Finding imported books in local bookstores<\/p>\n
Sudibyo M. Wiradji, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite the relatively high price, original books imported
\nfrom other countries are more preferable to translated versions
\nfor many reasons. Thus, what concern most book enthusiasts that
\nlove original and quality books is how to find them.<\/p>\n
With the Internet starting to get more use in Indonesia, one
\ncan order books from an overseas shop through a website but it
\ncould take several weeks to get the ordered book. Besides, it is
\nquiet frequently heard that the books delivered from overseas
\ngets damaged by the post office. Or when you hear that your
\nfriend or colleague is going abroad, you can ask him or her to
\nbuy you a book. But this is incidental in nature. Therefore, the
\nbest way to get imported books is by buying them at a bookstore
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Like in every city in other countries, Jakarta offers a couple
\nof bookstores that allows one to shop for original, imported
\nbooks. With the books mostly targeted to middle and upper class
\nbuyers with little financial constraints, most of the stores are
\nlocated in upmarket areas, such as airports, hotels and some of
\nthe modern malls. Most of the bookstores feature a decent
\nselection of imported books with an excellent lay out design,
\ncomfortable and cozy setting and friendly staff.<\/p>\n
Particular bookshops also offer sales service through email or
\nby phone.<\/p>\n
Periplus Bookshop can be found at the Soekarno-Hatta
\nInternational Airport, at Terminal 2 Departure Halls D and E;
\nKompleks Villa Kemang; Grand Hyatt Hotel; Aryaduta Hotel and
\nKampung Kemang. Here you can find the books in high demand such
\nas Children's Books, starting from pre-school level, Business and
\nManagement, Travel, Interior Design, Architecture and novels.<\/p>\n
Trendy books under the category Body, Mind & Spirit include
\nEmotional Intelligence and Feng Shui. A novel entitled The
\nSummons by John Grisham is another favorite following the latest
\nbest-selling novel featuring Harry Potter.<\/p>\n
The bookshop provides over 20,000 titles of original books and
\nabout 200 titles of magazines. You can find a wide selection of
\nbooks on Indonesia with high quality printing. The books on
\nIndonesia distributed by JavaBooks ranges from culture,
\narchitecture, tourism spots, handicrafts to gardening.<\/p>\n
Besides Periplus, many other bookstores such as Aksara, QB
\nWorld Book, Kinokuniya and The Times Bookshop also sell imported
\nbooks or books on Indonesia but written in foreign languages.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, as far as imported books are concerned, priority is
\ngiven to all books. But for further selections, priority is
\ngiven to books on Indonesia with the hope that they (the books)
\nwill lure foreigners to come to the country,\" said Hanna Yakin,
\nPeriplus' Marketing Manager of the bookshop.<\/p>\n
Even though the books are about Indonesia, most of the books
\nare prepared by foreign writers and are printed overseas and
\ntherefore, they have to be imported, she said.<\/p>\n
On particular dates, the bookstore holds special programs like
\nbook-signings and story-telling that will allow your children to
\nbe familiar with stories from various overseas countries while
\nstimulating their imagination. If you visit the bookshop and buy
\na book there ahead of Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year
\nHolidays, you will be offered discount prices.<\/p>\n
Hanna said that JavaBooks has been engaged in supplying books
\nfor almost every bookstore, newsstand, hotel, airport,
\nsupermarket, hypermarket, gallery and so forth. \"The distributed
\nbooks are under various categories including arts, architecture,
\nbusiness & management, biography, children's books, cookery,
\ncraft, fashion, gardening, health, interior design, maps &
\natlases, nature, photography, references, sports, travel,
\nfiction, and magazines,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Periplus Bookshops can also be found outside Jakarta. In Bali,
\nyou can find it at the International and Domestic Airport, Mal
\nBali Galeria, Matahari Kuta Square, Ubud, Legian and Nusa Dua. In
\nYogyakarta at Adi Sucipto Airport, Surabaya at Juanda Airport, in
\nMakassar at Hasanuddin Airport.<\/p>\n
The bookshop also plans to open its outlet at Polonia Airport
\nin Medan and Clubstore Medan, North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Askara bookstore also sells ficton and non-fiction books of
\ndifferent categories including art and design, architecture, home
\ndesign, children's books, cooking, food and beverages, politics,
\neconomics and busiess management.<\/p>\n
\"Our best selling categories are fiction, children, art\/design
\nand cooking,\" said Adinda Simanjuntak, a staff of the Aksara
\nbookstore.<\/p>\n
She said that Akasara planned to open a branch next year in
\nJakarta to meet the growing number of people coming to the
\nbookstore which recently launched Akasar Music offering best
\nselection of jazz and rock.<\/p>\n
You can also hunt for original books by visiting QB World Book
\nwhere you can select books that you desire and, if you are a
\nmember of the bookstore, you can use the Internet at the
\nbookstore's Internet Cafe to surf the net for free. If you go on
\nSaturdays, you can also watch an art movie in the cafe.<\/p>\n
\"We've tried to set up a new model of selling books in
\nIndonesia. A concept that is both friendly and at the same time
\nrefreshing for book lovers,\" said Richard Oh, director of QB
\nWorld Book.<\/p>\n
\"At QB World Kemang, our newest bookstore, we feature an art
\ngallery,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Currently, the bookstore provides in the vicinity of about
\n75,000 titles. \"Of course the numbers of these titles are in
\nconstant flux, because of stock inventory,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Popular books like the Tolkien series and business books and
\nnovels have always been in high demand, he said.<\/p>\n
If you buy a book at Kinokuniya during the promotional month,
\nyou will be offered 10 percent to 60 percent discounts for
\nparticular books. Or, if you happen to buy a book at the shop in
\nMarch when the bookstore celebrates its anniversary, you will be
\noffered a 3 percent discount.<\/p>\n
The bookstore provides a wide selection of imported books and
\nmagazines in English and Japanese, such as Food & Drink; Family &
\nRelationships; Health; Sports; Aircrafts and Architecture.<\/p>\n
At Kinokuniya, most of the books or magazines on display are
\nwrapped in transparent plastic. If you are interested in having a
\nglance, you can ask the shop staff to open the seal.<\/p>\n
As part of its efforts to provide good services to customers,
\nthe shop will replace any improper book that has been purchased
\nby a customer provided that the damage resulted from an error
\nmade by the publisher or the shop. The replacement is commonly
\nmade three days after the purchase.<\/p>\n
If you are a regular customer at the bookstore, your name is
\nincluded into the bookstore's data base. \"We use the customer
\ndata base, especially when we want to inform them if there are
\nnew book arrivals or bestseller books and ask them if they are
\ninterested in buying one of these,\" said Edwan Harry, Corp.
\nAffairs and HR Manager of the bookstore.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Kinokuniya is on the third floor of Sogo Plaza
\nIndonesia, on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, and on the third floor of Sogo
\nPlaza Senayan, Jl. Asia Afrika.<\/p>\n
At The Times Bookshop, you can find about 10,000 titles of
\nimported books, mostly on interior design and children's books.<\/p>\n
The books are targeted mostly to expatriates who are not
\nfamiliar with Bahasa Indonesia.<\/p>\n
So, with the availability of bookshops selling imported books,
\nit might not be necessary for you to go abroad just to buy books.<\/p>",
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