Kuala Lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) 2025 serves as an important platform for foreign publishers to enter the local market and attract Malaysian readers. Maria Mahat, co-founder of Ungu Pen, a Singapore-based publisher, shared that her company’s participation in the fair served to introduce Malaysian readers to her company’s offerings and allowed them to build closer relationships.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Maria Mahat stated, “At Ungu Pen, we publish a lot of Malay and bilingual Malay-English books, especially children’s books. So, we want to test the market here since we are close and have languages in common.” She added that while they do not have a specific sales target as they are still new and not well known, they are pleased with the response. “Alhamdulillah, there are books that have sold out and we want them to know that there are foreign publishers that publish Malay books of quality that suit readers here,” she said.

Maria also mentioned that the books her company publishes focus on children and come with unique features such as the use of dyslexia-friendly fonts and digital elements like animation, songs, and augmented reality (AR), which enhance the reading experience.

Unggu Creative founder, Dr. Noridah Kamari, highlighted her decision to join the fair for the first time this year to introduce her books to Malaysian readers and form closer ties with local writers and readers. “We have attended KLIBF as visitors before; this is our first year as an exhibitor. We want to test the market and see how well Singapore books are accepted by readers here,” she explained. Dr. Noridah emphasized that their focus is not solely on sales but also on building a social network with readers and writers, especially from Malaysia, as Malaysian writers are involved in their publications, such as the Kayu Api magazine that features their works.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Yusuf from Indonesian publisher Gema Insani shared that this year marked the third time his company joined the fair, sharing a booth with two other publishers from home. “We are sharing a booth together with Pustaka Al-Kautsar and Gulalibooks, and we believe that the potential of the Malaysian market is big with the positive response from children, students, and adults,” he noted. He added that the books they carry, including those by famous icon Buya Hamka, historical comics, and children’s books, align with the interests of readers in Malaysia.

This year’s book fair, themed ‘Buku: Membaca, Memimpin,’ concludes today after commencing on May 23, featuring over 1,000 exhibition booths by almost 300 local and foreign publishers.