Writing Books & Travel

I don't know how many percentage of the population in Malaysia are authors or writers. Perhaps 0.001%, though in United Kingdom, there are hundreds of new books published each day, close to 200,000 books a year for a population of just over 60 million people. Self-publishing has also increased many times over a decade with the ease of computing, self-upload, e-books on Amazon and Apple etc. For me, I serve a very tiny market of Malay speaking and reading audience in this small corner of the earth, in North Borneo. A few Sarawakians and West Malaysians also buy my books, but I have not gone on a book tour as yet.

Perhaps a Sarawak book tour in the major cities and then Indonesia as well may get my books some traction. But I am encouraged by my small little world, just as Jesus said, "a little flock", among the lowest socio-economic ladder, as I serve among the poor, farmers and small traders in villages around the State of Sabah. Those who buy my books are mostly teachers, nurses, government servants, small businessmen and women those who have some discretionary income. 

Though I don't think it is about money but how we perceive the value of money or the use of money. I have two close friends, one who travels overseas for holidays at least three times a year, but one who holds on to his money like his last breath who has not gone anywhere except within South-East Asia. 

As for me, a trip to New Zealand will take three years of saving up and deliberating whether I should go or not until the day I purchase the return tickets. 

I don't know how many years of active service are left in me, but what I know is this - whatever I write and publish and read by fellow believers, these are my fruits, even my legacy so to speak because when you are gone, people don't really remember you, how good your preaching might be, how loving a pastor, how insightful a lecturer, how charismatic a leader, but if they read my books, perhaps 30 or 40 years down the line, someone picks up one of my books and the Spirit quickens him or her -"Take it up and read".