Bringing target readers to book
- By Zhang Junmian
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 16, 2013
Chinese publishers need to engage in long-term research in specific countries and understand their target market and readers as well in order to increase their share of the global book market, New York-based author and correspondent of "The Bookseller" Gayle Feldman told China.org.cn in an exclusive interview on May 8.
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Gayle Feldman, New York-based author and correspondent of "The Bookseller", receives an exclusive interview with China.org.cn on May 8, 2013. [China.org.cn] |
Feldman, who first came to China in 1982, worked in Chinese publishing houses in Beijing and Shanghai from 1984 to 1985, and visited a half-dozen other times, shared her views on how China can introduce more Chinese authors and books into the global market.
Stressing the importance of discovering the interest of target readers, Feldman said: "To increase the appeal of their books to international readers, Chinese publishers should pay close attention to what's happening in other countries. They should understand their markets and know their readers well, including what they are thinking about, their cultures, situations and what appeals to them."
She continued: "It's up to Chinese publishers to find ways to educate themselves about what the market is in the United States, Britain or any other country, and pool their resources so that the book can have a chance and the deal can have a chance."
Feldman cautioned, however, that simply attending international book fairs with a delegation for one or two weeks at a time is not the best way to learn. That is evident, often, in stands, where books are included that are of no interest to U.S. publishers and readers.
She underlined that the solution lies in effective field research. "China needs to have people go to the United States (or the country to which it wants to export books), spend time there, and study what's going on. It would be great if an editor could stay in a publishing house for a year, to see, really see what has been done, how things are changing, what people are buying, what people won't buy, see how it works online, what's happening in bookselling online, and talk to people and get informed. It's really important," Feldman emphasized.
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