I have no idea what has been going on to the imported book business here. But I found book sales at two or three famous bookstores in Jakarta, the ones which sell mostly English books, in the last two months.
With the price of a book is Rp 100.000 or about US $9 on average, or even more, I am not sure if it is a ‘popular’ price for most Indonesians. Besides, they are in English language. Even when the books are in Indonesian language, it’s still considered expensive. Is it?
I think it’s more about priority. For some people, going out on expensive restaurants twice or once a month is a must. Just look at cozy restaurants spreading out in Jakarta, often full if not crowded. Especially at the beginning of a month when most workers just accept their salaries. I bet each person has to pay at least Rp 50.000.
For some people, other priority might be clothes. Not convinced? Just go to big malls here in Jakarta and find out where the crowd gathers. Yes, at clothing stores which manage to have a sale each month, I notice.
Then, for less people, the priority is book. From these less people, first priority to most is Indonesian books. So now I guess I have the answer to my question. Or not?
