• 2024-10-31

The National Central Library, in collaboration with the Taiwan Digital Publishing Alliance and the Taipei Book Fair Foundation, jointly hosted an international forum on “Trends and Changes in the Publishing Industry in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan after the Pandemic” on October 2, 2024. This forum examined the significant impacts of the global pandemic on the publishing industry and explored trends in digital publishing and reading. Six prominent publishing professionals and experts from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan were invited to share insights, discuss the current state of the international publishing industry, and exchange experiences.

The event commenced with opening remarks by Ms. Wen-Chen Pong, Chairperson of the Taiwan Digital Publishing Alliance and CEO of Global Views - Commonwealth Publishing Group. Ms. Pong highlighted that the event was made possible through collaboration facilitated by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation, bringing together publishing professionals and experts from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The forum focused on sharing insights into trends in the international e-book market, analyzing the current state of the industry, and exchanging experiences regarding policy implementation, fostering mutual learning and cooperation.

During the morning session, Mr. Tatsuro Imura, Deputy Director of Kodansha Japan, presented the current growth trends in Japan's e-book market. He generously shared insights into the company's electronic manga publishing workflow and its development journey. This included the shift toward simultaneous print and digital releases, followed by the unification of pricing between print and digital formats, which led to significant sales growth during the pandemic. This strategy ultimately achieved the goal of maximizing profitability across all products. Following this, Mr. Woong-Joon Chae, Senior Researcher at the Korean Publishers Association, provided an overview of the implementation of Korea's fixed book pricing system. He elaborated on the impact and challenges faced by publishers and libraries under this policy. Lastly, Mr. Min-I Ho, Chairman of Locus Publishing, analyzed Korea's experience with the fixed book pricing system. He highlighted its benefits in promoting the development of independent bookstores and fostering fair competition for younger generations in the publishing industry, which in turn creates greater space for innovation.

The afternoon session began with Ms. Junko Kamata, President of Voyager Japan, leading a presentation on the current state of Japan's e-book market. She shared insights into her company’s digital publishing production workflows, marketing strategies, and competitive advantages. Following this, Mr. Seung-Kyu Kim, Researcher at the Korean Publishers Association, analyzed the current state of Korea's e-book market and discussed consumer reading habits. Finally, Ms. Yi-Fang Lai, Division Chief at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, presented a statistical analysis of Taiwan’s e-book market, highlighting its current status and development trends.

This lecture, attended by over 200 participants from various regions, including publishing professionals and readers interested in e-book development trends, was a resounding success. The event fostered active discussions through online interactions, particularly on topics such as book pricing systems and the application of AI in digital publishing, marking a perfect end to the event.