Formerly pegged as ‘short-video’ platforms, market-influencing social media channels driving book sales in China now are being referred to as “content e-commerce channels,’ a reflection of a broadening of formats used to catch consumer attention. Image – Getty, Shanghai, October 15, Felix Morion Castilla
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Han Kang, Gender-Specific Self-Help, ‘Content E-Commerce’
Near year’s end, as Publishing Perspectives noted in our last Rights Roundup of 2024 and in our China Bestseller lists of October, the announcement of South Korea’s Han Kang as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature generated great pride and interest in her work in many parts of Asia.
‘The Vegetarian’ by Han Kang, from Sichuan Literature & Art Press
The reaction of the mainland Chinese market was part of this, with Han’s The Vegetarian in its 2021 Mandarin translation from Sichuan Literature & Art Press going from No. 5 up to No. 2 on the Beijing OpenBook fiction bestseller November lists in fiction and to No. 1 on foreign-author fiction. In fact, Han’s My Woman’s Fruits was at No. 12 by the end of the month on foreign-author fiction, along with The White Book at No. 19, both from Sichuan Literature & Art Press.
Clearly, Han’s selection as the first Asian woman and the first Korean writer to be made a Nobel laureate in literature had predictable and understandable impact in many Asian book markets. At 53, Han is also reported to be the youngest Nobel-winning author in some 40 years.
However, this consumer interest in work from outside China is hardly new and not surprising to those who follow these charts.
Setting aside the Nobel attention, we’ve watched for years as Japan’s Keigo Higashino—Nos. 9, 11, 15, and 17 in November— found a formidably loyal audience in China for his work, something his countryman, the popular manga artist Tatsuki Fujimoto (Nos. 14 and 20), is starting to see, as well.
‘Take Care’ by Da Bing from Beijing Union Publishing
In-country, with strong, continuing reader interest, the Chinese author Da Bing saw his Take Care from Beijing Union Publishing arrive at No. 13 on the fiction list. Bing’s May You 2.0 and Take It Easy 2.0 had shown strength in October. The key element in Da’s market punch is in his social-media following.
And one of the latest demonstrations of the impact of film and television on market dynamics is the television series Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, based on Yang Wan’s original story, and directed by Yilong Zhao.
Its release in November, including in the Australian market, appears to be driving healthy book sales.
Actors Esther Yu and Yuxi Ding in ‘Love Game in Eastern Fantasy,’ based on the Web novel ‘The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus.’ Image: Promotional still, Tansent
The title, from Qingdao Publishing House, quickly arrived at No. 25 on the fiction list, the television series carrying a plot description that reads: “Girl Ling enters novel’s world as villain. To escape, she joins monster hunters Mu Yao, Liu Fu Yi in battles against beasts, conflicts, rewriting fate to save humanity.”
The period-costuming and visual aesthetic are by now very familiar to those who follow the Chinese YA romance market.
A part of the energy behind book sales is that both the book and the television series are based on a Web novel, The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus, by Bai Yu Zhai Diao Gong.
As is the trend, the release of the show in November was accompanied not only by content developed by the publisher and the production group but also by fan fiction developed by avid readers themselves.
Gender-Specific Topical Titles for Adolescents
Lastly, an interesting note on children’s books in November has to do with new attention going to gender-specific psychological developmental self-help books for teens.
Publishers, faced with an upturn in self-help across the board—and calls for more guidance from parents in working with their youngsters—”have seized on the different growth points of boys and girls,” our research associates at OpenBook tell us, “to create differentiated products that have been warmly received by the market.”
These include Girl, Self-Safety is More Important and Boy, It’s Important to Be Strong Within Yourself. A key driver here is “content e-commerce channels,” which have in the past been called “short-video e-commerce.” The term is being expanded in favor of “content” over “short video” to reflect a widening array of formats being generated as promotional messaging in these channels in China.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from November 2024 of bestsellers in fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, followed by its lists of bestselling fiction and nonfiction in China by authors from outside the country.
At the end of our article, as always, you’ll find notes on how the lists are constructed.
At November’s 11th China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair, directed by Donna Chai in cooperation with Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s Elena Pasoli and Bologna Book Plus’ Jacks Thomas. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson
OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, November 2024
| November 2024 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 9787530221532 | 2021-10 | To Live (2021 Edition) | Yu Hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 2 | 9787541160868 | 2021-09 | The Vegetarian | Han Kang | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 3 | 9787201112695 | 2017-03 | Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 4 | 9787536097261 | 2022-07 | Someone To Talk To | Liu Zhenyun | Flower City Press |
| 5 | 9787572608582 | 2022-10 | The Litchi Road | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 7 | 9787020139590 | 2019-06 | The Last Quarter of the Moon | Chi Zijian | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 8 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 9 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 10 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 11 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 9787020008735 | 1998-07 | Journey to the West | Wu Cheng’en | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 13 | 9787559664129 | 2022-08 | Take Care | Da Bing | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 14 | 9787513348362 | 2022-08 | Look Back | Tatsuki Fujimoto | New Star Press Co., Ltd. |
| 15 | 9787530221396 | 2021-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumes) (2021 Edition) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 16 | 9787572610912 | 2023-05 | The Annoyance of the Gods | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 17 | 9787559484543 | 2024-07 | I’m as Timid as a Hare | Yu Hua | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 18 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
| 19 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 20 | 9787559484581 | 2024-09 | A Woman’s Victory | Yu Hua | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 21 | 9787521748239 | 2022-12 | Goodbye, Eri | Tatsuki Fujimoto | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 22 | 9787020178063 | 2023-04 | Notes on Principles | Shi Tiesheng | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 23 | 9787201141527 | 2018-10 | Strait is the Gate | Andre Gide | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 24 | 9787559484550 | 2024-03 | Go On a Long Trip at Eighteen | Yu Hua | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 25 | 9787555291183 | 2020-11 | Love Game in Eastern Fantasy | Bai Yu Zhai Diao Gong | Qingdao Publishing House |
| 26 | 9787513348744 | 2022-11 | The Seventh Day | Yu Hua | New Star Press Co., Ltd. |
| 27 | 9787572616099 | 2024-03 | The Journey to the South | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 28 | 9787020164776 | 2020-07 | A Late Bloomer | Mo Yan | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 29 | 9787541161834 | 2022-07 | Notebook of a Grave Robber (1) | Nanpai Sanshu | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 30 | 9787530221570 | 2024-03 | Chronicle of a Blood Merchant | Yu Hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, November 2024
| November 2024 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 9787521768923 | 2024-11 | The Engineer’s Spirit: BYD at Thirty (1994-2024) | Qin Shuo, Xiong Yuejia | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 2 | 9787122450791 | 2024-04 | Comic The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine | Zhang Jiaming, Wang Jing | Chemical Industry Press |
| 3 | 9787557033118 | 2024-06 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Late Ming Dynasty and the Early Qing Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 4 | 9787020084357 | 2011-04 | I and the Temple of Earth | Shi Tiesheng | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 5 | 9787557031589 | 2023-11 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Ming Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 6 | 9787111495482 | 2015-04 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga | China Machine Press |
| 7 | 9787559490742 | 2024-11 | Beyond the Music: Road to JJ20 | JJ Lin | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 9787536094352 | 2021-09 | My Altay | Li Juan | Flower City Press |
| 9 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 10 | 9787557030162 | 2023-05 | If History were a Group of Cats: Late Yuan and Early Ming Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 11 | 9787576715842 | 2024-09 | There Will Be No More Conspiracies In The World | Wen Fei | Harbin Institute of Technology Press |
| 12 | 9787557027063 | 2022-04 | If History were a Group of Cats: Song, Liao, Jin Dynasty and the Western Xia Regime | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 13 | 9787557020149 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: Three Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 14 | 9787513357685 | 2024-10 | Real Demands | Liang Ning | New Star Press Co., Ltd. |
| 15 | 9787540483432 | 2017-11 | Jottings in Sickbed (Commemorative Edition 2021) | Shi Tiesheng | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 16 | 9787557028657 | 2022-10 | If History were a Group of Cats: Southern Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 17 | 9787557020132 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: The End of Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 18 | 9787557024413 | 2021-05 | If History were a Group of Cats: Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 19 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 20 | 9787557023041 | 2020-10 | If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 21 | 9787502078942 | 2021-05 | Talmud | Guo Yongshui | Emergency Management Press |
| 22 | 9787521760323 | 2024-02 | Timelines of World History | Dorling Kindersley Limited | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 23 | 9787557021856 | 2020-05 | If History were a Group of Cats: Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 24 | 9787557017477 | 2019-02 | If History were a Group of Cats: Qin, Chu, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 25 | 9787557025847 | 2021-11 | If History were a Group of Cats: Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 26 | 9787521758399 | 2023-09 | Elon Musk | Walter Isaacson | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 27 | 9787550207516 | 2012-06 | Illustrate the World: Travelling Around China | Editing Group of This Book | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 28 | 9787020135639 | 2018-03 | I and the Temple of Earth | Shi Tiesheng | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 29 | 9787557030599 | 2023-06 | If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
| 30 | 9787115543424 | 2020-09 | Cognitive Awakening: The Driving Force Behind Self-Change | Zhou Ling | Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House |
OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, November 2024
| November 2024 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 9787530778494 | 2024-09 | Comic Teen Adventures: The Way of the Wolf (4 volumes) | Kou Qiankun | New Buds Publishing House |
| 2 | 9787559728920 | 2023-02 | Backbone of Nation: The Scientific Life of Chinese Academicians and The Development History of Chinese Science | Academic Divisions of The Chinese Academy of Sciences | Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 3 | 9787556882236 | 2024-08 | Treasure Hunting in Jilin | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 4 | 9787532767373 | 2014-08 | Charlotte’s Web | Elwyn Brooks White | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 5 | 9787556878871 | 2023-11 | Treasure Hunting in Shanxi | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 6 | 9787570544394 | 2024-07 | Comic Physics and Chemistry Enlightenment Book | Sun Jing | Jiangxi Education Press |
| 7 | 9787500178415 | 2024-06 | Physics Comic Enlightenment | Planet Culture | China Translation & Publishing Corporation |
| 8 | 9787500179795 | 2024-07 | Chemistry Comic Enlightenment | Planet Culture | China Translation & Publishing Corporation |
| 9 | 9787533274269 | 2013-08 | Guess How Much I Love You | Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 10 | 9787533264062 | 2010-12 | Let’s Get Mung Beans, Momma! | Zeng Yangqing, Wan Huaguo | Tomorrow Publishing House |
| 11 | 9787556869589 | 2023-01 | Treasure Hunting in Beijing | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 12 | 9787556869602 | 202302 | Treasure Hunting in Chongqing | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 13 | 9787556869572 | 2023-01 | Treasure Hunting in Shanghai | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 14 | 9787556869848 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Heilongjiang | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 15 | 9787536574366 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 9787536574373 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 17 | 9787536574397 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 18 | 9787536574380 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy? | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 19 | 9787556869596 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Tianjin | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 20 | 9787559706522 | 2018-05 | The Foolish and the Unhappy (With Chinese Pinyin) | Ren Rongrong | Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 21 | 9787556869695 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Yunnan | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 22 | 9787521334876 | 2022-05 | Pip and Posy: The Birthday Party | Axel Scheffler | Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press |
| 23 | 9787556869855 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Neimenggu | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 24 | 9787556869640 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Zhejiang | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 25 | 9787556869626 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Sichuan | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 26 | 9787556869831 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Hainan | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 27 | 9787556869749 | 2023-02 | Treasure Hunting in Liaoning | Jingding Comic | 21st Century Press Group |
| 28 | 9787536587731 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Trouble of the New Deskmate | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
| 29 | 9787513585828 | 2017-06 | Pip and Posy: The New Friend | Axel Scheffler | Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press |
| 30 | 9787521312201 | 2019-12 | Pip and Posy: The Christmas Tree | Axel Scheffler | Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, November 2024
| November 2024 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 9787541160868 | 2021-09 | The Vegetarian | Han Kang | Korea | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 2 | 9787201112695 | 2017-03 | Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse | Germany | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 3 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 4 | 9787513348362 | 2022-08 | Look Back | Tatsuki Fujimoto | Japan | New Star Press Co., Ltd. |
| 5 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| 6 | 9787521748239 | 2022-12 | Goodbye, Eri | Tatsuki Fujimoto | Japan | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 7 | 9787201141527 | 2018-10 | Strait is the Gate | Andre Gide | France | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 9787208061644 | 2006-04 | The Kite Runner | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 9 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 10 | 9787559489357 | 2024-10 | The City and Its Uncertain Walls | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 9787544298995 | 2020-09 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 12 | 9787541165320 | 2023-02 | My Woman’s Fruits | Han Kang | Korea | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 13 | 9787201142708 | 2018-12 | Klingsor’s Last Summer | Hermann Hesse | Germany | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 14 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 15 | 9787544269452 | 2021-12 | Malice (2022 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 16 | 9787511379054 | 2019-10 | The Moon and Sixpence | William Somerset Maugham | Britain | China Overseas Chinese Press |
| 17 | 9787573500014 | 2021-11 | The Devotion of Suspect X (2022 Edition) | Keigo Higashino | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 18 | 9787530217054 | 2017-12 | The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | Brazil | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 19 | 9787541163760 | 2022-09 | The White Book | Han Kang | Korea | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 20 | 9787532175512 | 2020-05 | 13 Steps | Kazuaki Takano | Japan | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, November 2024
| November 2024 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 9787111495482 | 2015-04 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga | Japan | China Machine Press |
| 2 | 9787559490742 | 2024-11 | Beyond the Music: Road to JJ20 | JJ Lin | Singapore | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 3 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Britain | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 4 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 5 | 9787521760323 | 2024-02 | Timelines of World History | Dorling Kindersley Limited | Britain | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | 9787521758399 | 2023-09 | Elon Musk | Walter Isaacson | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 7 | 9787516837375 | 2024-01 | There’s An Elephant In Every Mosquito: Why We Don’t Get Upset About Little Things For No Reason | Ernstfried Hanisch, Eva Wunderer | Germany | Taihai Publishing House |
| 8 | 9787522200514 | 2021-05 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 9 | 9787521762181 | 2024-04 | The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI | Fei-Fei Li | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 10 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline (Revised Edition) | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 11 | 9787521768527 | 2024-08 | Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 12 | 9787535780348 | 2015-05 | Why Nations Fail | Janmes A. Robinson | United States of America | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 13 | 9787201151656 | 2019-10 | A Room of One’s Own | Virginia Woolf | Britain | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 14 | 9787521741124 | 2022-04 | The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness | Eric Jorgenson | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 15 | 9787574217324 | 2024-02 | Why Is Hunger Good? | Yumi Ishihara | Japan | Tianjin Science & Technology Press |
| 16 | 9787111551447 | 2016-12 | The Red Book | Carl Gustav Jung, Sonu Shamdasani | Switzerland | China Machine Press |
| 17 | 9787111735779 | 2024-01 | My father before me :how fathers and sons influence each other throughout their lives | Michael J. Diamond | United States of America | China Machine Press |
| 18 | 9787108009821 | 1998-07 | 1587, A Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | United States of America | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 19 | 9787521719253 | 2020-08 | The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) | Philippa Perry | Britain | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
| 20 | 9787508633558 | 2012-07 | Thinking, Fast and Slow | Daniel Kanneman | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co., Ltd. |
A conference series program at November’s 11th China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair, directed by Donna Chai in cooperation with Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s Elena Pasoli and Bologna Book Plus’ Jacks Thomas. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson
Notes on the Charts
OpenBook
is a privately owned industry-data research firm based in Beijing. It functions somewhat as Nielsen and NDP do from the West, and Nielsen Book Research International has worked with OpenBook in Asian operations. With authoritative data and information resources, OpenBook is able to deliver consulting service to partners who would like to explore the Chinese book market and identify suitable partners.
At last report, OpenBook monitored more than 18,000 online and offline bookstores.
The online channel includes digital retailers such as large self-operated online stores, platform stores, and small- and medium-sized stores. The offline channels include more than 4,800 bookstores. Coverage includes most of the state-owned and influential privately owned bookstores in 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet are not included in OpenBook’s system.
In 2022, OpenBook tracked around 76.21 billion RMB in sales (US$10.62 billion).
Retail outlets include:
- Traditional bookstores
- Supermarkets
- Campus bookstores
- “Professional” stores, said to be small stores with a specific industrial or trade focus
- Airport stores
In addition, OpenBook is drawing data from online bookstores of three main types:
- The “Tmall” stores of Alibaba (Tmall is described as a marketplace of companies that create storefronts online to sell products including books)
- The “JingDong” Stores of JD.com (similar to Tmall as a marketplace of both individual companies and bookstores operated by JD.com)
- Ten independent online bookselling retailers
China has 500 or more publishers in operation today. Most of them are government-owned. Private publishers are required to generate ISBNs for their titles from a publishing company that is government-owned—which, in other words, creates a system in which all ISBNs are registered through government channels. The government approves each book published in China.
More China bestseller reports from Publishing Perspectives are here, and more on the Chinese book publishing market is here.
About the Author
