Asian Publishers Week
Participant
Aniesah Hasan Syihab
Country : Indonesia
Company : BACA Publishing
Job Title : Co-founder and CEO
E-mail : syihab.aniesah@gmail.com
Work Experience in Publishing
2014 was the year I first entered publishing world. I immediately fell in love with it and feels that through books, we can create more value and meaning in this world. My position as a Marketing Communications Specialist in Serambi Publisher allowed me to meet so many enthusiastic book lovers, writers, editors, and other bibliophiles who work in publishers. I worked on several literary projects of the publisher including book fairs and book talk. I also learned how the publisher works in many aspects: business, editorial, human relation. My journey in a publishing world took a step further. In 2016 together with three friends, I co-founded Baca Publishing House which produces across wide range of subject including literary works, popular psychology, and history. From 2016 to 2018 I was responsible for managing sales, marketing, and promotion of Baca. And in mid 2018, I became the chief executive officer for the company and still remaining until today. Deciding the publication and marketing direction is one of my main roles in Baca.
Current Projects
We are currently publishing Han Kang’s We Do Not Part. BACA is known for our publications of Han Kang’s works as we have published The Vegetarian, Human Acts, and The White Book. Last May we held a talkshow about Han Kang’s works in Makassar International Writer Festival (one of the most notable literary events in Southeast Asia).
Upcoming Korean fiction is Witch Bakery by Han Su-in as healing fiction is still popular in Indonesia. We faced some challenges in The book is scheduled to be published in three months. Two Japanese fictions are also being translated at the moment. We are also doing some self-improvement books from English and American authors.
Main Interest
Regarding Korean works, we are interested mostly in healing fiction and psychological thriller. We observe that our readers are into healing fiction and thriller/mystery. Dallergut series is still our number one healing fictions. Dallergut 1 is on its ninth reprint. One of our most favorite thriller we have ever published is Memory Book by Choung Myung Seob. We really hope to find other thrillers as good as Memory Bookstore, or even better. And of course, we are still interested in literary works, but please note they are selling well if they are written by prominent writer like Han Kang. We are also looking for Korean nonfiction: Self-improvement and how-to.
Experience Related to This Year’s Topic
For years, Indonesian readers were exposed mainly to literature from the West. In recent years, we noticed a change of horizon. The highlight was in 2016 when Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize through her work, The Vegetarian. Suddenly all eyes are on Han Kang and Korea. Who would thought a soft-spoken author from Korea would beat gigantic name like Orhan Pamuk. The book has been translated into over 30 languages including Indonesian (fortunately very well received by Indonesian readers). More and more Korean works are being translated into English, which bring them wide open to other parts of the world. For The West, Korean literature offers something so culturally new and it’s intriguing for them. For Asia, it offers complexity that so relatable and it excites us. I observed, while Western literary fiction are selling well in major mainstream bookstore, Asian fictions are selling better in alternative bookstores throughout Indonesia. Don’t be fooled by the “alternative” label. Yes, they might be small than the mainstream ones, but they consist of thousands bookstore. We believe, Asian literature, especially Korean, will still be going strong and spreading invasively to every corner of the world that it is impossible not to pay attention to it.
What would you like to discuss related to this year’s topic?
I would like to discuss more on why Asian Literature is gaining significant popularity in recent years and delve the potential in Indonesian market. I would like to show you how alternative literature are well absorbed in our market through our experience publishing Asian Literature for nine years.
Please name any Korean writers, books and publishing companies that you are familiar with.
Han Kang, Hwang Sun-mi, Lee Miye, Park Min-gyu, are among writers we love. We are also familiar with some Korean publishing companies like Changbi, Minumsa, and Munhakdongne.
Your reasons for applying to the Asian Publishers Week 2025.
Indonesian readers labeled us as Korean literature expert as we have published more than 21 Korean titles. Not only the label gives us such a strong reason to continue publishing Korean titles, but we ourselves are also fond of Korean literature, and that will keep us enthusiastic and eager to publish more Korean titles. I believe, coming to Korea, visiting Korean bookstores and library, and meeting Korean Publishers and other experts in person will give me a sense of what’s really going on inside Korean book industry and I am sure I will learn something essential bring them to Indonesia and applicate them to our company, so that we can continue to bring value and meaning through books, amidst this challenging time.
Your Company Profile BACA Publishing
From the desire to publish enlightening and enriching books, Bentara Aksara Cahaya or better known as Baca Publishing House was founded in 2016. Baca began to steal attention when we published The Vegetarian, the Man Booker International Prize winning novel by Han Kang. Currently, Baca has published more than 150 book titles in various genres, especially Asian literature and self-improvement. Our mission is not only to spread knowledge, but also to present it in a fun way and to continue to innovate. Among BACA’s best-selling titles are The Vegetarian by Han Kang, Jika Kucing Lenya dari Dunia by Genki Kawamura, Dallergut: Toko Penjual Mimpi by Lee Miye, Mindset by Carol Dweck, and The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. In our nine years of running the publishing house, Baca has published books from various languages: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, German, French, Italian, Arabic, and of course English. Throughout the years, Indonesian readers labeled us as Korean literature expert as we have published more than 21 Korean titles. Not only the label gives us such a strong reason to continue publishing Korean titles, but we ourselves are also fond of Korean literature, and that will keep us enthusiastic and eager to publish more Korean titles.