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IN DEPTH 123


Chinese companies will exhibit at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair


1,300


Titles a year published by Citic Press Corporation, self- described as ‘one of the most powerful’ publishers in China


¥10


Average cost of a children’s book in China (£1.10), according to Lelequ vice-president George Sun


Market spotlight China


by providing a “beter and more comprehensive service”. Yan added: “The challenge also means opportunit for us, because we can create our own audiobooks. The market is changing, so we change. We can have a closer connection with both authors and readers.” And indeed it does. In 2010, Citic opened its own bookshop in Beijing; it now has 84 shops in 11 cities in China. “We wanted to create a wonderful space, to improve reading. We publish, so we want people to read; we want to promote reading in China. We wanted to provide a space and an environment to read and exchange ideas,” said Yan. “I don’t think there’s a slowing down of [sales of] physical books. For us, we still have an increase of 20%–30% in book sales each year. There are two reasons: we have good content, we will still


focus on our content and produce beter content for our readers; and we have multiple channels to sell books,” said Yan. Similarly, for cookbook publisher China Light Industrial Press (CLIP), competition from apps is a big issue. Founded 60 years ago, CLIP is a leading publisher of cookery books, issuing 40–50 such titles a year. Chief editor Li Ying said: “The biggest challenge is from apps; there are a lot of apps for searching for recipes. There are more channels to get recipes online or through different apps.” However, he added: “A lot of the recipes you search for and find online might not be as credible as those you can find in a book, so the trust of a book from a publisher you know is important.”


Looking West Surprisingly, books about Western cuisine and baking make up a “large proportion” of sales, because of the “increasing interest” in the subject from Chinese readers. Ying said: “People think cooking Western stle is easier than Chinese, as there are precise instructions and ingredi- ents, which isn’t the same in Chinese cookery books. Also, baking books are selling beter because lots of Chinese families have an oven now, compared to a few years ago.” Growth is a big opportunit because Chinese citizens are increasingly seeing food not merely as fuel, and are becoming more interested in health, nutrition and flavour—especially its younger people. Children’s publisher Lelequ has made its name publishing children’s novelt books and utilising paper technology, including books with flaps and pop-ups. When the publisher started 12 years ago, “our first publication was a pop-up book which cost ¥68 (£7.60),” said vice-president George Sun. “That was much higher than the average price point; on average, you could get


24 12th October 2018


I don’t think there’s a


slowing down of sales of


physical books. We still have an increase


of 20%–30% each year


Jennifer Yan, Citic branding director


a children’s book for ¥10 (£1.10). There were no novelt books back then.” He added: “We started with novelties, but because the market gradually accepted this high price point and those kinds of books, the competition grew. A lot of other publishers now have a few pop-up books. In China, before we arrived, no one was publishing novelties like these.”


Spiralling costs


Above scenes from the recent Beijing Book Fair, which alongside its Shanghai rival, is increasingly popular with Western companies seeking markets in which they can grow sales


Another challenge for the publisher is the cost of production, particularly paper and labour expenses. Sun said: “The rise in costs is always bad, but it’s also good in a way, because we have large quantities and economies of scale, especially compared to some of our competitors, which helps us to absorb some of the cost.” The next step for Lelequ is to expand its offer for older readers. The press also wants to focus on “the missing piece of novelt publishing”: Chinese topics. “Most of the novelt publications are from the West, licensed from the West,” Sun claimed. “Few novelt publications are on Chinese topics and Chinese culture, which are also very popular. We have the expertise and the brand recognition to make this work.”





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