China’s two largest publishers may have shunned Asia’s largest book fair, but for many exhibitors mainland Chinese global publishing ambitions are dominating discussions about future strategy.
“Chinese publishers want to reach out to buy more licences, and licences for children’s books from the UK and the US have been especially popular,” said Maisan Leung, marketing manager at Oxford University Press China, an exhibitor at the Hong Kong Book Fair. “The Chinese book market has traditionally been state-controlled but it is now opening up.”
Publishing executives said the absence of Phoenix Publishing & Media Group and China South Publishing & Media Group showed that these industry heavyweights are probably still focused on acquisitions.