How to Get Singaporeans to Support Local Literature
Illustration by Lam Yik Chun. Print is not dead. It’s not even dying. Here is the winning formula to selling books in a country that doesn’t often show support for local literature. And if you do it right, it could even mean international acclaim. 1. Write about an anti-establishment topic Here are some to consider: Gay marriage. Operation Coldstore. Oxley Road. Various members of the opposition throughout history. Criticism for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s policies. Remember that while it’s cool to hate all things government, it’s also better if you can pass off your book as “satire”. That way, your detractors will appear overly sensitive and insecure if they decide to question your motives or issue you a letter of warning for defamation. 2. Secure a grant, plan a launch Getting a grant from the National Arts Council (NAC) is public relations 101. But don’t get too attached to the money. (See point 3.) It’s less about actually using the grant than making it seem like you are able to get the government on your side, no matter how controversial your topic. Securing an NAC grant also demonstrates your legitimacy, therefore making sure your company is the top choice for future budding writers. Then, set to launch your book at an arts building associated with public agencies, like the Arts House.
The original post from The Online Citizen that started the 'controversy'. 3. Forgo the grant, postpone the launch Decide you won’t just embrace controversy. You will actively seek it out. When NAC withdraws the grant to fund your book, stating “sensitive content, depicted in visuals and text, that did not meet [their] funding conditions”, seize the chance to come across as the bigger person and increase publicity for your book. Go on record saying that you will return the thousands of dollars and print stickers to cover up NAC’s logo in the already printed books. The thing with the victim card is you can only play it a certain number of times, so use it wisely. With the launch, never actually plan for it to materialise just yet. Closer to the date, initiate postponing the launch. Let the media believe that the venue themselves called it off. Then state that everything was a “misunderstanding” from the start. 4. Get anti-establishment publications to issue ‘breaking news’ via Facebook Reach out to media outlets like The Online Citizen or All Singapore Stuff, and give them a vague but sensational idea of the ‘situation’. Perhaps only imply that you will “receive a letter” from the Prime Minister and attach a photo of the cover of your new book. Let the audience draw their own conclusions. Then, share the post on your own Facebook page with a link to your book’s pre-order page. Watch as commenters speculate your intentions without replying to any of them.
Edmund Wee, CEO of Epigram, shared The Online Citizen's post on his personal Facebook account. 5. Welcome all media coverage Any publicity is good publicity. Or so you must believe, in order to play this game. During media interviews, politely stress that all characters in your book are fictional and any similarity of storylines to actual events are purely coincidental. Subtly throw shade at your detractors by stating that everyone should “read the book before jumping to conclusions”. And when anyone asks why the launch is postponed, give an ambiguous but optimistic response: “Believe us when we say good things are worth waiting for.” You might even manage to bait international media. Western media like The New York Times love it when our obedient little red dot pushes back against our authoritarian government. 6. Get your book banned At the height of the controversy, try to get the government to ban your book. If that’s too troublesome, just make it seem as though it’s banned. This will decidedly align your book with the anti-establishment crowd, guaranteeing you street cred and an increase in sales. Anything that the government doesn’t support, must automatically be worth pursuing. Your book’s ‘ban’ also gives international media a chance to reinforce their stereotype of Singapore. They get to harp on our chewing gum ban and caning of vandals, while you get publicity for your book. Win-win.
A panel from comic book "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye". The author Sonny Liew would eventually go on to win an Eisner Award, which netizens have termed "the Oscars of the comic industry". (Photo: aaww.org) 7. Release only a small number during the first print run The more limited something is, the more precious it seems. This rule applies to controversial books too. Yet, secretly set aside budget for, say, four print runs. With each run, limit the number of copies to about a thousand. This amount is small enough to fuel interest, but big enough to make money. Reveal the number of books for your first print run. Generate enough media interest for a second, third, and fourth print run. Watch as you sell out with every run. None of this publicity and support should come as a surprise to you. Nonetheless, be surprised. Congratulations, you’ve got a bestseller on your hands. 8. Wait for the book’s author to win an international award Eventually, when your author has won an international award, bask in the support you get from the anti-establishment crowd. Even the pro-government crowd might come around. This is a win for all Singaporeans, but mostly for you. After all, you’ve just secured your reputation as a publisher who isn’t afraid to push boundaries in exchange for good literature. You championed the underdog. You were on the right side of history. You rebelled and it all paid off. All of this makes for the perfect narrative arc that the media will lap up. Of course, as a publisher, you already know this. Rinse and repeat. The post How to Get Singaporeans to Support Local Literature appeared first on RICE.
