Southeast Asia has a population of 600 million and a combined GDP of $1.5 trillion. While there are no true library consortia, interlibrary loan is common. The largest growth markets for academic publishing are Singapore and Malaysia. Direct marketing is recommended for Singapore, while using local agents in other countries to handle payments and navigate potential issues like corruption. Author training and book fairs are suggested tactics for building business.

1. Update on
Southeast Asia
for Western Publishers
John Ben DeVette
President
DeVette Publishing Solutions
johnben@devettepublishing.com

2. Southeast Asia Combined GDP $1.5 T
– 1/10 size of US or EU
– 1/3 size of Japan or
China
• 12 Countries
• 600m people
• 10+ Major Languages
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

3. Annual Spend on Academic Information
TOTAL
TOTAL
$39m
$39m $94.6m
$94.6m
$19m
$19m
$16m
$16m
$9M
$9M
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

4. Singapore
• GDP per capita $36k
• R&D spending will
increase 30%
– 2010 to 2015
• Breakdown of R&D
Spending by Sector
– Education 47%
– Private Industry 44%
– Government 9%
• National Library Board
– Manages public library
• Hospital Authority
– Manages all hospitals
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

5. Malaysia
1. GDP per capita $3k (2nd highest in SEAsia)
2. 90% research spending based in universities
3. Bumiputra Law. Requires government-
owned institutions to purchase information
from a local Malaysian-owned company if its
price is less than 10% higher than the a non-
Malaysian competitor’s price
4. UKM was the top university.
5. USM was granted APEX status in 2008.
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

6. Thailand
1. Top Universities:
– Chulalongkorn, Mahidol, Thammasat, Silpakorn
1. Increased emphasis on agriculture
2. Smaller libraries all prefer to pay in Thai Baht,
therefore wise to have a local agent to
handle invoicing.
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

7. Indonesia
• PDII-LIPI top research institute
• I recommend using more than one local agent
– Slow to pay
• Dependant on outside funding
– WHO, World Bank, Soros, etc
• Graft common problem
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

8. No True Consortia
Only “Weak Buying Groups”
• Usually spear headed by the largest national
university’s library
• Not possible to easily market to all universities
by simply contacting the consortia head
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

9. Inter-Library Loan Common
• In the developing world, ILL is still heavily
depended upon.
– Especially from Australia
• Online & package deals should allow for a
type of ILL.
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

10. Graft & Corruption
• With the exception of Singapore, graft raises its
evil head in almost every Southeast Asian
country
• Another reason why it is better to work
through a local agent
• Piracy of intellectual property is not a problem.
– Copyright of academic materials is respected.
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

11. Book Fairs & Library Conferences
• Local Book Fairs & Library Association Annual
Conferences are Well Attended and a Good
Way to Build Brand Awareness
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

12. Training Is Badly Needed
• Author Training on how to publish
• Scientist Training on how to improve the
research process
• Librarian & information professionals
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS

13. Increasing Use of Smart Phones
• In poor countries, more people use smart
phones to communicate than computers &
email
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14. Summary
• Largest growth markets are Singapore and
Malaysia
• Direct marketing to Singapore
• Use local agents in other countries
– Different agent for each country
– Book Fairs & Library Assn Meetings useful
• Author Training is a good tactic
• Beware of unethical business practices
12/14/10 DEVETTE PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS