Korea-China joint system to help publication industry in both nations

“There are not enough books that Chinese can read. Why can’t you make good books?”

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently said to Chinese publishers at a meeting. Chinese publishers said, “We’ll make more good books and also import good foreign books.” It sounds tempting to Korean publishers. Moreover, many expect both countries to have more cultural exchanges with the conclusion of the free trade deal between the two countries on Monday. The Korean government plans to prepare measures to promote Korean books in China.

○ A joint publisher to create books from the beginning

The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea said on Tuesday, “We’re trying to develop "killer content" tailored both to Korea and China.” It plans to select a Korean publisher and a Chinese publisher to create some 20 kinds of books of humanities, non-fiction, and self-help together. So far, Korean publishers used to export the copyrights to translate texts into Chinese to Chinese publishers.

According to the agency, it will publish books on figures who will attract both Korean and Chinese readers such as Ahn Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist who fought against the Japanese colonial rule for liberation. It will also create books that cover the culture of the two countries, such as the beauty of Korea and the beauty of China, and children’s books in which Chinese authors write a story and Korean painters draw paintings. “If we only try to export our books to China, it will increase reluctance in China,” Min Gyeong-mi, director at the agency, said. “We’ll create the Korean Wave in the Chinese publication industry by planning books together and distribute them in both countries at the same time.”

A joint publication system could also navigate the censorship of the Chinese government. Some Chinese publishers review books and take out contents that could be screened by censorship. A Korean publisher said, “When a censorship team of a Chinese publisher warns certain stuff, we revise them. When we sign a contract with a publisher that does not have such team, we cannot distribute books.”

○ Chinese book market is growing, another Korean wave likely

The Chinese publication market was 28.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2013 and is expected to grow an annual average of 4.1 percent to 33.1 billion dollars in 2017. Korean publishers’ export to China increased an annual average of 25.6 percent between 2010 and 2012. Unlike the sluggish global book market, China is a still young market.

In China, Korean self-help books are popular. The Chinese version of “It Hurts Because You’re Young” written by Seoul University Professor Kim Nan-do is popular among Chinese youths. Practical books such as fitness guru Jeong Da-yeon’s books on diets and children’s books including “Left-Brain Development and Right-Brain Development,” “Tomorrow’s Experiment King,” “Leafie, a Hen into the Wild,” and “Cloud Bread” are also popular in China.

Selling books in China, however, does not generate as much revenue as publishers do in Korea. In China, only 570 state-owned publishers can distribute books to bookstores. A book that costs 15,000 won (13.69 dollars) to 20,000 won (18.25 dollars) in Korea is sold at a 40 to 50 percent discount or 50 yuan (about 8,800 won or 8.03 dollars) in China. Though the book price has recently risen up to 80 yuan, it costs only 60 to 70 percent of a Korean book.

Jeong Jae-man, head of the global business team at the agency, said, “If we build a system that allows Korea and China to release books jointly, we could quickly distribute books and customize them to Chinese. Then, our revenue will grow more compared to when we exported copyrights.”