Love (for books) in the time of nCoV

Big Bad Wolf’s Jacqueline Ng (center) with IPOPHL’s Emerson Cu and Gawad Kalinga’s Jose Oquiñena.

Filipinos’ love affair with books will be put to the test when the world’s biggest book sale opens its doors on Feb. 14—amid the threat of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

“Since coming over to the Philippines in 2018, the Big Bad Wolf (BBW) Book Sale has quickly amassed loyal fans in the form of thousands of readers who come to the event in order to find treasured titles to build their personal libraries at home,” says BBW cofounder Jacqueline Ng. “We are always gratified to find that readers from all over the country highly anticipate our return each time and it’s amazing to see the unparalleled level of interests in books here that continues to motivate us.”

The first time it was staged in 2018 in Manila, Cebu and Davao, BBW attracted 600,000 customers. Due to the warm reception it received, the caravan also moved to Pampanga the following year, attracting a total of 750,000.

And even with the new virus threat keeping the anxious crowd at home, Ng says BBW expects to surpass the number on its third staging this year.

The BBW team assured customers safety measures will be in place. In a statement, BBW says a medical team will be deployed while infrared thermometers will be used to monitor visitors at the entrance and exit.

Those with high body temperatures will be prohibited from entering the venue.

How are the books brought here?

The increase in crowd size is how BBW gauges their success in the country—not sale proceeds, says Ng.

“Instead of focusing on proceeds, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is first and foremost a reading advocacy organization that hopes to create an impact in each city we visit by creating more readers, as books are a great way to improve a person’s quality of living through knowledge. We evaluate the impact that we have made in each city by evaluating the number of visitors we receive,” she says.

The success of BBW in the Philippines and other parts of the world can be attributed to the extreme discounts on offer. Here, books are sold at 50 to 90 percent off, with some titles even selling for as low as P60.

Worldwide, BBW has sold over 25 million books to more than three million customers.

But how are they able to satisfy consumers’ literary appetite? Ng says in the Philippines, the event “is a significant logistical undertaking.”

Although it requires great effort, the team behind finds joy in making reading affordable for people in the Philippines and around the world.”

Inspiring greatness

To also encourage more young Filipinos to get into the habit of reading, BBW organizers—under their corporate social responsibility arm Red Readerhood—partnered with Gawad Kalinga (GK) to distribute books to underserved communities around the country.

“It’s a partnership designed from above,” says Jose Luis Oquiñena, GK executive director. “It’s built on our common desire to inspire greatness in each other.”

Last year, a total of 16,123 books were collected from all four BBW sales in the country.

Ng is also happy to note the brisk sales can be attributed to the youth. She says that in markets such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the sales for young adult titles “have been increasing tremendously over the last two years.”

Books for young children also remain a highlight of the sale. Ng says they also want to equip parents with materials necessary to inspire more young readers.

BBW is also the exclusive distributor in Asia for the Magical Books series. The books incorporate augmented reality (AR) technology, creating a high-tech reading experience for little ones.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale will be held at The World Trade Center on Feb. 14 to 24. Entrance to the event, which will run 24/7, is free.