Books, bags and lots more fun

To achieve this, publishers also sell colorful book-themed merchandise at the fair, which has proved popular with buyers, some selling even more than the books they are about.

The Guangxi Normal University Press introduced the Kafka Tote at the fair last year. The canvas bag is embroidered with the signature of author Franz Kafka, alongside a quote of his in German that reads: "Despite the crowds, everyone is silent and isolated within themselves."

"Since last year, we have sold more than 20,000 of those totes," says Wu Haijiao, who works at the press.

Some visitors came looking for the bags, including one woman surnamed Li who works nearby and visited the fair during her lunch break. "I came first to check out the Kafka Tote," she says. "Good merchandise like this not only satisfies contemporary aesthetics and functional needs, it also spreads the ideas and attitudes of the author and publisher."

The weeklong fair gained a total sales of 48 million yuan ($6.7 million), along with another 5 million from products like the tote bag, according to updates on Wednesday.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn