S'pore novels go regional with Epigram S-E Asia deal

Singapore novels will get a chance to reach readers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar after publishers in these countries agreed to a landmark book deal.

- Clement Yong

Homegrown publisher Epigram Literary Foundation, formerly Epigram Books, initiated the pioneering regional agreement that will take effect from 2026.

The compact was signed on Oct 17 at the recently concluded Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. It means the four winning entries of the annual Epigram Books Fiction Prize will be simultaneously released across six Southeast Asian countries, with their initial print run boosted by thousands.

Since 2020, the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, which began as a Singapore prize for unpublished manuscripts in English in 2015, has been open to citizens and permanent residents of Southeast Asia.

Epigram Literary Foundation founder and director Edmund Wee says: “Together, I hope we can leverage our combined scale to drive book sales and introduce readers to a wider range of Southeast Asian stories.”

The surprise pact, negotiated over six months, is the first multilateral agreement of such scale to be inked, and will last for an initial period of three years for Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar, and five years for the Philippines.