The year 2024 has arrived, wishing everyone peace and good health in the New Year. For the first issue of the year's newsletter, it's natural to talk about annual plans. However, given my tendency to procrastinate and ambitiously outline grand plans that often end up unfulfilled by year's end, I think it's better to act now rather than wait for a perfect moment.
I hereby announce the launch of the “Universal Basic Reader” initiative, abbreviated as UBR, which can be pronounced like "Uber".
UBR: Universal Basic Reader project
In simple terms, UBR aims to purchase "all" books published in Hong Kong in 2024, one copy each. The plan will involve purchasing all Hong Kong print books published each month through an independent bookstore. All cooperating bookstores and book lists will be made public, allowing anyone interested in supporting the project to purchase books from the list at the respective bookstores and then donate them to the UBR project. By the end of the next month, any books not purchased will be bought by me personally and donated to the UBR project. In other words, the project attempts to harness the power of the community to purchase a complete set of Hong Kong books from 2024. Regardless of public participation, I will ensure the completion of the collection.
Although the UBR project can be summarized in a few sentences, it likely raises many questions. Below, I will try to anticipate and answer these queries. However, before that, I will address the inevitable questions of what constitutes a "Hong Kong book" and what is meant by "all." These two questions are, in fact, one and the same: clarifying the boundaries of "Hong Kong books" also clarifies what "all" encompasses.
Firstly, "books" here refers to print books. The term "Hong Kong" refers to books that apply for an ISBN in Hong Kong, are authored by Hong Kong writers, or, even if neither applies, have themes related to Hong Kong. For example, books published in Taiwan by Hong Kong authors are also included in the project. However, if the definition of Hong Kong books is too broad, I will certainly go bankrupt, not to mention that the project itself would lose much of its significance. Therefore, the scope must be narrowed to a more reasonable extent. Before I can clearly define it, let me first exclude some types that do not fall into my definition of "Hong Kong books": for example, fortune-telling books do not count; most travel, food, and leisure books do not count, although there are exceptions like last year's 好好吃飯; most magazines do not count, but publications like Resonate, 埔Journ, and Breakazine are exceptions; textbooks generally do not count, although there may be exceptions; books by Sino United Publishing and its subsidiaries (mainly Joint Publishing, Chung Hwa and The Commercial Press) are hard to categorize.
I understand that my criteria for defining "Hong Kong books" are quite subjective and not entirely clear. Deciding whether or not to include books from the "Sino United Publishing" in this initiative, potentially a move of wealth distribution from the poor to the rich, is also a difficult judgment to make. In fact, objectively defining "Hong Kong books" based on type and nature is practically impossible. Therefore, I've opted for a different approach, defining "Hong Kong books" more practically as "books that independent bookstores would stock and sell, which contain elements of Hong Kong". Moreover, since the UBR project is inherently about purchasing books through several independent bookstores, it relies on decentralized and professional judgment, with the cooperative bookstores making the selections. However, I have suggested to the cooperating bookstores to define the book list somewhat broadly, preferring to err on the side of inclusiveness.
Based on this logic and using the data from 2023 as a reference, there are approximately 350 Hong Kong books in a year, with a total cost of about HKD$55,000. This estimate, along with the pessimistic but pragmatic assumption that the public will not actively donate books, means that if I were to purchase all Hong Kong books published in 2024 on my own, it would be challenging but just manageable. Therefore, I indulged my impulse and took immediate action.
UBR Project Frequently Asked Questions
Will the books purchased by the UBR project be scanned into electronic files?
No.
Why is it called the "Universal Basic Reader" project?
Quite clearly, it borrows from the concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI).
UBI provides a basic income unconditionally to every citizen. Similarly, the UBR aims to provide basic support to every 'publishing citizen' in the current challenging social environment and business ecosystem. This modest income is not enough to sustain living but serves as support both spiritually and for content preservation.
What is the purpose of the UBR project?
To support the Hong Kong publishing industry, including independent bookstores, publishers and authors.
To preserve Hong Kong books and conserve Hong Kong culture.
What specific objectives does the UBR project have, aka the trendy KPIs?
The goal is "result-oriented"; whatever the outcome, it will be declared the goal, ensuring the project will meet its objectives.
To completely purchase a set of Hong Kong books published in 2024 and store them properly, with an estimated 300-400 books costing between HKD$50,000 - 80,000. The complete list of books, associated costs, and other data will be made public for reference.
To provide a method for the public to donate books anonymously without compromising privacy. The proportion of public book donations is expected to be very low, especially before a method to make these books publicly available for borrowing is found.
To design and continuously refine a decentralized model for purchasing books. This decentralized approach means: 1. Book selection by multiple organizations; 2. Benefiting many bookstores, distributors and publishers. Initially, aspects like funding sources and storage methods will be more centralized, with me shouldering the responsibility.
How can purchasing only one copy of each book support the Hong Kong publishing industry?
If you also buy a copy, that book's sales are not solely due to the UBR project. While I'm not going to claim that “hope is created through persistence”, any civic action is a drop in the ocean. I believe that doing what we can, however little, is better than doing nothing. I'm open to your suggestions on further ways to support the Hong Kong publishing industry.
If you believe that the publishing industry is not worth supporting or is too impoverished to care for, I respect your judgment. You may be right, and in that case, there's no need to pay attention to the UBR project. Focus your energy and resources on actions you find more valuable.
Which bookstores are cooperating with the project?
The plan is to collaborate with no more than nine independent bookstores, initially including Have a Nice Stay, Sam Kee Book at North Pointand Nowhere Bookstore at Taiwan. The cooperating bookstore and book list will be announced in the third week of January. As the project progresses, other independent bookstores in Hong Kong will be invited to join.
Wouldn't it be better to just purchase books that have been removed from public libraries?
Firstly, the "good news" is that I don't believe books published in 2024 will continue to be removed from public libraries. Books that the regime doesn't want people to read won't be put on the shelves in the first place, so there's no question of them being removed.
Secondly, waiting to see whether public libraries will shelve certain books before deciding to purchase them is too passive. Moreover, books that have been shelved can still be removed without reason at any time. Being led by the regime's "book selection policy" is not the way to go.
Will the project continue into 2025?
It's too early to say. The plan is to trial it for a year, gather data, fine-tune details, and then assess its viability.
I always advocate for the "minimum viable action," meaning I don't plan too far ahead and don't wait for every detail to be perfect before starting. As long as the core idea is clear, I begin on a small scale and then adjust and refine as needed. If the project can be sustainably operated, that's great, but if it proves unfeasible, I won't be ashamed to abandon it. Failure is normal, and not every initiative can be expected to succeed.
Will the project go back and purchase Hong Kong books from 2023 or earlier?
Not for now.
If the project runs smoothly in 2024, and if Bitcoin continues to perform well, perhaps we could consider purchasing books from previous years. This gives everyone another reason to keep an eye on Bitcoin prices. The UBR project, with zero government funding, is possible thanks to Bitcoin, $MEME, and other cryptocurrencies.
How will the hundreds of books purchased be stored, and will they be available for lending?
The books will initially be stored in a mini-warehouse and won't be available for lending. After about six months, other possibilities will be explored, including sending the books overseas for storage, entrusting them to other organizations, and considering organizing mobile book exhibitions.
How can I participate?
If you believe the project is worth supporting, you can visit a cooperating bookstore and purchase one or more of the selected books for the month to donate to the UBR project. Of course, you can also buy an additional copy for yourself.
If you run an independent bookstore and are interested in becoming one of the cooperating bookstores, please contact me.
If you are an independent author or publisher, and the UBR project's cooperating bookstores are unaware of your new book published that month, please contact the bookstore.
If you agree with the UBR project and have some spare tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, you can double the scale of the project, which I can execute on your behalf.
Why choose paper books instead of e-books?
This is a question I often ask myself. It's ironic because I personally don't adhere to paper books; I mostly buy e-books and even think many books should only be available in electronic format. Ideally, they should be published using the NFT book model. Yet, paradoxically, I initiated the UBR project and chose to purchase paper books.
The choice of paper books is primarily due to the current e-book ecosystem being far from ideal. Not only is the market monopolized by a few platforms, but bookstores also have no way to participate, and the text cannot circulate because it is locked. Readers are trapped in closed gardens, paying only to rent books without truly owning them. Through initiatives like the Nowhere Bookstore and Liker Land e-bookstore, I have been practicing and exploring decentralized publishing, such as the "NFT book + limited paper book" model. However, even if decentralized publishing can become the new paradigm, it's estimated that it will still take 5 years or even longer. Until then, for traditional publishing facing difficulties, I hope to contribute a bit of effort.
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