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SINGAPORE \u2013 Since the SG Culture Pass scheme was extended to books on March 1,<\/span><\/a> $539,000 worth of credits have been spent in bookstores. <\/p>\n The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) provided the figure in response to The Straits Times\u2019 questions, in the first indicator of how people are taking to the expansion of the Government-sponsored scheme to print matter. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Children\u2019s titles were runaway major drivers of book sales, as parents chose to cultivate their kids\u2019 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 1.25 million Singaporeans \u2013 have logged in to claim their credits. These expire end-2028.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Some of the best-selling literary titles include Rachel Heng\u2019s national development epic The Great Reclamation (2023)<\/span><\/a>; Meihan Boey\u2019s final instalment in her supernatural period drama trilogy, The Mystical Mister Kay (2025)<\/span><\/a>; Amanda Lee Koe\u2019s transplanting of the Legend Of The White Snake to Singapore, Sister Snake (2024)<\/span><\/a>; and Jing-Jing Lee\u2019s How We Disappeared (2019), that prods war trauma and the history of comfort women. <\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d the spokeswoman says, adding that she hoped there could be a one-stop site where people could see the complete list of eligible titles. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Independent bookshop The Book Bar\u2019s 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 \u201csubstantially\u201d faster clip. <\/p>\n The 10th anniversary edition of The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye<\/span><\/a>, published in 2025, is out of stock, while Jemimah Wei\u2019s Bedok sister rivalry The Original Daughter<\/span><\/a> is down to the final few copies. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s memoir Ayam Buah Keluak And The Art Of Writing. <\/p>\n He says: \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n