Jab and read: Malaysian indie publisher hands out free books as post-vaccination pick-me-up

Buku Fixi's #CucukBersamaFixi free book initiative has seen hundreds of books snapped up since May 11. Photo: Fixi

With the worrying spike in Covid-19 cases nationwide, the Government is working hard to raise awareness in the community to participate in the vaccination programme.

Indie publishing company Buku Fixi has joined in to help by supporting the vaccination programme from the sidelines in its own novel way... literally. In the Klang Valley, you can get a Covid-19 shot and receive a free book from Fixi.

“This initiative started from the simple realisation that our main shop is right next to one of the main AstraZeneca vaccination centres. So we thought it would be a good idea to share in the joy of getting vaccinated, ” says Buku Fixi’s founder Amir Muhammad.

If you’re getting your AstraZeneca vaccination shot at the World Trade Centre KL (WTC) anytime soon, don’t forget to drop by Kedai Fixi at nearby Sunway Putra Mall on your way back.

Present your vaccination card at the counter and pick any book (no more than RM20) for free. This vaccination drive initiative ends on June 30. You can also claim your free book at Kedai Fixi in Setia Alam, Shah Alam in Selangor.

This goodwill gesture by Buku Fixi started on May 11 and to date, hundreds of books have been snapped up.

If you’re not sure what kind of books to pick, fret not. The bookstore has a selection of local books with titles from Buku Fixi, and its imprints Fixi Novo (English-language Malaysian books), Fixi Mono (non-fiction), Fixi Retro (reprints of old Malay-language classics), and Fixi Verso (Malay translations of current international bestsellers).

Amir shares that the most popular books vaccine takers have grabbed are by bestselling writers Syafiq Aizat (known for his supernatural bromance novels) and Nadia Khan (known for her horror and romance novels) in Bahasa Malaysia and Rozlan Mohd Noor, a prolific crime novelist, in English.

For other independent businesses that wish to do something similar, Amir says that they should be creative when it comes to such initiatives. For instance, Buku Fixi used the quirky hashtag #CucukBersamaFixi in its social media posts.

“But more than that, let us all step up and do our part. As Gandhi said, ‘Be the change you want to be in the world’, ” concludes Amir.