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Hotpot of heroes

By Zhu Linyong and He Na (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-20 11:04

If the economic crisis continues to run rampant this year will people still rush to bookstores? Yes and no, according to industry experts who attended the 2009 Beijing Book Wholesale Expo last week.

The general feeling among industry insiders was that book sales will fall but smarter publishing houses will succeed if they cater better to the market. And the market will be going back to the future.

"The year 2009 will be a tough one for the publishing industry at least, our company is expected to see a big fall in sales," predicts Ma Dongxu, director of the Distribution Department of Chinese Workers Press.

The publishing house produced more than 240 new books in 2008, generating sales revenues of more than 29 million yuan ($4.2 million).

However, due to the economic downturn, Ma admits his company's book sales in Beijing suffered a 12 percent slump compared to 2007, while the company suffered a 15 percent drop nationwide.

In a bid to survive the hard times, Ma says his company "plans to curb spending and decrease costs to tackle the sales slide".

For Li Bo, vice-president of Changjiang Literature and Arts Publishing Group, "2008 was a year of harvest and 2009 would even be better".

"The economic slump will help publishing houses with better management and growth strategies to excel," Li says.

"Some companies that lack professionalism and are slow to update their strategies may find it hard to survive."

Last year, the Beijing branch of the publishing house from Hubei province, Central China, produced 62 titles generating sales revenues of 230 million yuan ($33.6 million).

Thanks to the teamwork of 29 staff members of the Beijing branch, at least 12 titles have entered China Book Business News' nationwide top 30 list of best-selling books.

Early last week, the company signed with Shanghai scholar Bao Pengshan to jointly publish his book about The Outlaws of the Marshes, one of the top four classic novels. More than 1 million copies are expected to be printed in the first run in April, Li says.

According to industry insiders, the market situation has changed. A successful publishing house can no longer bet on big-name authors but must "reach out to sniff the latest market demand and then swiftly respond to it".

"Finding the right author is not the main issue," Li says.

Books tracing hot social issues or far-reaching events may find their place on the best-selling list, says Beijing book analyst Zou Yuqin.

"Chinese readers are increasingly interested in current affairs. I figure that people are hungry for information that might help broaden their horizons and locate themselves amidst a fast-changing society," Zou says.

In 2008, books about the Wenchuan Earthquake, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and China's 30 years of opening-up and reform, were among the most popular on the market, she says.

The gloomy economic trend of 2009 may also influence readers as more manufacturing firms close and force migrant workers to return back to their home provinces.

"But this phenomenon may also mean that the rural market offers opportunities for the Chinese publishing sector," points out Wu Zhuguo, a book distributor from Guangdong province.

Young and middle-aged farmers may have more time to read and prepare themselves for a new round of job hunting.

Some may choose to settle as farmers with updated knowledge and new technologies, Wu explains.

A total of 533 publishing companies attended this year's book wholesale expo and about 2.51 billion yuan ($368 million) of transactions were registered.

More than 400 new titles were recommended to distributors and small- and -medium size libraries from rural China, organizers say.

Another book trend has been a surging demand for titles about history and traditional art and culture, notes Shi Jianfeng, a book critic from Shanghai.

"I believe the trend will definitely continue this year," he says.

The trend was first magnified by a best-selling book My Interpretations of Analects of Confucius in 2006.

The book, published by Zhonghua Publishing House, is based on Beijing Normal University professor Yu Dan's popular talks on Lecture Room, a program on China Central Television.

Although her book copped criticism from scholars of Confucian classics, average readers rushed to her book-signing events.

And a roster of books, inspired by or adapted from classics, have appeared on this year's book wholesale expo.

The Shenzhen Media Group Press has recently launched management consultant Cheng Junyi's new book A Journey to the Three Kingdom Ruins.

Since 2005, Cheng has published several books about management and office politics drawing inspiration from ancient Chinese classics, such as Journey to the West, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

His funny but thought-provoking book Three Kingdoms in Hot Pot, about corporate politics, has so far sold more than 1.2 million copies, according to the publisher China CITIC Press.

Cheng says he attempts to combine travel tips, local cultures, history, historical figures, management tactics, and hot issues such as environment pollution and expansion of urban centers.

Tian Lianyuan Talks about Chinese Idioms is a new book with color illustrations and an audio disc published by Peking University Press. Pingshu (story-telling) master Tian's TV program, of same title, will be aired in 2009 and 2010 on over 40 provincial TV channels.

Adapted from his popular lectures, Fudan University professor Qian Wenzhong will publish a book about San Zi Jing (literally Three Character Classic), an ancient Chinese text for beginners of Confucian studies.

One million copies are expected to roll off the Democracy and Law Press in mid-February.

Based on his popular lectures on China Central Television about art appraisal, art collection and basics about Chinese art history, renowned collector Ma Weidu will release another book about Chinese furniture and porcelain works.

Published by People's Literature Press this month, the book has detailed illustrations and explanations of toilets, kitchens and bedrooms used by ancient Chinese.

Even doctors are drawing from ancient books for their popular science publications.

Xiao Hongci, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Hubei province, brought his new book Take Care of Your Health to the book expo.

"My book is suitable for white-collar workers, who due to a hectic schedule, have often ignored their health. It is easy to read and easy to follow," claims Xiao.

In Xiao's view, "ancient wisdom still shines in modern times".

This book adds to a string of popular books in 2007 that mainly explain in vivid pictures and simple words how average people could benefit by following health tips advocated by doctors of traditional Chinese medicines.