Beijing prepares for book fair bonanza

Digital publishing will be high on the agenda when the Beijing International Book Fair kicks off next week.

The Beijing event - which will run from August 30 to September 3 at the China International Exhibition Center - has in recent years established itself in behind the likes of the Frankfurt Book Fair in terms of importance as the Chinese publishing market opens up to the outside world.

Much of that, of course, has to do with money, with the Chinese publishing industry estimating more than 200,000 new titles are released in the country each year. Not surprisingly, given technological advances, more and more of those are also being seen in a digital format.

Digital publishing turned over almost 80 billion yuan (nine billion euros) in mainland China last year - up from just over 50 billion yuan (six billion euros) the year before, and the country's publishing houses have been quick to get on the act.

Shanda Literature Group - the nation's largest publishing house - recently released its own e-reader, the Bambook, and its e-bookstore offers an estimated three million titles.

"[A] new historical period has arrived, and digital publication is facing unprecedented opportunities,'' Sun Shoushan, deputy director of China's General Administration of Press and Publication, told the recent China Digital Publication Annual Conference 2010.

Last year's Beijing fair drew an estimated 200,000 people through its doors and showcased more than 150,000 titles. This year's event has attracted around 1,800 exhibits.

17th Beijing International Book Fair
August 30- September 3
China International Exhibition Center
http://www.chinabookinternational.cn

MS