Latest news with #EpigramBooks
New Paper
21-05-2025
- Business
- New Paper
Epigram Books becomes non-profit Epigram Literary Foundation
Home-grown publisher Epigram Books has restructured to become Epigram Literary Foundation, a non-profit entity that it hopes could help it convince more donors to loosen their purse strings. The public company limited by guarantee, or CLG, was incorporated with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) on May 1. This is the latest bid by Epigram to keep operations sustainable, after it collaborated with seven other Singapore indie booksellers to launch online bookstore A CLG differs from a private limited company, where maximising profit for shareholders is the goal of the company. For a CLG, any surplus is meant to be reinvested into the organisation, and they are generally seen to be more credible, requiring approval from Acra that it is serving some public or national interest - in this case, the promotion of the arts. Founder Edmund Wee, 72, said he had been pondering the move for over a year, but had always been told by lawyers that the restructuring would be difficult until he received the right advice. Profits have always been meagre, and he has not paid himself a dividend in the 14 years he has run Epigram - so not much would change in that respect, he told The Straits Times. A CLG, if it encourages businesses aligned with its mission to contribute - possibly as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes - could create an endowment so that it generates significant enough money interest to aid cash flow. Mr Wee said: "Publishing is getting harder and harder, and I can't borrow from the bank any more now that I'm past 70. I cannot go around to ask for $50,000 or $60,000 every year. I'm hoping for a bigger lump sum." To bolster Epigram Literary Foundation's credibility and set donors' minds at ease, he has enlisted nine dignitaries to sit on an advisory council. They are former diplomats Tommy Koh and Kishore Mahbubani; historian Wang Gungwu; former chief economist of GIC Yeoh Lam Keong; special research adviser at the Institute of Policy Studies Arun Mahizhnan; Mr Robert Tomlin, vice-chairman of the Asian arm of investment firm Lepercq de Neuflize; Dr Hong Hai, emeritus professor of business at Nanyang Technological University; former chairman of The Substation and consultant in philanthropy Chew Keng Chuan; and author Meira Chand. Mr Wee said: "I'm hoping that they will give the non-profit more standing so that when I go see companies, they are more willing to donate. I had the choice to drastically reduce the outfit so Epigram publishes only three or four books a year, but I didn't want to do that. There's nobody in the ecosystem now publishing Singapore fiction like us. I find that terrible." Epigram Books hosts the annual Epigram Fiction Books Prize, which awards the winner a $25,000 cash prize and a publishing contract. Three other finalists each receive $5,000 and a publishing contract. It is the richest pot dedicated to unpublished literary manuscripts in Singapore. Mr Wee said he is also working with partners to start a regional book prize for Asean, with a long-term launch date for probably 2027 or later. In theory, the change to a CLG structure should not affect the salaries of its 13 full-time and two part-time employees, but this will depend on how much can be raised, he added. Epigram is Singapore's largest independent book publisher, publishing upwards of 50 titles a year. Notable titles in its stable include the Eisner-award winning The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015) by Sonny Liew, Jeremy Tiang's State Of Emergency (2017) and Meihan Boey's The Formidable Miss Cassidy (2021). All three have secured releases in countries outside Singapore, boosting the Republic's global literary footprint.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Epigram Books becomes non-profit Epigram Literary Foundation, sets up expert advisory panel
SINGAPORE – Homegrown publisher Epigram Books has restructured to become Epigram Literary Foundation, a non-profit entity that it hopes could help it convince more donors to loosen their purse strings. The public company limited by guarantee, or CLG, was incorporated with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) on May 1. This is the latest bid by Epigram to keep operations sustainable, after it collaborated with seven other Singapore indie booksellers to launch online bookstore A CLG differs from a private limited company where maximising profit for shareholders is the avowed goal of the company. Any surplus is meant to be reinvested into the organisation, and they are generally seen to be more credible, requiring approval from Acra that it is serving some public or national interest, in this case the promotion of the arts. Founder Edmund Wee said he had been pondering the move for over a year, but had always been told by lawyers that the restructuring would be difficult until he received the 'right advice'. Profits have always been meagre, and he has not paid himself a dividend in the 14 years he has run Epigram – so not much would change in that respect, he told The Straits Times. A CLG, if it encourages businesses aligned with its mission to contribute – possibly as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes – could create an endowment so that it generates significant enough money interest to aid cash flow. Mr Wee, 72, said: 'Publishing is getting harder and harder and I can't borrow from the bank anymore now that I'm past 70. I cannot go around to ask for $50,000 or $60,000 every year. I'm hoping for a bigger lump sum.' To bolster Epigram Literary Foundation's credibility and set donors' minds at ease, he has enlisted nine dignitaries to sit on an advisory council. They are former diplomats Tommy Koh and Kishore Mahbubani; historian Wang Gungwu; former chief economist of GIC Yeoh Lam Keong; special research adviser at the Institute of Policy Studies Arun Mahizhnan; vice-chairman of the Asian arm of investment firm Lepercq de Neuflize, Mr Robert Tomlin; Dr Hong Hai, emeritus professor of business at the Nanyang Technological University; former chairman of The Substation and consultant in philanthropy Chew Keng Chuan; and author Meira Chand. Mr Wee said: 'I'm hoping that they will give the non-profit more standing so that when I go see companies, they are more willing to donate. I had the choice to drastically reduce the outfit so Epigram publishes only three or four books a year, but I didn't want to do that – there's nobody in the ecosystem now publishing Singapore fiction like us. I find that terrible.' Epigram Books hosts the annual Epigram Fiction Books Prize, which awards the winner a $25,000 cash prize and a publishing contract. Three other finalists also each receive $5,000 and a publishing contract. It is the richest pot dedicated to unpublished literary manuscripts in Singapore. Mr Wee said he is also currently working with partners to start a regional book prize for Asean, with a long-term launch date for probably 2027 or later. In theory, the change to a CLG structure should not affect the salaries of its 13 full-time and two part-time employees, but this 'will depend a lot on how much funds can be raised', he added. Epigram is Singapore's largest independent book publisher, publishing upwards of 50 titles a year. Notable titles in its stable include the Eisner-award winning The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015) by Sonny Liew, Jeremy Tiang's State Of Emergency (2017) and Meihan Boey's The Formidable Miss Cassidy (2021). All three have secured releases in countries outside Singapore, boosting the Republic's global literary footprint. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
13-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
8 Singapore indie bookstores join forces to launch Bookshop.sg, a one-stop site for book lovers
Book lovers, rejoice – there's a new way to support your favourite independent bookstores in Singapore. which launches Wednesday (May 14), is a one-stop online shopping platform that brings together eight independent local bookstores, allowing readers to browse and purchase books from all of them in one place, without the need to visit each store in person or to hop between different websites. The eight participating bookshops are: Epigram Books, Wardah Books, City Book Room, Union Book, Sea Breeze Books, Nurul Anwar Bookstore, Basheer Graphic Books and Thryft. will allow readers to explore a wide selection of titles, from local literary fiction and graphic design to Malay books and titles on religion and spirituality, among many others. So, how does it work? Let's say you're looking for The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei, To The Last Gram by Shreya Davies, or Why Palestine? Reflections From Singapore by Walid Jumblatt Abdullah – all recent popular titles by Singaporean authors. Or perhaps you're not sure what to look for, but you're interested in either a book about historical fiction or an international bestseller on mental health. You can simply search for a title or browse through the various book categories available on the site and purchase. The platform runs on an artificial intelligence (AI) system similar to what thrift store Thryft uses for its own secondhand store. Browsing, checkout and payment are handled seamlessly on while logistics are managed on the backend. Orders above S$150 qualify for free shipping, even if your books are from multiple bookstores. Otherwise, a flat delivery fee of S$5.90 applies. A SHARED PURPOSE FOR LOCAL BOOKSTORES For the booksellers involved, this isn't just about sales or visibility, it's also about the potential the collaboration can bring. 'This partnership shows the many creative ways bookshops here are bringing great reads to the masses,' said Eddie Lim, Thryft's co-founder and CEO. Ho TingXuan, Thryft's retail manager and project manager of added: 'With this platform, we hope to spotlight and grow Singapore's reading culture.' With its slogan 'Singapore's indie bookshops, in this together,' the platform also aims to encourage participating bookstores to collaborate further. Tan Waln Ching, director of City Book Room, a bookstore and publisher at Joo Chiat Road that specialises in Chinese books, said: 'With this first collaboration, all the publishers, booksellers, readers and writers can soon come together and discuss, brainstorm, share our challenges and think of solutions.' Ibrahim Tahir, director of Wardah Books, an Islamic bookshop in Kampong Glam, echoed the sentiment. 'The platform is secondary,' he said. 'The primary goal is the cooperation among booksellers that this platform enables. It moves us away from the ruthless competitive model of capitalism. 'Once we realise that we can have a unity of purpose, we can do many other things for the reading scene here.' is launching with eight stores, but the team hopes to welcome more independent bookstores and publishers based in Singapore in time.
Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Eight Singapore indie booksellers launch Bookshop.sg as Amazon alternative
a new one-stop online bookstore, features more than 40,000 titles from local indie bookstores Epigram Books, Basheer Graphic Books, Wardah Books, Thryft, Sea Breeze Books, City Book Room, Union Book and Nurul Anwar Bookstore. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY SINGAPORE – Singapore-based readers now have a convenient – and more socially conscious – way to buy books online, as eight local independent booksellers have banded together to launch a one-stop online bookstore featuring more than 40,000 titles. which opened for orders on May 14, is a booksellers' initiative which brings together fiction, non-fiction and children's titles across English, Mandarin and Malay. It is a joint effort by home-grown indie bookstores Epigram Books, Basheer Graphic Books, Wardah Books, Thryft, Sea Breeze Books, City Book Room, Union Book and Nurul Anwar Bookstore. The online store will provide free local shipping for purchases above $150 – or charge a $5.90 fee for smaller purchases – while allowing readers to mix and match titles from across the eight bookstores, Thryft's chief executive Eddie Lim tells The Straits Times. Mr Ibrahim Tahir, 51, founder of Wardah Books, adds: 'We are providing an alternative for people who are conscious about where their dollar is spent.' He first gathered indie booksellers at his store on 58 Bussorah Street in December 2024 to discuss avenues of cooperation. Bookstores are increasingly turning into 'showrooms' for customers who browse in-store, but opt to buy their books more cheaply from Amazon, says Mr Ibrahim, which harms the local literary ecosystem. He cites a 2014 French law which imposed a minimum book delivery fee to protect indie booksellers against huge online retailers. There is no equivalent rule in Singapore. Bringing indie bookstores together is an act of 'radical cooperation', he says, and offers an ethical choice to readers. 'The dollar that you spend in a local bookshop stays within the community. It drives things that we do such as book events, launches with local authors and book clubs. Amazon doesn't do that,' says Mr Ibrahim, who has run his bookstore in Kampong Gelam since 2002. Mr Ibrahim Tahir, founder of Wardah Books, says provides an alternative for people who are conscious about where their dollar is spent. PHOTO: ST FILE In recent months, bookstore closures have dominated headlines. Chains like Times Bookstores exited the market in September 2024 after nearly five decades of operations, and indie bookstores like Epigram Coffee Bookshop shuttered its only physical store at Singapore Art Museum in January 2025 due to low traffic. Epigram Books publisher Edmund Wee, who now sells books through an online bookstore, had convened a meeting with booksellers together with Mr Ibrahim during a testing time for the industry: 'The more outlets you have (to sell your books), the better it is for the bookseller. Every outlet extends your potential buyer, I don't see it as a competition.' Mother tongue-language booksellers hope that the multilingual online bookstore can help English-language readers better discover books in other languages. Mr Ang Jin Yong, 34, operations director of Sea Breeze Books, which sells Chinese-language books online, says: 'A common problem for our mother tongue publishers and booksellers is that our market is limited. But I still think that some of the English readers would want to read mother tongue books.' For Ms Tan Waln Ching, 42, director of City Book Room, this initiative lays the foundation for future collaborations between booksellers. 'I would like to learn from other booksellers as well because we are usually very busy taking care of our shops.' The eight booksellers that ST spoke to cite common challenges across the trade – predatory pricing by global conglomerates, the decline of literacy among young readers, the increase in children's screen time and dipping bookstore visitorship. Ms Tan Waln Ching, director of City Book Room, says lays the foundation for future collaborations between booksellers. PHOTO: ST FILE which is inspired by a similar initiative launched in the United States and United Kingdom in 2020, is the latest experiment by local booksellers to give a boost to the flagging trade. In July 2024, ST reported that experimental book concepts such as pay-to-rent community library Casual Poet Library were cropping up to deal with Singapore bookshops' biggest killer – rental costs. Mr Lim promises that – which is developed by Thryft – will provide an 'on par or better experience' than Amazon as users can currently browse books by genre and bookstore. The online store is looking to onboard more indie bookstores in the future and feature curated collections by booksellers as well. Mr Ibrahim hopes the online store will also drive new readers to physical stores. 'For the ecosystem to survive, it needs to recognise that the keystone is the bookshop. The bookshop is what ties together publishers, writers and readers all in one space – and space is important because this is where human beings interact.' He says will help 'reach the readers who want to look for books, but are not socialised into coming into a bookshop and go online to look for things'. He is cognisant, however, that it will not be able to address more structural problems: 'The question of the fall of readership is a much bigger question.' ( will host two booksellers panels at Thryft Hub, 120 Lower Delta Road, on May 31 as part of its launch. The free event, which requires registration, will see each bookstore showcase more than a dozen of its best titles. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
