Remoto Control
Danton Remoto
Down with discrimination vs. indie publishers
Everything’s coming up roses for the Philippine publishing industry. After Covid-19, more books have been published, more people are going into publishing, and the government has helped immensely through the National Book Development Board, under the dynamic duo of Dante “Klink” Ang II and Charisse Aquino Tugade.
The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF), the Philippine Book Fair as well as the regional ones are well attended. To top it all, the Philippines will be the country of focus at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest in the world. The committees are now all abuzz with preparations for our moment in the global spotlight.
But trust always one person, one entity, to throw in a monkey wrench. In this case, it is Prime Trade Asia, Inc., which has been managing the MIBF for ages. I have
been attending the MIBF whenever I am in the Philippines. I have seen it grow, from a motley crowd in the 1990s to the mammoth ones that now move through the corridors and halls of the fair’s location.
But they issued a directive for the forthcoming MIBF that banned author signings for a category of publishers – the small, independent ones that any bright organization knows is the lifeblood of any cultural activity.
The Indie Publishers Collab PH (TIPH) is a group of indie publishers. I gave them one week of air time last year, in my radio show “Pinoy Konek,” to talk about their books and authors in preparation for the Philippine Book Fair. They are a hardy and brave lot, and they swiftly issued a statement against Goliath.
Let us quote this important statement in full.
“Today, the members of The Indie Publishers Collab PH (TIPC) received an email from the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) organizer, Primetrade Asia, stating that (and we quote in verbatim) “Please be informed that we will implement that author book signings are not allowed inside the booths for those who reserved 15 booths and below to avoid disturbance to the other exhibitors.”
“The rule is unfair since it discriminates against small publishers like ourselves who can barely afford a 3 meter x 3 meter booth that costs Php 74,000 plus VAT, but persist because we want to make our titles available to the general reading public, and thus give a bigger exposure to our authors and the important messages we want to communicate. Author signings at the booths draw the readers and boost book sales, aside from providing the readers opportunities to interact with the authors.
“The rule was arbitrarily imposed just two months before the MIBF, without prior consultation with the exhibitors and when all of us have [already] given down payments, and some of us have made arrangements with our authors to be present during the MIBF, i.e., bought tickets, booked flights, and reserved accommodations.
“This is a sad development, to think that we supported Primetrade and MIBF during the Covid years even as we were struggling ourselves.
“As independent publishers, the MIBF has become an important venue for us to raise awareness for our advocacies, provide exposure for our fledgling authors, and expand our market. More than the wasted financial and marketing opportunities, it is the disregard for independent publishers, small presses and the Filipino literature and culture that we champion and represent that make us feel disheartened.
“The MIBF organizers pride themselves in having a diverse collection and representing authors and publishers, both big and small. With this policy of banning author signings inside the booth for exhibitors who reserved for 15 booths or less, the message is clear: MIBF is partial only to
the big ones.
“Primetrade should not favor one party over the other for the simple reason of ‘avoiding disturbance to the other exhibitors.’ For the sake of invigorating the small presses and developing readers, Primetrade should bring back author signings in the booth, regardless of how many – whether the exhibitor availed of just one or less than 15 booths.”
The indie publishers; group hammered the nail on its head when they raised the issue of discrimination. So only the big publishers who churn out self-help and cookbooks can have author signings and not the small ones who persist in publishing new and quality writing?
Moreover, has Primetrade done due diligence and collated evidence to show that author signings “cause disturbance to other exhibitors?” In my many years of going to the book fair, the only book signings that caused disturbance was years ago, when the now-defunct ABS-CBN published books supposedly written by its celebrities. Thus, you have the sight and sound of squealing fans and queues that sometimes get skewed and crowded the lanes.
And if we are to be honest about it, less than 50 people would queue up to a local author and have his or her books signed, unless the author is Ambeth Ocampo or the late Lualhati Bautista. The rest of us are lucky to sign 50 books. So what disturbance are we talking about here?
And isn’t Primetrade happy that readers are interacting with authors – having books signed, questions asked and answers given, photos taken and posted in social media, such that more publicity is generated for the book fair that runs for three days? These will be lost opportunities for MIBF to create more buzz.
Market experience has shown that attendance at the book fair is lowest on Friday, when it opens. But when people see photos and messages posted in social media and word gets around that it is a delightful place filled with books and events, voila! The attendance rises on Saturday and peaks on Sunday, the last day of the book fair.
And lastly, why was there no consultation done to get all points of view and arrive at a possible, golden consensus? In true fascist tradition that is now going out of fashion, Primetrade just tossed an email to the small publishers, like crumbs to stray dogs, and expected them to follow.
But you are talking to some of the brightest, bravest cultural workers in town, who are not there for the money but to raise the consciousness and the IQs of their fellow Filipinos. The Primetrade people included.
As of press time (Friday noon),I am still waiting for their supposed “revised directive.” Come on, Primetrade, don’t be such a spoilsport. You cannot win this battle. It’s bad PR for you. It makes you look like the rich contravida in a telenovela giving a lot of points and empathy for the poor underdog. All the decks in the card are stacked against your hare-brained idea.
The MIBF last year was a colorful and lovely event where the trinity of pub;ishers, authors and readers commingled in a celebration of books, of writing and of life itself. Let’s bring that spirit back.
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Danton Remoto is the author of “Riverrun, A Novel” and “The Heart of Summer: Stories and Tales.” He also translated three classic Tagalog novels into English. These books have been published by Penguin SEA and available at www.acrephils.com
