Just how many books are UK and US publishers deliberately over-printing above domestic expectations knowing there is a ready buyer with a well-oiled machine to conveniently take these “remaindered” books off their hands?
Malaysia-based Big Bad Wolf Books is currently running its second-ever sale in Makassar, South Sulawesi, as part of a landmark 14-city Indonesian tour marking the brand’s tenth anniversary in the archipelago.
The event, which opened on 2 April and continues until 12 April 2026, is being held at the Summarecon Mutiara Makassar Convention Centre with free public admission.
Strategic Expansion
Andrew Yap, founder of BBW Books, in a pre-launch press briefing on 1 April, noting that Makassar was selected for its position as an educational and cultural hub in eastern Indonesia.
Country Director Marthius Wandi Budianto emphasised that the stop forms part of a decade-long commitment to “reach readers in every corner of the country”.
The 2026 tour, branded “BBW X-Xtraordinary,” operates under the global mission Change the World, One Book At A Time and represents the most extensive domestic itinerary the company has mounted to date.
International Footprint
The Makassar sale follows a record-breaking Dubai edition that concluded in March 2026 after attracting unprecedented visitor numbers to Dubai Studio City. BBW Books has also staged events in Bangkok (February 2026) and maintains an active calendar across 17 countries including Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia.
Founded in Malaysia in 2009 by Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng, the venture has sold over 100 million mostly English-language books globally through its signature high-volume, low-margin model. The company sources remaindered and overprinted stock directly from publishers, passing discounts of up to 95% to consumers.
The View From The Beach
For industry observers, the BBW model presents both opportunity and disruption. The company’s direct-publisher relationships and warehouse-sale format circumvent traditional retail channels, a strategy that has reportedly drawn resistance from established distributors in multiple markets.
Nevertheless, the approach has proven resilient: following pandemic-related disruptions and warehouse flooding, the company has rebounded to operate 22 permanent BookXcess outlets across Malaysia and Singapore, with 2023 revenues exceeding $4 million.
Yap, who has publicly stated his ambition to sell one billion books annually within the next decade, frames the operation as a literacy intervention rather than pure commerce.
The unasked question, and therefore the conveniently unanswered question is, how does BBW Books source this constant supply of top-quality English-language books at these prices? Just how many books are UK and US publishers deliberately over-printing above domestic expectations knowing there is a ready buyer with a well-oiled machine to conveniently take these “remaindered” books off their hands?
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
