Big Bad Wolf Book Sale stirs crowd into book-buying frenzy

The moment the doors leading to the colossal Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Colombo 2019 opened at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC), it felt almost like a scene from the movie ‘300’ as early risers charged into the hall with a warrior-like intensity, making a beeline to the neatly displayed book islands. The bat of an eyelid later, several participants had their carts filled to the brim. Some had two books, a few even had three.

Many booklovers described feeling intoxicated whenever they saw a book that was worth buying or simply by being surrounded by them. With the aim of grabbing the first copies of their favourite books, crowds gathered outside the venue, prompting a state of frantic buying to make sure they were amongst the first to make it to the third edition of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale here in Colombo. 

The book sale officially opened to the public on 18 October and is set to go on until 28 October, with it being open from 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. on weekdays and operate 24 hours non-stop over the weekends starting from 10.00 am on Friday and ending at 12.00 a.m. on Sunday throughout its 11 days.

As usual, amazing discounts were on offer ranging from 50-90% off the recommended retail price and it was noted that rare books, which are unavailable at Sri Lankan bookshops, were rolled out this year at the world’s biggest book sale.

A look at the number of books clearly indicates that the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale team assured it was a dream come true for every fan. Their first weekend was buzzing with people of all ages, who came from various parts of the island to buy their most cherished books. As a consequence of increased demand for children’s books during the first weekend, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale team has been earnestly restocking children book islands with all the new titles available including activity and sound books along with their pre-school and educational workbook range.

Visitors included families that were browsing through books with children in tow along being literally intoxicated by the sheer quantity of new titles and awe-inspiring collections that were being displayed. Apart from fiction and children’s books, each and every book island was filled with a crowd gathering around to inspect each book and try to grab a bargain. Genres covered content on cookery, cars, romance, fantasy fiction, comics, graphic novels, young adult fiction and a whole lot more. 

“It doesn’t matter what kind of books you read, reading can always elevate a person to a greater level of awareness and intellect. In a nutshell, reading is the most valuable investment that you make in yourself as it allows you to grow. The struggle we face is to convert a non-reader into a reader but we believe that it takes only one right book to convert a non-reader into one and the best habit you can inculcate is reading because you become what you read,” said Big Bad Wolf Book Sale Founder Jacqueline Ng as she welcomed Sri Lankans to the sale.

The Sale, better known as a reading advocacy organisation, is on a mission to spread the love of reading and to change the world one book at a time. It is hoped that by creating this platform, more people in this world will have access to affordable books and through these books, people will be inspired to chase their dreams.

Amidst the frenzied buying, visitors were seen generously supporting the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, the Red Readerhood’s (RRH) initiative. Upholding their belief in giving back the best to the least, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale joined hands with the Centre of Hope this year, a charity organisation that operates a care home and educational centres located in Ampara, Batticaloa, Colombo and Mullaitivu. The book sale has gotten the ball rolling by pledging 500 books to start this collection. All visitors can purchase and donate books towards this worthy cause during the 11-day sale at the designated area in the hall before leaving.

Booklovers came together, with some leading their companions from one stall to the next, making sure they were led to the books they were looking forward to getting. The enthusiasm was undoubtedly hyped and many Big Bad Wolf Book Sale enthusiasts lingered at the venue for hours on end, whilst anticipating their next visit to the book sale. 

Visitors can claim exclusive benefits at the Sale by signing up to be a Wolf Pack member at https://bigbadwolfbooks.com/lk/. Additionally, they can stay up to date with the highlights and contest offered during the sale by following the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale social media pages through the link www.facebook.com/bbwbookssrilanka and their new Instagram page through the link www.instagram.com/bigbadwolfbooks_lk/.