There are many creative and talented authors and illustrators from the Philippines, and it is also true that we have a rich collection of locally published books in various genres. To showcase 100 of these titles to the international market, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) participated for the sixth consecutive year in the Frankfurter Burchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair) from October 20 to 24, 2021. The book fair features thousands of publishers, and their books, of course, from all over the world. International publication is one opportunity that our local delegation is hoping for, as well as future opportunities not just for the authors and publishers representing the nation but also for the country’s publishing industry in general.
It is no secret that like most other industries, the local publishing and printing industries have taken a hit because of the pandemic. The already low pre-Covid-19 demand for books (many readers prefer international authors and titles) further worsened as publishers suffered drop in sales, affecting authors’ royalties, the income of printers, and the financial situation of other related industries. As some schools and stores closed down because of the crisis and people stayed at home, the offline network for book sales—fairs, bookstores, festivals, etc.—also disappeared.
The Frankfurt Book Fair, therefore, comes at an opportune time, and it would be good if we could participate in other international book festivals in the future. Aggressive marketing strategies for the international market will surely help our local publishers, authors, and other stakeholders to slowly recover from pandemic losses.
Additionally, there are promising opportunities being opened to the publishing and printing industries because of new media innovations (digital book formats, audiobooks, etc.) and technology (non-fungible token, e-commerce, social-media platforms, etc.). While Covid-19 definitely brought plenty of challenges, it is also true that new avenues are opening up for all because of the ways people are adapting to the changes.
House Bill 10107 or the Philippine Creative Industries Development Bill has been approved on the third and final reading by Congress. The bill aims to address some of the gaps as far as the Filipino creative economy is concerned. The book publishing industry and other related industries are definitely part of this umbrella. It does not stop there, however. I believe that more can be done for our authors and illustrators, for publishers and printers, including small presses and regional ones, and the other underrepresented sectors in the value chain. After all, the creative economy contributed 7.4 percent of our gross domestic product in 2014, a figure that could increase drastically due to the changes in work setup, formats, and platforms that are, again, happening because of the global health crisis. If only for this reason, the sectors within need to be given full support by both public and private sectors.