People prefer religious, 'How to' books<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): "Things that rich people teach their children
\nabout money that poor and middle class people do not."<\/p>\n
That is the blurb on the front cover of a book titled Rich Dad
\nPoor Dad by author Robert T. Kiyosaki.<\/p>\n
Yes, it is one of those "how to get rich" books, and
\napparently, it is among the best-selling books that publisher
\nGramedia has sold at the Jakarta Book Fair.<\/p>\n
The fair, organized by the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian
\nPublishers Association (Ikapi) at Senayan Indoor Stadium, will
\nrun until July 22.<\/p>\n
"I have no idea about the content, but the book sells like hot
\ncakes," an assistant at the Gramedia counter said on Sunday. He
\ndid not elaborate.<\/p>\n
A man who was buying the book only smiled when asked why he
\nbought it.<\/p>\n
"My friend said it's good. Since it's not that expensive, I
\ndecided to buy it," he said.<\/p>\n
The price of the book is Rp 27,000 (US$2.45).<\/p>\n
Beside Rich Dad, Poor Dad, another title that has attracted a
\nlot of buyers is the series of "Chicken Soup" books, a
\ncompilation of true stories.<\/p>\n
The books occupy their own bookshelf at the counter and have
\nvarious titles: Chicken Soup for the Mother Soul, Chicken Soup
\nfor the Teenage Soul, Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul, and
\nso on.<\/p>\n
Their price ranges from Rp 27,000 to Rp 38,000.<\/p>\n
A lot of people, mostly women, stopped in front the Chicken
\nSoup shelf, made their choice and bought it.<\/p>\n
According to sisters Riri, 29 and Anggi, 17, such books are
\ninspiring and give valuable lessons about life.<\/p>\n
"I collect them. They're just so interesting. My favorite is
\nthe 'Unsinkable Soul' ... It has a story of a person with an
\nincurable disease, but who is very patient, and so on. Very
\ntouching," she said.<\/p>\n
Another type that sells well is religious books, particularly
\nIslamic books, as indicated by the dozens of people crowding the
\ncounters.<\/p>\n
Kusmanto from Jakarta-based Gema Insani Press said sales of
\ntheir books had been increasing every year.<\/p>\n
"Every time we participate at a book fair, or any kind of
\nfair, our books are always sold out," he told The Jakarta Post,
\nadding that there had been a sales increase of 30 percent to 40
\npercent in the past year.<\/p>\n
"In book stores, Islamic books always rank within the top 5 of
\nthe most popular books," he said.<\/p>\n
"It's in their nature to go back to religion, as people can't
\nfind the solutions they need elsewhere," he added.<\/p>\n
In addition, people are also looking for books that discuss
\nfamily problems or children's education, Kusmanto said.<\/p>\n
According to Kusmanto, people always want to improve
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
The fair was also the chance for parents to look for
\neducational children's books.<\/p>\n
Andreas, an employee of a private company, said that it was
\nrather difficult to find books for his children, aged six and
\nfour years old.<\/p>\n
"The educational books, like encyclopedias or text books, are
\nvery rare in bookstores. I can only find them at book fairs," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
However, such educational books are not cheap. It cost him Rp
\n2.7 million for several books.<\/p>\n
"Well, anything for my children. Fortunately, we can pay it by
\ninstallments over the course of a year," Andreas said.<\/p>\n
Besides these kind of books, abundant books of various types
\nare available at the annual book fair.<\/p>\n
Aris Buntarman from the fair's committee said that there are
\n105 publishers involved in the event.<\/p>\n
"Most are from the city, but there are some from other towns
\nas well," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The event is held every July, with last year's fair attracting
\nsome 100,000 visitors.<\/p>\n
"This year, we decided to sell only books, with no clothes or
\nVCDs like last year. We wanted to focus on books, and besides, we
\ndidn't want to encourage the illegal VCD trade," Aris said. (hdn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-prefer-religious-how-to-books-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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