Review & Price of Books

Last Sunday in church, a person asked whether I would give discount for my books. It is sold at RM40.00 (USD8.50) each. Maybe one or two people thought my books are on the expensive side. I know some Malay books are sold at RM30.00 or even RM10.00 each but it is not the price but the quality of writing, and the substance of the contents that determine value. When the person asked me last Sunday, I thought to myself that I have to protect my "brand". Why is that Apple could sell their products at a premium? It is because of the quality, reliability and on some instances the beauty of such products. All my books are written with tears and sweat. All except the latest book are written during unpaid sabbatical lasting between 11 to 18 months while I wait for my next appointment. There are no sponsors and I do everything myself and I pay for the publication and the printing.

All my five books excluding my T & T Clark's monograph are funded by myself. Only one book has broken even, the commentary on the Gospel of John which has sold more than 800 copies of the 1,000 copies printed. Galatians' commentary is about to break even as I sold half of the 500 copies printed over two occasions (220 first printing in December 2022 and 300 second printing late October 2023). My Departure Points in English has sold about 200 copies, but 800 copies remain and it is still in the red. It's my legacy and I told my friends to have my book displayed on my wake and funeral! 

What about reviews? I have asked for a couple of reviews for my books on the two Malay commentaries. The reviewer took six months to read through both commentaries and gave me an excellent review. My Departure Points is also reviewed by one pastor in Singapore and one Christine magazine (Impact Singapore May 2023 edition) both are available online. But I have received countless unsolicited endorsements and words of encouragement from buyers and friends. If they are blessed with the reading, that's enough reward for me. To God be the glory!