$539k of SG Culture Pass credits spent on SingLit; call for inclusion of non-fiction titles

SINGAPORE – Since the SG Culture Pass scheme was extended to books on March 1, $539,000 worth of credits have been spent in bookstores.

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) provided the figure in response to The Straits Times’ questions, in the first indicator of how people are taking to the expansion of the Government-sponsored scheme to print matter.

This pushed the amount of SG Culture Pass credits spent to $17.1 million since its launch in September 2025, with roughly $3.3 million in credits expended in the past month on activities including plays, workshops, books and films.

Children’s titles were runaway major drivers of book sales, as parents chose to cultivate their kids’ reading habits rather than feed their own. Bookstores reported fathers and mothers making special outings to spend all combined $200 credits on stacks of books for their children.

A total of $300 million has been set aside for the SG Culture Pass scheme that amounts to $100 each for three million Singaporeans aged 18 and above. To date, just over a third – 1.25 million Singaporeans – have logged in to claim their credits. These expire end-2028.

In the past month, bookstores including Kinokuniya, Popular, Book Bar, City Book Room and Wardah Books have taken the opportunity to promote SingLit authors, often curating bespoke shelves in prominent locations in stores.

A Kinokuniya spokeswoman says the store has seen a healthy uplift in SingLit sales. Staff had prepared posters and banners, and ensured sufficient stock for titles.

Some of the best-selling literary titles include Rachel Heng’s national development epic The Great Reclamation (2023); Meihan Boey’s final instalment in her supernatural period drama trilogy, The Mystical Mister Kay (2025); Amanda Lee Koe’s transplanting of the Legend Of The White Snake to Singapore, Sister Snake (2024); and Jing-Jing Lee’s How We Disappeared (2019), that prods war trauma and the history of comfort women.

“We have observed an increase in footfall, including customers who appear to be returning to bookstores after some time, as well as new readers exploring Singapore literature for the first time,” the spokeswoman says, adding that she hoped there could be a one-stop site where people could see the complete list of eligible titles.

Unlike the main SG Culture Pass site that allows people to search for all Culture Pass-eligible arts and heritage events, the list of the 1,500 SingLit titles approved so far have not been published anywhere. Instead, bookstores rely on publishers to contact them on their successful applications.

There is worry that this closed loop creates more logistics and leads to titles being missed. A master list would also help readers browsing for potential buys.

Independent bookshop The Book Bar’s owner Alex Chua says the Culture Pass has enticed many who have never considered buying a SingLit text into his store. Both older and newer titles are selling at a “substantially” faster clip.

The 10th anniversary edition of The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, published in 2025, is out of stock, while Jemimah Wei’s Bedok sister rivalry The Original Daughter is down to the final few copies.

Many entered the store without fixed ideas of what they would buy, and so Mr Chua was also able to rise to the part of the book connoisseur, inducting them into the world too of creative non-fiction such as Josephine Chia’s memoir Ayam Buah Keluak And The Art Of Writing.

He says: “We definitely hope books get a big chunk of the remaining credits. The past month has showed us how the entire ecosystem has to work together to make sure there is enough stock. There still needs to be more marketing. Some office workers walking by are still surprised that the credits can now be used for books.”

Ethos Books and its publishing imprint Pagesetters – now swamped by pre-orders for Unease, Teo You Yenn’s latest tract on Singapore’s cut-throat education system and unsustainable parental pressures – believe non-fiction titles should be added to the Culture Pass pool.

The ministry has circumscribed eligible titles to children’s books, fiction, poetry, plays and literary short essays – in part to focus more on the arts and also to discount assessment books.

The publisher says, referring to Teo’s 2018 runaway bestseller This Is What Inequality Looks Like and Walid Jumblatt Abdullah’s Why Palestine? Reflections From Singapore (2025): “This excludes many of our popular non-fiction titles that include memoirs as well as essays and critical commentary. We strongly believe that these titles are deserving of the use of the Culture Pass too, as they contribute greatly to the conversation on important national issues.”

Non-profit organisation Sing Lit Station co-founder Joshua Ip sees in the scheme a nation-building tool that should encompass all income tax payers in Singapore.

He says: “Whether permanent residents or expatriates, our culture is for all who live in Singapore. Experiencing our national arts and culture is one of the best ways to integrate the diverse groups of people entering our country.”