The brothers confess that they both took up a business course because "we have to run a business."
"We used to be called Centralbooks Supply Inc.," Paolo and Juan Carlos recall. "We started with law books and we just grew and grew."
Business has certainly been growing – what with the two driven and innovative brothers at the helm – since Centralbooks opened on Quezon Avenue’s busy business row 61 years ago.
Centralbooks is now into picturebooks, too. Picture this: All your cherished mementos stashed away between covers of perfectly-sized picturebooks that you can carry anywhere you go. Why, you can even give away copies to friends and kin!
"We’re only accepting digital photos now," says Juan Carlos. "A lot of times, the photos just stay in your camera and computer or CD. You can’t pass them around for others to see. Now, you can put them in a book, which you can even personalize by captioning or whatever."
Ever open to new technology, the enterprising brothers saw this state-of-the-art technology when they attended a print show in Germany. "It’s already being done in the US and Australia, and we’re probably the pioneer in bringing it to the Philippines," Juan Carlos tells us.
Paolo, who got married last October, had his wedding photos put in a picturebook, which he hopes "to have and to hold till death do they part."
"This picturebook can last 100 years because we use a special ink that does last 100 years," Juan Carlos points out. "And the paper we use is acid-free."
He hastens to add, "Even professional photographers are showing interest in picturebooks. Vis-a-vis using photo paper, picturebooks are three times less expensive."
It’s perfect for the highest- resolution photos, portfolios, family books, wedding books, baby books – the possibilities are endless!
Take your pick: Picturebooks come in small, medium, and large sizes (like a personalized coffee table book, the ultimate keepsake!). There are different themes to choose from. You can have it as a soft-bound or a hard-bound book. Whatever you choose, you’re guaranteed a picture-pretty picturebook, which you can pick up in a matter of days.
Even prettier is the fact that prices go from as low as P295 for a small soft-bound picturebook to only P1,495 for a hard-bound large picturebook. Plus, get a 10 percent discount if you order three copies of the same book.
There are miniature picturebooks, too, that you can keep in your purse and show off to friends anytime, anywhere.
A couple of weeks ago, Centralbooks opened at the second floor, Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati. Says Juan Carlos, "We got a pretty good front space at Goodwill Bookstore, just behind Figaro and across Cibo. We’ve chosen it as our pilot store, but we also have outlets at Quezon Avenue, Ever Gotesco Mall, and Morayta. We’re beginning to commercialize."
Likewise, Centralbooks gives a new meaning to the word "publishing" with its Publish on Demand service.
Dreaming of writing your own book? Now is your chance to have it published. The Sibals relate, "Since the start of our Publish on Demand service, we’ve had an overwhelming response from professors (lecturers, teachers) who want to turn their course notes and manuscripts into their very own publication. Your book can be published and sold throughout the country, increasing your potential audience. Some of our Publish on Demand authors have sold well over 500 copies in the first few months alone."
Who knows, your book can even be a best-seller!
"The cost is very competitive and you can print your book in just the right quantity, say from 30 up to 1,000 copies," says Juan Carlos. "We have a new system of printing that’s completely different from the old style. All the publications you see on the shelves of Centralbooks have been printed using this. The main advantage is that from the time an author finishes his book and it’s ready for printing, it only takes a few days before it hits the store. Before, it took a month or more."
Paolo notes, "And now, we have a computerized inventory system that checks what’s low in stock or near out-of-stock in the bookstores, and it triggers our printing to reprint already. So the end result is no more out-of-print books. No more high inventory and start-up costs. You don’t have to publish 2,000 copies and wait three to four years to sell and print again."
Print runs can go as low as 50 copies, 100 copies to thousands of copies, all at affordable rates. Re-ordering takes only up to four days so order only what you need, when you need it.
You can sell your book directly and/or through Centralbooks’ eight outlets nationwide.
As Centralbooks’ slogan goes, "You take care of the content, we take care of the rest."
The Sibal brothers believe it’s the fastest, easiest – and cheapest – way for authors to put their work in the hands of readers nationwide. So, don’t just sit there – write something and get it published pronto!
Already, Paolo and Juan Carlos Sibal are thinking of putting up more Picturebook outlets. "We’re planning to put up kiosks and bring our machines to the malls. And we’re looking into the possibility of franchising these Picturebook kiosks."
Expect a lot more from these young and dynamic booksellers who chose not to live – and work – by the book.