World’s Biggest Book Sale Launches Today in Phnom Penh to Jump-Start a Culture of Reading in Cambodia

Phnom Penh: Thursday, 9th January 2020 – The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 12 midnight for 12 consecutive days from 9 January 2020 until 20 January 2020 at Rung Reung Market on Chroy Changvar. Entrance to the Book Sale is FREE. Minister of Information, His Excellency Mr. Khieu Kanharith, attended the press launch to show his support for the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale’s first foray into Cambodia.

His Excellency Mr. Khieu Kanharith, attended the press launch to show his support for the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale’s first foray into Cambodia and interview with media.

The Book Sale offers more than 1 million brand-new and original English language books at 50% to 90% off the recommended retail price. Genres include children’s books, fiction, and non-fiction, bestseller titles, novels, science fiction, romance, self-help, literature, graphic novels, business, architecture, and design, among many others. Books can be purchased using cash, credit, or debit cards and the public is encouraged to make multiple visits, as books will be continuously restocked throughout the 12 days of the Book Sale. Cellcard as the Official Telco Partner of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Phnom Penh 2020 will be having an interactive booth to keep the visitors engaged.

More than 1 million brand-new and original English language books at The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale on Rung Reung Market.

The key highlight to the Sale will be the Magical Books series. Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, is the exclusive distributor in Asia, has seen the books being the most sought-after by parents with early learners from age 1 – 6 years old. Magical Books provides an immersive Augmented Reality (AR) reading experience for young children as it uses cutting-edge technology that allows children to interact, learn and read all at the same time. The series’ interactive reading experience draws children to books and encourages good reading habits. Parents can choose from a number of popular titles including Little Red Riding Hood, Let’s Learn Alphabet ABC, as well as Disney titles like Disney Frozen: A Sleepover Party, and educational titles like ABC Fun With Mickey, among many others.

H.E. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information and Mr. Andrew Yap, Co-Founder of Big Bad Wolf Books.

Mr. Andrew Yap, Co-Founder of Big Bad Wolf Books said, “We are more than just a Book Sale, we see ourselves as a reading advocacy organisation that promotes English literacy. Our mission is to change the world one book at a time by making sure that our books remain affordable and accessible to anyone and everyone. There’s a lot of people who don’t have access to books because of pricing, which is regrettable because a book can change someone’s life by empowering them with the knowledge or inspiring them to chase their dreams” 

Mr. Andrew Yap, Co-Founder of Big Bad Wolf Books ribbon cutting on the World’s Biggest Book Sale Launching at Rung Reung Market.

Big Bad Wolf Books began in 2009 as an initiative by its Co-Founders to provide Malaysians affordable quality English books. In 2016, the Book Sale began traveling internationally to make books affordable and accessible to as many people as possible. In 2019 alone, the Book Sale traveled to 32 cities in 10 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, drawing in more than 5 million visitors.

H.E. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information Cambodia speech during the World’s Biggest Book Sale Launching at Rung Reung Market.

Mr. Ouk Chandara, spokesperson of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Phnom Penh 2020 said, “It is a matter of pride for all Cambodians that the World’s Biggest Book Sale is now happening in Phnom Penh. It is a great opportunity for the people to upgrade their skills and knowledge through books, and to also instil a healthy habit of reading among children from a young age. The growing demand for English books among the new generation is the driving force behind our plan to bring this Sale to Cambodia”

Mr. Ouk Chandara, spokesperson of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Phnom Penh 2020 interview with media.

He added, “In today’s world, for Cambodians to thrive in a globalised economy and for Cambodia to swiftly develop its human resources, we have to continue working towards ensuring that the younger generations have access to the knowledge resources necessary to help improve their future as well as the future of our country.”

In line with the organisation’s belief that everyone should have access to quality English books regardless their status, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Phnom Penh 2020 will be collaborating with Scholar Library and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Central Library through its CSR arm, Red Readerhood, to donate books to those in need. Visitors are encouraged to donate books at the Red Readerhood corner, which will be located after the Cashier section at the Book Sale. To kick-start the Red Readerhood initiative in Phnom Penh, the Book Sale has pledged to donate 500 books on top of donations collected throughout the Sale.

To help readers to the venue, the Book Sale has made the regional ride-sharing giant Grab as its Official Ride Partner. New Grab users can use the promo code “BBW” to avail KHR 6,000 off for three rides per day. Existing users of Grab can use the promo code “BBW20” to avail a 20% discount (capped at KHR 6,000) for two rides per day. The validity period is between 9 January until 20 January 2020).

Visitors at the Book Sale will also be able to get their morning buzz at the Gloria Jean’s Coffee booth. The Australian retail coffee giant will be at the Book Sale to quench your thirst and to satisfy your hunger pangs with a variety of offerings such as coffee, smoothies as well as a selection of sweet and savoury snacks. To claim exclusive benefits at the Sale, visitors can sign up to be a Wolf Pack Member at https://bigbadwolfbooks.com/

Big Bad Wolf Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/bbwbookskh, Instagram: instagram.com/bbwbookskh

ABOUT BIG BAD WOLF BOOK SALE: Known as the World’s Biggest Book Sale, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale specializes in providing the widest selection of books at the lowest possible price. It offers brand-new English books at discounts as high as 50% to 90% off the recommended retail price. The primary aim of the Book Sale is to encourage people of all ages to discover the joys of affordable, accessible reading.

The Book Sale features a wide range of books across all genres, including fiction and non-fiction bestsellers, young adult fiction, as well as an extensive collection of children’s books.

The Book Sale, the brainchild of Co-Founders Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng, has been a landmark event in Malaysia since 2009. In 2019, the Sale toured across 10 countries, 32 cities in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Pakistan, Myanmar, and the UAE, with no plans to stop in making reading affordable for readers around the world.

Photo by: Supplied