Kids’ Books Ahead of Shanghai’s Book Fair

A bid for children’s success boosts ‘comic+’ and other books for kids among parents, as seen in the China’s September bestseller lists.

The towers of Shanghai emerge above morning clouds. The 11th China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair — a collaboration with Bologna Children’s Book Fair and Bologna Book Plus — runs Novmeber 15 to 17. Image – Getty: Mag 1c Zhou

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Books for Children That Help Out Parents

With the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair opening soon to run November 15 to 17, we take a look today (November 6) at a couple of key points being spotlighted by our market-research associates at Beijing OpenBook on trends in mainland China’s September book-market data.

‘Treasure Hunting in Jilin,’ No. 1 on the September children’s bestsellers list in China

Of special interest are the comic+ phenomenon in the Chinese market, a term that refers to comic books that address parents’ concerns about what we’re told are three areas of their children’s development:

• “Pioneering spirit”
• Etiquette
• Social Skills

In September Treasure Hunting in Jilin, published by the 21st Century Press Group, was ranked at No. 1 in the OpenBook children’s book bestsellers.

‘Backbone of a Nation: The Scientific Life of Chinese Academicians and The Development History of Chinese Science,’ No. 2 on the children’s bestseller’s list in September

Overall, this and other comic+ books continued to make a strong showing in the children’s market, with works by award-winning authors drawing significant attention.

If anything, “pioneering spirit” now is taking on a somewhat wider context in these books’ classifications, with parents calling for insights into boosting self-motivation in many of their children.

The exploration of self-motivation apparently is a concern many parents have for their children. And an August release, Self-Discipline Changes Destiny: Making Your Child a Top Student Starts With Self-Discipline, debuted on the charts in short-video social-media channels (though we have not seen it appear yet on this series of bestseller rankings).

Where we do see movement is in titles including Comic Teen Adventures: The Way of the Wolf, a four-volume series that “promotes the spirit of determination through cartoon comics,” our associates say, “awakening the inner drive of children.” That one is ranked No. 4 on the September bestsellers list in children’s content, a book by Kou Qiankun from New Buds Publishing House.

‘Guess How Much I Love You,’ No. 3 on the September children’s bestseller list

Another key feature in children’s books in China, especially as they have to do with parents’ perceptions of their kids’ needs, has to do with the National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award, which was created in 1986 and is designed “to encourage children’s literature creation and promote the prosperity of children’s literature.”

A series named for the award focuses on winning authors seemed to perform well in September on the market, and may  be identifiable in the bestseller appearances of some books going forward.

Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from September 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.

A bookstore in Hangzhou, set in the Qiaoxi historical district near the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Image – Getty: Mark Zhu

OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, September 2024

OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, September 2024

OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, September 2024

Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, September 2024

Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, September 2024

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.