Children's publishers decry 'excessive' cost of Sara's self-authored book

MANILA, Philippines — In a time of slumping morale among reading advocates in the Philippines, Vice President Sara Duterte's planned P10-million-print of her self-authored children's book is souring the mood of children's book publishers. 

It's an "excessive" and "self-serving" endeavor for one independent publisher, and a "wasted opportunity" to support existing writers for another. But above all, they ask: Why should the government cough up millions for Duterte's own children's book? 

Two children's book authors and two independent publishers told Philstar.com that children's book writers often struggle to get their work into the hands of young readers because of the high cost of production and limited runs of local publishing houses, which contribute to steep book prices.

This is why the estimated P10 million cost of printing Duterte's book has brought into sharp focus the government's limited funds to support local authors' publication costs, the writers told Philstar.com.

The process and costs involved with Duterte's self-publication of her book using taxpayer money also come off as "really irregular," Filipino writers Beverly Wico Siy and China Patria de Vera said.

"With VP Sara's book, we don’t know what process was followed or who approved it. It is very different from the regular process, and it’s important that we demand transparency regarding that process and how the amount was determined," Siy said in Filipino. 

De Vera, who also runs the independent children's book publishing house Aklat Alamid, said children's book writers typically go through rounds of workshops and "editorialship" where writers peer review each other's work.

"If Duterte wants the public to fund her book, she should be transparent with everything," she said. 

One independent publisher's curiosity over Duterte's new book led her to consult with the production supervisor of a local printing press. 

The higher the number of prints, the lower the price of each copy. And a book like Duterte's with 16 fully-colored pages would typically cost P12 per copy if 50,000 copies were produced, according to the publisher, who requested anonymity. 

This makes the estimated price ceiling of P50 per copy of Duterte's book seemingly inflated given that around 200,000 books will be printed, the publisher added.

"Many Filipinos find the 'SOP' for highways and bridges unacceptable, where the SOPs reach up to 40%. And now they want to use a children's book project to have another 'SOP'? That’s the question," the publisher said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Office of the Vice President spokesperson Michael Poa told Philstar.com that the cost of printing each copy may still go down during the bidding process and that the P50 figure is "just the proposed ceiling for purposes of the budget proposal, which was based on market surveys conducted within the period the 2025 budget was being prepared."

"As an added safeguard, before bidding this out, another round of market surveys will again be conducted to ensure the contract price or approved budget for the contract (ABC) is accurate and updated," the OVP spokesperson said.

Limited grants 

There is no shortage of children's book writers in the Philippines, but the economics of it all "just makes you want to cry," the publisher said.

In fact, the publisher said, several children's book authors are public school teachers themselves — one of the main target markets of children's book authors. 

One of these public school teachers is Paul Padilla, who won the Department of Education's February 2023 storybook writing competition for his story, "Ang Alimangong Walang Sipit (The Crab Without a Claw)." 

"For those who want to self-publish, the financial aspect is a significant challenge. We need to cover our own costs for printing, marketing, and distribution, which can be very expensive, especially without a guaranteed return on investment, particularly in a country with a limited reading audience," Padilla told Philstar.com.

For this year, the independent publisher said around 30 to 40 writers responded to their call for manuscripts of children's stories, but they could only accept two. Their limited resources also only allowed them to pay two authors and illustrators. 

"We ran out of funds for printing because of the large expenses we incurred for tax matters with the Bureau of Internal Revenue last year... For this year's Manila International Book Fair, we need to borrow money again for printing, illustrators, and other expenses, and we plan to repay the debt once we make sales there," the publisher added.

The publisher also shared that when some self-published authors recently joined the Big Bad Wolf book sale at Trinoma in April, they could only bring 20 to 30 copies because that’s all they could print with their money. 

"You really can't expect to be a millionaire," she said.

What helps subsidize the cost of printing books are government grants, such as those provided by the National National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

However, slots for these grants are extremely competitive, said Genevieve Asenjo, a writer and a professor of literature and creative writing.

"Let's say someone gets a publication grant from the NCCA or the National Book Development Board worth P100,000 or P200,000. To earn that, you need to meet eligibility criteria, submit requirements, and of course, you compete with many other writers in your genre or language," Asenjo said.

"P1 million, even P500,000, is a big deal in the field of literary arts. How much more for P10 million? That’s why you can understand the frustration and anger of writers." she added.

The high costs associated with printing local children's books also partly explain why so few of these are offered at national bookstores. Books from foreign publishers that are sent to the Philippines as "surplus" copies get sold off at P100 and P150, while local books from children's authors can cost up to P600.

"Having grants reduces the expenses for the publisher and makes the book more affordable. So imagine if even just P1 million out of that 10 million was given, or the whole P10 million itself. How many books could be distributed to the islands and regions of the country?" Asenjo said.

Here we are, burning our brows to come up with exceptional books with a diversity of stories and topics that reflect the Filipino experience and culture, but we only have resources to print and distribute 20 to 300 copies at a time as we rely on our very shallow pockets.

Indie Publishers Collab Philippines
August 21, 2024

Indie Publishers Collab Philippines, a group of independent publishers, said in a statement on Wednesday that Duterte’s self-authored book for children comes off as a “privilege” given the limited opportunities for children’s writers to be read on a national scale. 

“Here we are, burning our brows to come up with exceptional books with a diversity of stories and topics that reflect the Filipino experience and culture, but we only have resources to print and distribute 20 to 300 copies at a time as we rely on our very shallow pockets,” the group said.

“We believe our locally-published books are an exceptional addition to public school libraries and contribute to the growth of Philippine literature. But without Duterte’s audacity, will we be awarded a P10 million budget to produce over 20 titles for distribution to over 1,000 public school libraries? We don’t think so,” it added.

De Vera said Duterte should have already known about the "loops and holes" of the reading crisis among students, which is worsened by a lack of books in public schools. 

"I think this is an anomaly, if this kind of book is produced. It's a self-serving book," De Vera said.

"There are several writers who are more equipped that could have been supported. Why do you have to make your own book?" she added.