FOR LOVE AND THE WRITTEN WORD

Here’s a little known fact: last year’s largest consumer event took place in December at MIECC in Mines Wellness City. It ran for a continuous 401 hours and attracted more than 600,000 visitors. Its star attraction? A mind-boggling 3.5 million books. Say what you want about the reading culture in Malaysia but the success of the annual Big Bad Wolf Book Sale certainly suggests that it is alive and kicking.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale and its sister company, BookXcess, are familiar names to book lovers in Malaysia. Both launched on a simple idea – supplying Malaysian readers with affordable books. As Andrew Yap, Managing Director of the two remaindered book retailers, and his wife and Executive Director, Jacqueline Ng, would tell you, simple ideas can often be bundles of unforeseen complications. “It’s been quite a journey,” Yap reflects when we meet at the BookXcess and Big Bad Wolf Book Sale headquarters in Shah Alam.

I first met Yap and Ng nearly eight years ago, just after they first opened BookXcess in Amcorp Mall in Petaling Jaya. Dealing entirely with remainders and overprints, BookXcess quickly became a destination for book lovers, who couldn’t resist the bargain of brand new books at half (or less!) the recommended retail price. As its popularity grew, so did the store itself, moving twice within the mall before settling on its current location on the top floor, expanding from 500 sq ft to 12,000 sq ft along the way.

The brand has become such a draw that Yap has received numerous requests to expand its presence. “There are numerous things we need to consider before expanding – stocks, the space and staff, for example – as we want to ensure that the BookXcess experience remains the same, regardless of where it is.” Thus far, there is only one other BookXcess outpost, in Fahrenheit 88 on Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, which opened last year. “The mall’s management were looking for unique attractions and approached us,” Yap said. “They were very supportive in what we wanted to achieve and it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Somewhere along the BookXcess journey, in 2009, the couple took on the daunting task of becoming the ‘parents’ of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, an annual event that offered prices even lower than that at BookXcess. It was and remains a financially challenging endeavour, not to mention a logistical struggle – dealing with space, crowds and staff, as well as the not-so-little task of unpacking, sorting and displaying of an unimaginable number of books. Still, all that has been extremely rewarding as, if anything, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale has been a more impactful brand. “We have been expanding Big Bad Wolf, taking it to other parts of Malaysia, but we’ve also been asked to take it to Indonesia and the Philippines,” Andrew says. “It’s a clear indication that there is a great love and need for books everywhere.”

Yet, even as we looked back at the couple’s achievements, revisiting milestones and sharing reminiscences, two things have not changed: their shared passion for what they do and their continuous astonishment at how far – and fast – they have come. “We both still feel the same about what we do,” Andrew says. “If we didn’t have the passion for it, we probably would have given this up a long time ago.”

The book business is largely considered a sunset industry. Book sales worldwide have been declining steadily, while the proliferation of tablets and e-books suggest that this downward spiral will continue. Yet, here in Malaysia, Yap and Ng have not only bucked the trend but largely thrived as well. Between BookXcess and Big Bad Wolf Books, the business now imports seven million books a year, with turnover reaching a very impressive MYR50million. Bullishly, the retailers’ latest leap forward was the purchase of a multimillion ringgit, 190,000 sq ft office and warehouse in Shah Alam. The cost was prohibitive but the need, very real. “Previously, we used to rent warehouses, one each for BookXcess and Big Bad Wolf,” explains Yap. “The rental costs were high and the environment hardly conducive for books, so it made sense, in the long term, to find a place of our own. We looked at a lot of spaces until we unexpectedly discovered this place, and it was perfect. It cost a lot but it’s exactly what we need. It’s huge but we foresee that we will need it sooner than later.”

If there is one thing that the couple have learned, however, is to take nothing for granted. “Of course, we always look ahead and make plans; still, there have been so many times when opportunity knocked and we had no choice but to grab it,” Yap says. “We have been quite blessed that in many of the things we try our hand at have largely been successful.” You could, indeed, say that Yap and Ng’s bookworthy adventure has largely been one of going on the path less taken.

BookXcess, for one, has its genesis in Yap’s love for cars. Frustrated by the paucity of motoring magazines in Malaysia, he began searching overseas and, through sheer luck, stumbled on enough sources of back issues that he could start a business selling them. One thing led to another before he received offers of remaindered books. Taking a punt on an industry they knew nothing about, Yap and Ng started small and, since then, BookXcess has exceeded their expectations.

The story behind the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is, similarly, a tale of being in the right place at the right time. While challenges abounded from the word go, Yap and Ng persevered, concentrating on a few principles that informed all their decisions. “What’s important for us is that we keep prices as low as possible,” Yap says. Books, they believe, are too expensive for many and, by keeping their prices down, make a big difference to customers. Range is equally crucial, ensuring that all interests are catered to.

Another thing that both feel strongly about is customer experience: the space, above all, must be welcoming and comfortable. As Ng explains: “Just because we sell discounted books doesn’t mean that the store has to look cheap – we want people to enjoy coming here and feel good when they leave.” Additionally, there are complimentary simple but thoughtful services, like gift-wrapping, for example, and a membership service that offers additional discounts.

Although it does seem that Yap and Ng have got the business figured out, both aren’t ready to rest on their laurels. “For one thing, we want to bring the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale to more states,” Yap says. “We’re also exploring the possibility of going to East Malaysia.” There’s also a nascent online BookXcess store that is still being developed, with its own unique requirements. Additionally, Yap wants to further explore the collectibles segment, including limited special productions like Epic Ink’s amazing The Guitar Collection and Star Wars: The Blueprints, publications that definitely appeal to a distinct set of fans – at BookXcess’ extraordinary prices, of course.

In the end, though, it’s all about books and cultivating the reading habit. BookXcess has an amazing range of publications for children and has been proactive in donating books, often in the form of presents, to orphanages. Sure, while this might look like growing a captive audience to some, it is more a reflection of Yap and Ng’s belief in books – its potential to empower, transform and, just as important, to thrill.

“We’ve maintained our prices from the beginning. Our margins are thin but we’re fine with that; we have, to be honest, put into the business as much as we have made out of it. We’re doing something that we love, that we feel is right,” Yaps says. “We’ve met a lot of people who feel as passionate as we are about BookXcess and Big Bad Wolf – customers who fly into Kuala Lumpur from all the country and even overseas just to attend our Big Bad Wolf Book Sale!”

Buying a book is usually an emotional impulse and this, perhaps, explains why fans of BookXcess and the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale have formed such strong bonds with them. Along the way, Yap and Ng have touched countless of lives, making friends along the way, people who, in turn, have supported them in unexpected ways. Yap flashes a big grin as he says: “I can tell you this – part of the reason we could raise the money to buy this warehouse was thanks to some Big Bad Wolf Books fans.” Now that’s something to write home about.