SINGAPORE: In 2020, in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singaporean Kyla Zhao felt terribly isolated and homesick as a student at Stanford University in the United States.
Travel restrictions and grounded flights also left her feeling bereft and unsure if she would see the sunny shores of Singapore again.That eventually evolved into her first novel, The Fraud Squad, a tale of a young woman who infiltrates the local high-society scene in hopes of getting a coveted writing position at a luxury magazine.
While authors like Ms Zhao may secure multiple book deals through traditional channels, an alternative path to publication involves winning competitions that frequently offer publishing contracts as prizes. Mr Pasakorn, a fresh graduate from Yale-NUS College, said: “It is a great representation of the voice that I was capable of in 2022. Now, I'm writing a full-length memoir, and it’s going to take me maybe one or two more years.”
But after deciding that he did not want teaching to be his “whole life”, he quit his job to figure out what he could do. Ms Amanda Lee Koe's upcoming third novel Sister Snake garnered attention when it was sold at an auction, attracting bids from multiple publishers. Her first collection of short stories, Ministry of Moral Panic, published by Epigram Books in 2013, won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2014.
“Local non-fiction and memoirs have been particularly in demand among our customers … We have months where we see an even split between local and international titles, which is great!” they said in an email reply to TODAY. When her parents dismissed the idea of her becoming a writer, Dr Nuraliah, 38, chose the science stream instead of the arts in junior college and secondary school.
“I have so many questions about what's going on, so much anger and rage about what's going on in the world that it needs to find shape somewhere, my writing is where it finds shape,” said Dr Nuraliah.For Ms Shze-Hui Tjoa, 31, her book of creative nonfiction, The Story Game, started out as a series of political essays that evolved into a memoir after five years of writing.
To fully commit herself to writing the book, Ms Tjoa quit her marketing job and transitioned to freelance work instead. Submitting a complete manuscript would normally involve need a cover letter pitching the work, a synopsis and sample characters. Ethos Books’ publisher Ng Kah Gay. Ethos Books receives roughly 50 manuscript submissions per month and publishes six to eight titles each year.
“They can only take that much work, so I think it's always nice to keep an eye out for different opportunities abroad,” the 38-year-old added. Her book was eventually picked up by Tin House, one of the largest indie book publishers in the US. Getting to that point was a journey in itself. While it may be tempting for local writers to look for an international publisher, with an eye on clinching a lucrative deal, the process is no walk in the park, some writers told TODAY.
Many of the publishers, such as in Australia, US and the United Kingdom “tend to be more inclined towards white writers”, said Mr Loh, who decided to go with local publishers eventually. Mr Daryl Qilin Yam, co-founder of the literary charity Sing Lit Station and a published author, said he would choose local publishers for his works as much as possible.
For instance, there isn’t a framework for marketing or publicity. You would also need to find storage space, allocate funds for an editor, and possibly hire a designer for the artwork.A HEALTHY LOCAL LITERARY SCENE?They highlighted the emergence of new writers and the abundance of content being published, pointing to a vibrant and dynamic literary environment.
The association however does not keep a record of how many SingLit books are published locally and overseas. Mr Ng of Ethos Books explained that the local publishing scene is already small, and any significant development such as the closure of a prominent publisher has “an outsized impact”.Another concern of publishers here is the dwindling number of bookshops here.
The cost could be higher than S$20,000 if the book requires many visual assets that require special permission or clearance.Then comes the book design, where the layout and design process can cost anywhere from S$1,000 to S$2,000. “This book is on its way to selling 3,000 copies, but it's not gonna be the first year,” he said. “I have to make sure that the book is around for at least five years, it can sell 3,000 copies then it will make sense.”
Mr Ng said that for independent publishers like Ethos Books, the “gold standard” is to sell about 2,000 copies - and that is considered a good run. Another book that exceeded Ethos Books’ expectations is sociologist Teo You Yenn’s This is What Inequality Looks Like, published in 2018. It sold 40,000 copies and became one of the most talked-about books in Singapore.
The Last Fools is about pioneer civil servants who built national icons, such as Singapore Airlines and the Housing Development Board. The Price of Being Fair is about a supermarket chain that is now a household name.Given Singapore’s small market, writers definitely cannot live by royalties alone. The standard royalty rate for a book with a 1,000 copy print run in Singapore is S$950.
However, the industry norm is that one has to"earn out" one's advance before earning royalties, meaning an author would only receive additional payment once total royalties are higher than a book advance.For example, if the prize money is S$25,000, the writer would have to sell enough books worth S$25,000 before they can start collecting royalties in book sales.
For Mr Yam, “the true success of a book isn't necessarily measured by its commercial success, but by how it is critically received”. While Mr Nair and the literary community at large are happy for writers who have made it big overseas, he wondered why those same opportunities are not available in Singapore.
She added that the key is to enable more Singaporeans to produce high-quality and engaging works of art. To that end, Mr Yam believes that Singapore’s literary scene will never be short of good local works. To be sure, there have been considerable efforts to encourage readers to pick up a piece of work by local writers.
She added that library patrons are expanding their tastes, reading widely across genres and borrowing non-fiction titles related to Singapore food, places, and history.
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