The Malaysian Publishing House, or MPH in short, recently unveiled that they will be introducing a new way to market their books – via vending machines. These vending machines will be placed in places frequently accessed by the public, such as banks, universities, and LRT (Light Rail Transit) stations. Apart from making the book-buying process much more convenient, the main draw of this effort is that the books sold by these vending machines will carry a 20% or more discount compared to the prices sold at MPH flagship stores.
A preview of what’s to come
Call this wishful thinking but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll be selling some graphic novels in these vending machines (although it was highlighted that the books carried by the vending machines will probably be from the bestsellers lists). If they choose to sell some of Lat’s comics using this method, it could be a foot in the door for other local comic artists to explore this new venture in the distribution of their work. Think of the possibilities! With so much competition from digital distribution (e.g.: Kindle, e-reading apps), I must say that this vending machine idea is a stroke of genius on MPH’s part to keep traditional book distribution alive!
You can find the original article in The Star here.
P/S: My thanks goes out to Hafiz of IACAScW for updating that group often with the latest book/comic/animation news in Malaysia. You rock!
