AS a writer, I read with much enthusiasm ‘RM2mil fund to help writers’ (The Star, April 24).
It was truly heart-warming to know the National Library has been allocated such a sizeable amount of funds for publishing books in the country.
The book industry in Malaysia as a whole is not a lucrative one.
Aspiring writers face numerous challenges and difficulties in getting their books published.
Even established government publishers, like Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) enforce stringent conditions before books are published.
Although I have published more than five books with DBP, of late, two of my books were turned down by the Publication Committee of DBP, a sub-committee of the Publication Department.
The irony was that no specific or valid reasons were given for the rejections.
Therefore, the announcement by the director-general of the National Library, Datuk Raslin Abu Bakar, surely comes as a relief for established and budding writers.
Writers should be encouraged and given incentives, and not rejection and disappointment.
I believe with such an allocation of funds for writers, and less bureaucracy among publishers, more and more books can be published, thus promoting the book industry in the nation.
It was truly heart-warming to know the National Library has been allocated such a sizeable amount of funds for publishing books in the country.
The book industry in Malaysia as a whole is not a lucrative one.
Aspiring writers face numerous challenges and difficulties in getting their books published.
Even established government publishers, like Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) enforce stringent conditions before books are published.
Although I have published more than five books with DBP, of late, two of my books were turned down by the Publication Committee of DBP, a sub-committee of the Publication Department.
The irony was that no specific or valid reasons were given for the rejections.
Therefore, the announcement by the director-general of the National Library, Datuk Raslin Abu Bakar, surely comes as a relief for established and budding writers.
Writers should be encouraged and given incentives, and not rejection and disappointment.
I believe with such an allocation of funds for writers, and less bureaucracy among publishers, more and more books can be published, thus promoting the book industry in the nation.
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