An independent bookshop like Books Actually was easy to spot in Singapore's artsy neighbourhood Tiong Bahru. Away from the interconnecting malls, the entrance was marked with pots of wabi-sabi and painted with books growing on trees. Now operating exclusively online, Books Actually houses the largest collection of English literature in Singapore , with many local gems and rarities. The bookstore has its own printing press and its own line of handmade writing papers and utensils.


The owner of the 16-year old bookshop and our guest today is Kenny Leck. Kenny dropped out of an accountancy and taxation diploma course in a local polytechnic just two semesters before graduation and soon after, he co-founded BooksActually. He is a businessman who took it upon himself to give all writers a “good debut”. He also sponsors books for community reading programmes for children from low-income families as well as a shelter for transgender people. We're very honoured to have Kenny with us today at Got Books? and be inspired.

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