Philippine Literary and Publishing Landscape 2024: An Overview

Philippine literature, shaped by centuries of colonial history and cultural exchange, remains a powerful medium of expression. Its extensive scope from oral traditions to modern formats — spanning speculative fiction, climate fiction, graphic novels, and comics — reflects the nation’s diverse heritage. The interplay of indigenous Southeast Asian roots, European colonial legacies, American education, and a history of migration has created a distinctive voice that resonates across generations. 

As National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera observed, the country’s literary development is defined by a continuous tension between cultural assertion and external influences. This dynamic, combined with the contributions of a vast Filipino diaspora, continues to enrich and redefine the nation’s cultural landscape.

The Philippines, currently populated by 109 million people belonging to 135 ethnolinguistic groups and speaking 183 languages, counts human capital as one of the driving forces behind its growing influence in global industries, from creative sectors to logistics and services.

The Filipino experience is distinctive and diverse, made even more so by a huge diasporic population. This exposure to the cultures and lifeways of other countries has enriched the already vibrant local culture even more, as mirrored in the rich narratives of the various regions in a dense, and teeming archipelago.

The Philippine book publishing industry concluded 2023 with an extraordinary milestone, issuing 10,297 ISBNs — the highest in the last decade. This surge in book production mirrors the country’s robust trade performance in the creative sector. From 2020 to 2023, the total trade value steadily increased from US$30.06 million to a remarkable US$ 45.7 million, underscoring the Philippines’ expanding ability to export its rich culture and narratives to the global stage. With trade already reaching US$ 40.08 million by the second quarter of 2024, the Philippines is poised to further broaden its reach and influence, solidifying its position as the emerging content capital of Southeast Asia.

The Philippine book market, like any other in the world, is diverse. Readers tend to prefer a specific genre among the many: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, romance, and new adult, children’s books and young adult, graphic novels, and comics. Each genre has sub-categories to show the wide range of choices. Fiction has expanded to speculative, noir, and climate fiction. New and young adult genres now include climate change concerns and gendered series, a growing list among publishers.

There are leaders in every genre, as most publishers see the wisdom in niche publishing, focusing on certain markets. 

There is also a huge divide between imported books, mostly from the United States and the United Kingdom, and locally written, locally published books. The biggest bookstore chains in the country carry imported books and local books at a 24:1 ratio, a consequence of a trade law enforced by the United States before the Philippines was granted its independence. The law stipulated our book market as an extension of the US market.

Education, with 29 million students in both the public (27.6 million) and private (1.4 million) sectors, remains the biggest buyer and user of textbooks and supplementary children’s books. The Department of Education just opened its doors to graphic novels and comics, those which are mythical, folkloric, and historical. When in School Year 2012-2013, the Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education was passed into law and adopted by the public schools, it provided the impetus for the organization of regional publishers around 19 major languages. Publishers began to retrieve and recover the people’s stories, area by area, stories long suppressed by English as the primary medium of instruction. This is a work in progress, for while acclaimed as a landmark law, it has also been severely critiqued for slow and faulty implementation. 

There are no literary agents in the Philippines. Publishers are usually designated to represent their authors in rights transactions. 

The Filipino literary landscape is vibrant with book launches, readings and signings, writing workshops, literary contests and book awards, fairs, and festivals. Indie presses are making a mark for themselves and winning awards and prizes for their books. 

The Palanca Prize, in its 74th year, remains the most prestigious literary prize for any work. The Manila Critics Circle has been annually recognizing the best books for 43 years. Two writers’ organizations, PEN Philippines, which is 67 years old, and the writers’ union, UMPIL (Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas), which just celebrated its 50th year, continue to hold annual congresses.

The 62-year-old Silliman Writers Workshop is the longest-running university-based workshop in Asia today. Five other top universities also regularly host such summer workshops. The Manila International Book Fair is in its 45th year. These are long-held beloved literary traditions, the backbone of literature, the pillars of literary creativity. Simply put, they cover the entire literary cycle: writing, community, readership, review, and recognition.

Today, there are four distinct forms of romance novels in the Philippines: pocketbook romances, traditionally published romance novels, platform-produced love stories, and self-published English-language romance books. Together, they represent a diversely emergent romance fiction industry in the Philippines. 

Pocketbook romances, usually written in Filipino, are printed as paperbacks measuring 17 by 10.5 centimeters with an extent of 128 pages and sold from ₱20 to ₱40 (US$.35 -US$.71) per copy when it hit the market in the 1980s. They are available not just in bookshops but also in convenience stores and supermarkets to a primary readership of women from low-middle and high-lower classes. These novels unsurprisingly focus on a central love story and are unabashedly melodramatic and steadfastly formulaic in nature. 

In recent years, global digital writing and reading platforms such as Wattpad and others have leveraged its large Filipino user base to develop partnerships with local publishers. These platform-produced love stories are currently being picked up by traditional publishers for local publication and distribution. Young to new adult readers are currently fascinated with these romances, with book signings seeing hours-long lines during major book fairs such as the Philippine Book Festival and the Manila International Book Fair.

In recent years, major national production companies began adapting these stories into films and television series. For instance, it was Wattpad that first saw the University Series by Gwyneth Saludes before it was published and then adapted into a hit television series. 

On the other hand, self-published English romance books are also on the rise. Filipino romance writers collective #RomanceClass has engaged in the production and development of self-published romance books on diverse themes and topics such as body positivity and LGBTQIA+. These are published digitally globally alongside local print editions with several entertainment media texts, including audiobooks, podcasts, web series, and its biannual live reading events.

The Philippine children’s book sector is an essential part of the country’s publishing industry, producing an average of 100 to 150 titles annually. It has grown into a robust institution, driven by dedicated authors, illustrators, and publishers, all working to engage young Filipino readers. 

At the core of many Philippine children’s books are stories that instill a deep sense of self, community, and national identity in young readers. These stories often reflect the Filipino experience and emphasize values such as peace and a sense of country. Beyond the light-hearted and humorous elements typical of children’s literature, many books in this sector also tackle difficult topics, including war, famine, death, grief, and even the country’s historical tragedies. The inclusion of such topics ensures that children’s books remain relevant and reflective of real life.

In recent years, for instance, Philippine children’s literature has embraced more inclusive themes including books featuring LGBTQIA+ families and stories that challenge traditional norms. The sector’s focus on giving protagonists a sense of agency and promoting inclusivity ensures that these books resonate with a modern audience while retaining quintessential Filipino humor and values.

A major milestone for the sector was its recent participation in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) in April 2024, marking the Philippines’ debut at the world’s largest fair for children’s content. Led by the NBDB, in partnership with the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY), it was an opportunity to showcase the creativity and talent of Filipino authors and illustrators on a global stage. The Philippines was also the Country of Focus at the Asian Festival for Children’s Content, further solidifying its role in the global children’s book industry. As the most widely translated genre, children’s literature offers an ideal entry point for Philippine books to gain worldwide recognition.

The Philippine comics and graphic novels sector has seen significant growth over the past decade, driven partly by a renewed interest in Philippine mythology and fantasy, and by community-driven initiatives that engage creators and fans of sequential art alike. Publishers have played a key role in this resurgence. An example is 19th Avenida that published Trese, the popular graphic novel series that became the first Filipino anime adaptation on Netflix, boosting the visibility of local comics on the global stage.

The strength of the comics scene in the Philippines lies in its deeply connected community of creators, fans, and publishers. Events like Komiket’s Philippine International Comics Festival and community-driven art markets fuel the sector’s growth, providing a platform for emerging talents. 

Self-published authors and online platforms have also made significant contributions, allowing creators to share their work directly with readers. In terms of content, Philippine graphic novels often explore themes rooted in folklore and mythology, colonial history, slice-of-life stories, and even high fantasy. There also are progressive narratives that represent LGBTQIA+ and anthologies that address difficult issues.

Artistically, Filipino comics take in both Western and Asian influences which in turn creates unique and diverse visual styles that appeal to both local and international readers.

The international comics community has taken notice of this burgeoning sector. After the NBDB began including Filipino comics in the Frankfurt Book Fair lineup in 2021, the immense response validated the global demand for Philippine content.

This momentum led to successful participation in other major events such as the London Book Fair, the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, and the Angoulême Rights Market. Over 200 publishing leads and numerous animation opportunities have emerged, with ten titles already being translated for international markets in Germany, the Netherlands, Myanmar, Russia, and the UK.

One of the biggest challenges for the sector today is expanding readership to support its many creators. Although there is a wealth of talent, attracting a larger audience is essential for the sector’s long-term success.

There are at least seven major publishing houses doing crime fiction. Among the commercial publishers include PsiCom, Precious Pages, Summit Books, and Anvil Publishing. University presses such as Ateneo de Manila University Press and University of the Philippines Press also publish crime fiction. Other crime fiction books are self- and independently published.

Crime fiction in the Philippines differs from what is usually published in the EU and the US. The EU and US books oftentimes focus on solving the crime with the police or investigators as protagonists in the story. In the Philippines, crime fiction takes the point of view of the victims, with the aggressors coming from the authorities or the police institutions. Crime fiction in the Philippines also intertwines with political situations in the country. It often ties itself with larger themes of corruption, poverty, and justice in the Philippines.

Filipino literature has made significant strides in crossing over to various media, captivating wider audiences through theater, television, and film. The Netflix adaptation of Trese, based on the graphic novel by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, brought Filipino supernatural folklore to the global stage, gaining international acclaim.

Other notable adaptations include film versions of national hero Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere, and Nick Joaquin’s works, such as Tatarin and A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino. In theater, works like Carlo Vergara’s Zsazsa Zaturnnah and Severino Reyes’ Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang have been brought to life, as well as children’s books like Sandosenang Sapatos and Isang Harding Papel. Classic contemporary novels like Dekada ’70, Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, and Smaller and Smaller Circles have also been adapted for film.

The Philippines hosts several vibrant book festivals and fairs, promoting a love for reading and celebrating the local publishing industry. The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF), which began in 1980 and is the longest-running book fair in the country, attracts thousands of readers, publishers, and authors annually. It features book launches, signings, workshops, and discounted titles, providing a platform for both local and international publishers.

Other notable events include the Philippine Book Fair, which tours multiple cities, and the Iloilo Mega Book Fair, which promotes regional authors and publishers. The Bikol Book Festival and the Cebu Art Book Fair highlight local literary and artistic talent, while the Mindanao Book Fair and Dumaguete Literary Festival serve as important cultural gatherings for authors, readers, and literary enthusiasts in Visayas and Mindanao.