An Alternative to Destroying Overruns: A Q&A with Books for Asia Director Melody Zavala

Extra: Are there any restrictions?
Zavala: The only thing we don’t use is religious material and anything that may be really sensitive. We stay away from romance drama and fiction. We have to remember that not everything we publish in the West would be appropriate. … Our field offices work with nonprofits on the ground, [and] they have a good feel for what they need. …

Extra: What challenges do you continue to face as an organization?
Zavala: Our real challenge is to keep attracting new publisher donors and to create ways to reach communities. Our mission is not to just donate material to institutions. We want to keep getting this information to places that cannot publish. We’re not undercutting the sales of publishers in anyway. We’re talking about countries like Borneo [and] the poor states in Malaysia. The materials have to reach there by boat. In addition to coming up with the material, we have to come up with [financial] donors to help us reach the most remote places. These places have conflict. These are the most expensive [places] to reach, but they are the most in need. …