The Manila International Book Fair: Bigger and better in 2019

The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) returns to the SMX Convention Center on September 11-15, promising a bigger and better experience for booklovers everywhere.

With more than 200 local and foreign publishers and booksellers and over 450 booths to visit, bookworms will have five days to hunt for the best bargains, as well as participate in book-related activities like book signings, book launches, meet-and-greets, seminars, panel discussions, storytelling sessions, workshops, and competitions.

Eager to avoid the crowds and get our hands on the book bargains ahead of everybody else, Motito and I went on the first day itself. That’s one benefit of being homeschoolers. We could go to the exhibit on a regular school day and not miss a day of school!

We got free admission, thanks to National Book Store. All I had to do was ask the cashier at the NBS branch were I’d purchased notebooks a couple weeks earlier. Alternatively, National and other booksellers and publishers provide free downloadable entrance tickets, which you’ll have to print in order to present at the exhibition hall’s entrance. Adarna House, Tahanan Books, OMF Literature, Saint Matthew’s Publishing and National Book Store are some of the local publishers and booksellers that give free entrance passes to download.

For the past three years, the MIBF has occupied two floors at the convention venue. The first floor features a wide range of reading matter, from academic and spiritual books to maps and manga.

Bookstore chains National Book Store and Fully Booked lead the exhibition space. Not to be outdone are academic publishers like Phoenix Publishing, Rex Publishing, Abiva Publishing, and the Vibal Group. Local publishing houses like Anvil Publishing and Summit Media and university presses like UP Press and Ateneo Press make their presence felt, too.

The second floor has children’s book publishers Adarna House and Lampara Book, as well as Summit Media, PSICOM, and Comic Odyssey, among others.

There’s really so many books that one day is nearly not enough to browse them all.

The books you buy don’t have to be for yourself. Books make excellent gifts, and at MIBF, you’ll find book for every one in your circle. From bestsellers to young adult fiction to history books to devotional literature, the variety of books available at the MIBF is mind-boggling.

If you’re a homeschooler, you’re in for a treat as you can scoop up textbooks for as low as P50 each or grab reference books and test-preparation guides for deep discounts. Although Motito does much of his reading on the Kobo e-reader nowadays, he still prefers to use physical textbooks and references when studying. For one, he finds it’s faster to flip through physical pages when he’s looking for something in particular. Another reason is he feels more at ease writing on paper than on a screen.

Whether you or your homeschooling children feel the same way, no one can resist a good bargain. And there’s plenty to be had at the 2019 MIBF!