Bringing target readers to book
- By Zhang Junmian
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 16, 2013
She added: "It's not entirely easy, culturally. But it would be more effective if there's more focus."
When discussing how an author can be successful in increasing his or her appeal to readers either at home or abroad, Feldman stressed the importance of content. "The great, great literature is universal," she stressed. ""Authors just need to worry about writing their best [work]. Great writers never sit down and think that they want to increase their readership in China (or other countries) and how to write their books to do that. Chinese writers just need to do the best writing they can."
To prove the point, Feldman cited the example of renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, whom she interviewed several years ago. Achebe, who wrote more than 20 books during his lifetime, saw his 1958 debut novel "Things Fall Apart", an examination of colonialism's impact on Africa, sell more than 10 million copies. The book was also translated into more than 50 languages and has been taught in many schools and universities in the United States.
Feldman stated that Achebe's motivation to create this work stemmed from his need to write. "It was a book he had to write," she said. "That's the job of writers. I think that Achebe wrote to understand himself, his heritage, and out of a need to communicate what he thought and felt and learned with others -- there was never any specific thought that he had to get readers in the United States."
The imbalance which has existed in recent years between China's book imports and exports has now been rectified, as overseas readers have become increasingly interested in books reflecting the country's social and economic development, as well as its literature, Kungfu and cuisine.
Statistics from the former General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) show that in 2011, the number of book titles imported (mostly in English) and exported by China was 14,708 and 5,922, respectively, up 7.2 percent and 52.6 percent respectively over 2010's figures. The ratio stood at 2.5 imports for every export in 2011, compared with about 15:1 in 2003.
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