The Sharjah Book Authority has partnered with Big Bad Wolf Ventures to bring the world’s biggest book sale to the Mena region.
The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale will be held on the online marketplace, Noon.com, from Saturday to Monday, January 23 to 25. The sale will give regional bibliophiles the chance to grab some of their favourite titles for up to 90 per cent off.
More than 250,000 books will be offered at the sale. The titles span a variety of genres, from fiction to non-fiction, including books on business, art and design, as well as cookbooks and illustrated children’s books.
All books will be stocked as Noon express items, which means they will be shipped anywhere across the UAE within 24 hours, being delivered directly to customers' doors. Sales to other countries in the region might take longer to deliver.
"The Big Bad Wolf Online Book Sale UAE is aligned with our goal to expand Sharjah's 45-year cultural role in nurturing and promoting society's fondness for books and reading," Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, said.
“Reading is a time-tested intellectual pursuit, and its daily practice will play a key role in equipping younger generations with the required know-how to not only support, but lead the UAE’s developmental agenda of building a sustainable knowledge economy.”
The ongoing pandemic, Al Ameri said, has led businesses to rely more on innovative technology-based solutions to reach their customers.
"Bookstores, in particular, have witnessed an almost 30 per cent increase in their online sales in the fourth quarter of 2020," he said. "This was an excellent motivation to organise the Big Bad Wolf Online Book Sale UAE, and we hope that doing so will enable readers access to their favourite authors and books that they haven’t been able to purchase due to the challenges imposed by Covid-19."
Founded in Malaysia in 2009, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale has toured more than 12 countries so far, including Pakistan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and the UAE in 2018 and 2019.
Co-founder Andrew Yap said the sale has always been an on-ground event and that the pandemic forced organisers to adapt.
"It was unfortunate that the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale was unable to serve its fans last year," Yap said.
He added that the group's vision has always been to cultivate the next generations of readers “to ignite their imagination to stimulate creative thinking, and more importantly, empower the future generation to believe and dream big by pouring through the pages of a book and be inspired".
