 retail stores.
Despite this, the book’s popularity has not waned in the three years it’s been
in circulation, this despite its relative unavailability and the lack of proper
promotion on release.
Nor has an apparent “unofficial” ban on reviewing the book in Thai-owned
newspapers – aside from The Nation – caused it to fall into obscurity.
The “faction novel” sells well despite apparent efforts to suppress it by
individuals or organisations who may have thought they “recognised” themselves
in the text.
Ironically, while apparently censored out of circulation in Thailand, people
have been contacting distributors in Britain to try and purchase the book.
In March, publisher IQ Inc sought to discontinue its sole-distribution agreement
due to constant complaints about the book’s unavailability.
Since then, the distributor has withdrawn all copies from store racks, including
those at the airport and supermarkets.
This is despite being offered further discounts if the books were displayed at
retail stores that are not owned by the distribution chain.
Accordingly, the book is now unavailable at airport bookstores, formerly its
main point of sales.
As a result of all this, not one copy of the book has been sold by the former
distributor in the last three months, somewhat shocking for a best-seller with
superb reviews and consistent sales in both low and high season.
In addition, the former distributor now refuses to stock other books by the same
author, such as “For King & Country”, “From Other Worlds” and “Cybernaut”.
IQ Inc’s website – www.iq-inc.net – offers a wide range of services for authors
and publishers, including manuscript appraisal by members of the Writers Guild,
editing, proofreading, cover copy and design and even turning a novel into a
screenplay and vice-versa.
Such services have never been offered in Thailand before, let alone pre-priced
to avoid confusion. It could potentially excite interest from overseas too,
furthering possibilities for collaborations between the Thai and foreign media.
Ken Ywin
The Nation