I tore a tendon in my hand, though not serious I must cut back on keyboard time. With 36% more visits last month compared to the previous maximum and a solid Top Ten ranking in Google for “China media”, it wasn’t an easy decision, but…

Daily updates on the blog will take a time-out for a month, with maybe a post now and then. I’ll be back after the Chinese October holidays.

Torsten Weise alias weishutong

PS: Thanks to all those who do “like” the Facebook page!

Source: “Chinese Character Bank” program launched (in Chinese)

• The digital reading pen will be promoted in primary and secondary schools, especially in underdeveloped regions.
• The “English” Internet teaching materials will provide a personalized and interactive classroom for users in a digital environment.
• The collaborative translation platform is to improve translation effectiveness and to promote the “going out” of Chinese culture.

The launch of these three products is to become a symbol for role transformation of the publishing house from traditional educational publisher to educational service provider.

Source: Three digital products of Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press are paid attention to  (in Chinese)

For a more detailed description, see this article on Sohu.

Source: 18th Beijing International Book Fair wraps up (in Chinese)

Han Han never ran a special column in any magazine before and had no plan to become lead author before creating “Party”, but why does he make an exception now? Some assume it’s for monetary reasons, some think that he needs a platform to express his viewpoints.

The new bi-monthly magazine called Private (“私”) will focus on the discussions of private topics and carry out further analysis. Compared with new media, the paper media will become a better channel for Han Han to stay popular due to its bigger influence.

Source: Hanhan opens special column in magazine after “Party” (in Chinese)

At present, Shanda Literature has six original literature webs enjoying over 71% market share and its Cloud Bookstore which offers copyrighted digital books available to mobile phone and Shanda’s Bambook. In February, the company launched a new digital publishing cooperation method for publishers to build “booths” in the Cloud Bookstore.

Source: Diverse development roadmaps brought harvest to SNDA  (in Chinese)

Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP): new content channels and technology for overseas markets.
To make its products more suitable for overseas markets, FLTRP has adapted content to different media formats and explored new markets such as television, Internet and mobile terminals, e.g. it cooperated with Phoenix Channel (Europe) to launch the “Studio Confucius Classroom” to teach Chinese in over 50 countries. FLTRP is also building an international culture exchange platform combining content management, translations, academic publication and so on.

Longyuan Journal: focus on small programs
Longyuan Journal, which is currently offering more than 3,000 digital editions of magazines domestically, is concentrating on developing small programs for the overseas market, using foreign labour resources to operate them. For example, the latest foreign-oriented program “CBS China Business Source” is a package of Chinese business information in English whose Kindle edition will be launched soon.

China Written Works Copyright Society (CWWCS): collectively “going out” for larger benefits
On the on hand, collectively “going out” can reduce costs and raise reputation in overseas market quicker. On the other hand, the government should offer financial subsidies to support its “go out” strategy. According to Zhang Hongbo, the Deputy Director-General of CWWCS, they are communicating with international collective copyright management organizations and digital publishing companies in order to improve cooperation and increase the benefit for Chinese writers and works.

Source: The roads of Chinese digital publishing export (in Chinese)

Comment:
New formats and channels, technology, international collective agreements… Add new corporate flexibility after restructuring, top-government support based on a political goal (12th Five-year plan) and heaps of money, then you can imagine what the next years will bring.

Also see these previous posts:
Digital Publishing in China in the next five years: 6 focal areas of development
China Publishing Blue Book: six development trends in 2011
China’s publishing industry: “going out” success factors

Focus on both domestic and foreign markets
At present, China’s publishing companies participate in book fairs in over 40 countries each year, helping Chinese publications enter into over 190 countries and regions.

Policy support
[Apart from general political support see post "National People’s Congress proposal: Develop and export Chinese culture"], programs such as the Central Cultural Export Incentives Funds and Overseas Investment Subsidy for Cultural Export Companies support the export of Chinese publications.

Building international brands
The “go out” strategy of Chinese publishers has turned from simple copyright trade to building a global business pattern, for example, People’s Health Publishing House has bought a Canadian medical publication company with 36 dealers around the world.

Digital publishing
Export of digital publications has became a new trend, for example, Encyclopedia of China Publishing House and VARTEC of Belgium’s University of Ghent have cooperated in launching the “Encyclopedia of China” online edition in Europe, and Tsinghua Tongfang’s CNKI datebase has been exported to Europe and enjoyed overseas sales growth for five years consecutively.

Source: Strategic revolution promotes Chinese publications export  (in Chinese)

Also see these previous posts:
Factors influencing China’s book import & export
China: Market analysis of imported books

• Book export channels and paths are more diversified and books on learning Chinese are very popular.
• Digitalization of book publishing develops well, impacting traditional import and export.
• Logistics channels of export are affected by e-commerce, and many foreign publishers intend to make e-books more popular in China’s market to take advantage of the rapid digital transformation.

Facing the changes brought by digitalization, book import & export enterprises should make full use of their resource advantages, enhance channel establishment and adjust workflows and development models, so as to realize the transformation and upgrade.

Currently, more Chinese books are in demand in foreign book markets, intensifying competition among book import & export institutions. For book import companies, market order should be paid more attention to.

Source: Market analysis on book import & export in 2010 (in Chinese)

Also see these previous posts:
China’s copyright trade improving
China: Market analysis of imported books

Also see this previous post:
18th Beijing International Book Fair opened