E-book demand diminishes, students going back to books—Stakeholder

Students are now returning to books rather than e-books, as a publishing company owner said they have already recovered from the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic on their industry.

"We have already recovered. During the pandemic, there is a sudden stoppage of printing textbooks as it does not belong to essential commodities. But to date, our operation is in full swing and has gone back to normal," said Rio Lim, marketing manager of Vibal Foundation Incorporated, in an interview on the sidelines of the inaugural of the Asian Festival of Children's Content Circle Philippines on Wednesday at the National Library in Kalaw, Manila.

It is said that reading books among citizens had been a problem in the country, as data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the value added — the economic contribution based on goods and services produced — of book publishing in 2017 stood at P1.85 million, very far-off from the Book Development Association of the Philippines' conservative projection of P4.16 million and more so from the "aggressive" forecast of P9.71 million as laid out in the industry group's 2015-2030 Roadmap.

When publishing houses shuttered during the global contagion, there was a recorded growth of electronic books, as it became the easiest way to read stories in books during the pandemic.

"But this time, the demand for e-books declined. Reading e-books only became a fad during the pandemic. But right now, as face-to-face classes are back, students get back on reading tactile books or copies," Lim.

Accepting digitization

But despite the rebound, National Book Development Board Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade admitted that some publishing firms are now embracing digitization and producing e-books.

"Many of our publishers also offer subscription services. And what is interesting right now or after the pandemic is that there is a growth in writing. In NBDP, what we do is register stakeholders, which automatically qualifies them to receive incentives. Prior to Covid, we had 500 registrants but right now, we have more than 3,000," according to Tugade.

Further, she said the number of ISBNs or the International Standard Book Number, a unique numeric commercial book identifier that is being purchased and received by publishers, has also grown.

"Before 2020, we had about 6,000 ISBNs which is low. But at the end of 2022, it became 9,000, the highest in the history of the Philippines. This means we continue to create content. Now is the high time to really focus on our own stories," she said.

She maintained that books would remain in the minds of Filipino children, as they still want to hold reading materials rather than read them from gadgets.

"Filipinos who read ebooks come from or are in the cities where there is a strong Internet connection. But if you go to the provinces with low connections, people there still like physical books. In fact, if you go around the world, there are still bookstores. If it is not a viable product, then it will not be there. Here in the Philippines, we still produce books, meaning, there is still a market," Tugade explained.

The Asian Festival of Children's Content Circle Philippines, with the theme "Read!", in partnership with the Singapore Book Council, NBDB, Department of Education, National Library of the Philippines, International Board on Books for Young People, and the Filipinas Heritage Library, is a reading campaign exploring strategies in building children's literacy competencies.

Among the activities lined up during the campaign are panel discussions, masterclasses, pitching sessions, networking events, and public activities promoting the creation and appreciation of quality children's literature and young adults with a focus on Asian themes.