Malta’s first ever online book launch took place this week, an offshoot of the closure of schools and non-essential shops that has cut off publishers’ main sales outlets.
Kissirtu Kullimkien, a collection of short fictional stories published by Merlin Publishers, was introduced to prospective readers during an online event that saw the participation of authors Immanuel Mifsud and Simon Bartolo.
The idea for the book, by Lara Calleja, was conceived during the construction of a massive apartment block opposite the author’s residence.
“It went on for almost two years. Halfway through its completion, I went through a nervous breakdown – the noise, dust, ongoing chaos – it was too much and since I was going through a stressful time, this made things much worse,” she recalled during the launch.
Calleja, a member of the activist NGO Moviment Graffitti, believes that literature – and art in general – is an ideal and safe platform to introduce mature, political discourse in Malta.
Suddenly all our sales avenues vanished: schools and bookshops were closed
The online event was part of Merlin’s efforts to quickly reinvent its business model after the collapse of book sales put its publishing on hold.
The publishing house has been around since 1964 – and has faced other crises along the way – but it has never experienced something that locked down its customers.
“It was devastating. Publishing was already in a precarious position locally because of falling sales, but suddenly all our sales avenues vanished: schools and bookshops were closed while those that remained open reported very low sales as people are, rightly so, staying at home,” director Chris Gruppetta told Times of Malta.
The publisher has focused all its energy on online selling but despite the support from readers, sales have remained a fraction of what Merlin usually sells at bookstores.
So far, the only state aid that book publishers have been granted is €160 per month for each employee. Gruppetta said the sector was lobbying for more aid because publishers were facing “real problems to keep up with the wage bills at the end of the month”.
Still, Merlin wants to do its bit for society: it is releasing audiobooks for children in Maltese, free of charge, and has relaxed its licences to allow for the reading of books online under certain conditions.
It will also be launching a podcast series with readings and conversation in Maltese specifically intended to give schools, teachers, and parents more resources of spoken Maltese.