Indonesians' interest in reading high

Indonesians' interest in reading high

JAKARTA (JP): Observers disagreed on Wednesday with claims
that Indonesians had poor reading habits which contributed to the
poor sales of books and other printed publications.

A researcher from Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University's
School of Psychology, Primanto Nugroho, said Indonesians'
interest in reading was not low at all.

"Look at Pos Kota and Rakyat Merdeka newspapers, which have a
lot of readers, or traditional fiction stories like Wiro Sableng
which sells like hotcakes. 'How to' books have also become best
sellers," he said in a discussion here on Wednesday.

He said that it was also wrong to say that quality books did
not sell well here.

"Books written by Pramoedya Ananta Toer are best sellers
here," he said.

Primanto was commenting on a report by the Indonesian
Publishers Association (Ikapi) that Indonesian publishers were
only able to publish 1,500 new titles a year, compared to
Singapore's 50,000.

The association also revealed that publishers could only sell
14 million to 15 million copies of books a year, while publishers
in the United States could sell up to 400 million copies
annually.

Primanto said the poor sales of books in Indonesia was a
complex matter.

He cited a recent joint research by research institution
Etnoreflika, the Obor Foundation, IKAPI and the Ford Foundation
in three cities -- Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Magelang in Central
Java.

Although focusing on the qualitative aspects rather than the
quantitative ones, the research, which was based on interviews
with people from different walks of life and age groups, showed
that Indonesians' interest in reading was high.

"But the problem rests on the market's failure to provide the
books, despite people having an interest in books and the
financial ability to procure them," he said.

In Yogyakarta and Jakarta, people do not have time to read,
despite having the interest and the capability to obtain books,
which are abundant, he said.

"Another problem is that Indonesian people have never been
given the opportunity to get books with themes and content which
they really want to read. Let them now decide," Primanto said.

Noted writer Arswendo Atmowiloto said the main problem of book
sales lay in their supply, price and content.

"Books are part of an industry. The cheaper they are, the more
books sold," he said, while addressing the same discussion.

Hilmar Farid, a lecturer at the Jakarta Arts Institute, said
poor sales were caused by publishers' poor business judgment.

"Publishers only focus on selling books and printed
publications in Java, while in West Kalimantan, as an example,
there is a local magazine with a circulation of 10,000 copies.

"The magazine reaches the people of the Dayak tribe. It means
that the magazine has succeeded in fulfilling local need," he
said.

He cited that 85 percent of the country's printed publications
was distributed in Java. (09)