The season of reading is here. COVID-19 might have made things tricky for booklovers. But that didn’t stop the Big Bad Wolf book sale from coming back for the fourth time. This time, however, with a little twist. The 2020 edition of Big Bad Wolf Books in Sri Lanka will be entirely online. So how is it all going to work? Here’s what you need to know.
The Big Bad Wolf goes online for 2020
If you’ve been to the previous Big Bad Wolf book sales, then you know how enticing the whole occasion is for passionate readers. After all, it isn’t always about the books themselves. But its also about the experience of it all. The Big Bad Wolf book sale has never felt like trying to sneak in amidst a pack of sardines in the hopes of finding a book you might like. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This has been one of the best parts about attending the annual sale.
Unfortunately, the 2020 edition will not give you the opportunity to physically rummage through the massive stockpile of books. Rather, the rummaging will be entirely online via www.bigbadwolfbooks.com/lk. You might think missing out on the physical experience is a bummer. But look at the bright side, at least this way you won’t have to worry about spending hours amidst a crowded space in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
The online format first took off in Thailand back in August. Sri Lanka will be the second country to have the Big Bad Wolf online. You might be thinking why this was never a thing to begin with. Going online seems like an obvious choice given how tech-savvy the world has become. But as Andrew Yap, Cofounder of Big Bad Wolf Books explains, the situation is a bit different in developing countries. He mentions that adoption is low for such an online mechanism for the developing region, where the physical approach made far more sense.
However, thanks to COVID-19, the digital adoption accelerated. So, for the folks putting together Big Bad Wolf, an online sale seemed appropriate to the times.
What to expect from Big Bad Wolf Books 2020
Big Bad Wolf Book sale 2020 will be taking place from the 1st of October to the 4th. It will host over 30,000 titles with 70% of them being new titles this year. The website will feature what you would expect from a book site. For instance, shoppers will be able to search through the collection either through keywords, ISBN, titles and authours. The website will also have a reading recommendation section as well. So those curious can explore all the titles available.
In case you were wondering, yes, the sale will have its massive discounts as usual. On top of the 50%-90% discounts, the sale will have additional promotions running on the site. For example, if you register on the website you will get a further 20% off. Then there are bundle promotions such as the Magical Books series with a buy two get one free offer and the Horrible Book Series where you can buy three books for LKR 640.
But wait, what about delivery? Regardless of where you live in Sri Lanka, deliveries will be islandwide. The deliveries themselves are expected to take up 15-20 business days once you place your order.
The books will be shipped directly from Malaysia (hence the expanded title offering) right to your doorstep. No, you won’t be paying in dollars for your deliveries. In fact, delivery from Malaysia to Sri Lanka will be free. In other words, only domestic courier charges will apply. But if your order tallies over LKR 8,000 then the domestic delivery charges will also be waived off.
“What this means is a hassle-free shopping experience in which users no longer need to wait in traffic, queues, and worry about safety from COVID-19”, says Nishan Wasalathanthri, Director of Pro Read Lanka and partner for Big Bad Wolf Books in Sri Lanka.
Good time to be a bookworm
So there you have it. The highly anticipated annual book sale is back once again in Sri Lanka. Though going online may mean you’re losing out on the physical experience, it does come with its own perks. The book sale will officially open for the public on the 1st of October and will operate 14/7 until the 4th. You can check out their Facebook or Instagram pages for the latest updates.
All in all, its certainly a good time to be a bookworm. Like many of you, I’ll be looking forward to hitting the sale the moment it opens up. Over 30,000 titles are a lot to choose from. But in case you’re looking for some reading recommendations you could check out a list we did last year. Happy hunting!