Segmented market
With diversified tastes, there are many opportunities to introduce various types of foreign literature. Besides historically classic works, other genres like thrillers, science fiction, and children's literature are swarming in.
For example, whodunit stories, a sub-division of the detective story, have been increasingly popular in recent years. In 2008 Thinkingdom House, a leading domestic private publisher specializing in foreign literature, introduced Japanese whodunit writer Higashino Keigo's works, Into the White Night and The Devotion of Suspect X.
According to Li Yao, chief editor of foreign literature department in Thinkingdom House, works by Raymond Thornton Chandler (1888-1959) and Lawrence Block (1938-) are also popular, with circulation reaching hundreds of thousands.
"These submarkets will continue to expand in the future," said Li.
With the publication of translated fiction book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Columbia author Gabriel García Márquez in June last year, the market share of Latin American literature in China increased, while traditional Western literature declined, according to Li.
Insiders are optimistic about the foreign children's literature market. Popular stories including Window of the Small Peas by Japanese writer Toru Kuroyanagi, Charlotte's Web by E.B.White, and The Knickerbocker Gang by Thomas Brezina have occupied the top of best-selling lists in recent years.
"The sustaining popularity of foreign children literature is indicative of the competition in this market," said Huang Yuhai, president of 99 Read.
Government regulations
Although piracy is not as severe of a problem as before, other issues are surfacing in the industry.
"Though piracy still exists, it's not our main concern now," said Shi Lingkong, chief editor of STPH.
"With a sound legal system, anti-piracy lawsuits can be handled effectively. With more domestic publishers allowed to enter this market, competition for copyrights is the biggest headache," Shi told the Global Times.
"We haven't had any industry associations or relative government institutions regulating the market," said Gu. In light of market growth mixed with chaotic competition, Gu added that there is no limit for royalties, different from other countries.
With ballooning copyright cost, foreign publishers are setting up their own agencies in China to deal with copyright issues, a different direction than hiring local agents like Barden-Chinese Media Agency, which was the method used before. Foreign publishers like Kodansha from Japan and Harper Collins from the US have both established their own copyright institutions in China.
Domestic publishers engaged in introducing foreign literature have their own advantages, according to Li.
Time-honored names like Yilin Press and STPH have superiority in translating and editing and a pool of copyright resources, while novices like 99 Read are better at planning and selecting a variety of books.
In Li's view, the relationship between these groups should be complementary instead of competitive.
"When the overall industry is more developed and mature, foreign publishers can trust domestic brands," Li said.
Source: Global Times
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