Publishing Industry

China’s publishing industry has grown rapidly over the past four decades, with the number of publishing houses increasing from 105 to over 580, data from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) showed.

In 2017 alone, nearly 500,000 varieties of books were published, compared with 15,000 in 1978. A total of 9.24 billion copies were printed, generating a total sales volume of 370.4 billion yuan ($53.5 billion), according to the NPPA.

Since reform and opening up, China’s publishing industry has evolved in areas of management, ownership, cultural products and services, and integration with other sectors, said NPPA official Liu Xiaokai at an event commemorating the publishing industry’s development.

Brick and mortar bookstores in China have taken the path of integrated development and trans- formation and upgrading, thanks to favorable policies introduced in recent years, said Liu.

Ai Limin, Director General of the Books and Periodicals Distribution Association of China, said that it has become a mainstream trend for bookstores to promote the integration of online and offline stores.

Multiple publishing patterns, including traditional print publishing and emerging electronic, digital, Internet and big data publishing, have changed the way people read.

Director General of the Publishers Association of China Liu Binjie suggested that the publishing industry adopt advanced technologies to foster a new reading mode.

Li Guoqing, founder of ecommerce platform Dangdang.com, pledged to make efforts in the areas of original online content, e-books, videos and audio books in the next three years.