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TOPIC ON THE PAGE 1
SHOW DAILY
WEDNESDAY, 16 October 2019 | FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR | publishingperspectives.com
Olga Tokarczuk Opens the Fair
Winner of the recently announced 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature, Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk
opens the 2019 Frankfurter Buchmesse alongside WIPO director general Francis Gurry.
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BOOK FAIR 2019
2 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
From the Editor:
Welcome to Frankfurt 2019 as
Books ‘Burst Their Covers’
ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE
Publishing Perspectives is the leading source
of information about the global book publishing
I
business. Since 2009, we have been publishing
n agenda-setting commentary from Frankfurter daily email editions with news and features from
Buchmesse’s director at the opening press con- around the book world.
ference of the 2019 fair on Tuesday, Juergen Boos Our mission is to help build and contribute
quoted French symbolist Stéphane Mallarmé: “Ev- to the international publishing community by
erything in the world exists only to be put into a offering information that publishing and media
book.” And in an interview with Publishing Perspec- professionals need to connect, cooperate, and
tives after that news conference, keynote speaker work together year-round and across borders.
Francis Gurry, chief of the Geneva-based World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), said, Publisher: Hannah Johnson
“That book has burst its covers.” Editor-in-Chief: Porter Anderson
The way, then, has been prepared for today’s Advertising Manager: Meike Eckern
(Wednesday) centerpiece event, the 2 p.m. CEO
Talk with Netflix International Originals’ Kelly Kelly Luegenbiehl, Netflix Contributors to this issue:
Olivia Snaije
Luegenbiehl, whose films and series routinely pre-
Roger Tagholm
miere at the same hour on the same day—in 190
countries. about his new AI initiative, the questions of 2019’s
Photography: Johannes Minkus
As Boos and Gurry had demonstrated, the Frankfurt posed by Tokarczuk and Boos—and by
stunning speed of global digital distribution now is Netflix’s Luegenbiehl (see our Thursday Show Dai- Distribution:
racing headlong into conflict with what the new- ly)—couldn’t be clearer: Will digital opportunity Frank and Petra Hörnig
ly minted 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate overwhelm books? Or can the industry learn to
Olga Tockarczuk movingly described as the cre- protect its IP and ride these tech waves in a churn- Publishing Perspectives
ative imperative: “Literature is so slow,” she said ing sea of content? a project of the Frankfurt Book Fair New York
through an interpreter. “I sometimes ask myself 30 Irving Place, 4th Floor
whether it’s even possible to describe this world.” New York, NY 10003 USA
All is not bleak, just urgent. The outgoing Porter Anderson
Borsenverein chief Heinrich Riethmüller report- Editor-in-Chief
ed that nonfiction books in Germany are seeing a
boost in sales of 9.6 percent this year. “The mood in Sign up to receive to our daily email news at:
the industry is good,” he told us. publishingperspectives.com/subscribe
And in our interview with WIPO’s Gurry
Event Highlights: Wednesday, October 16
Frankfurt EDU Conference Matchmaking with Taiwanese Publishers PublisHer Salon: International Network
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. of Comics and Graphic Novels for Women in Publishing
Congress Center, Level 2, 11:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Rooms Spektrum and Conclusio Taiwan Stand, Hall 3.0 H45 Guest of Honor Pavilion, Stage 2
Forum Level 1
Under this year’s theme of “Diversity – New Learn- Meet face-to-face with Taiwanese publishers of
ing Concepts for Heterogeneous Societies,” Frank- comics and graphic novels to build professional Join this networking event to meet other women
furt EDU conference speakers will discuss the need networks and discuss rights. This session is spe- working in international publishing and hear suc-
for new learning concepts to address the increasing cially planned for publishers of comics and graphic cessful women from different world regions share
diversity in today’s classrooms and societies. novels to share their beautiful images and stories. their professional experiences. This is a PublisHer
event, aimed at empowering women in publishing.
Publishing Perspectives Talks: Presentation of NORLA’s 2019
Publishing and the Climate Crisis Translator’s Award Finnland Cool & Happy
10:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m. 2:45 – 3:00 p.m. 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
International Stage, Hall 5.1 A128 Main Stage, Guest of Honor Pavilion Frankfurt Pavilion, Agora
Hear an agent, an author, a translator, and an editor NORLA - Norwegian Literature Abroad annually Five years ago, Finland was the guest of honor at
present books about climate and the environment. awards a prize valued at 20,000 Norwegian kroner Frankfurt Book Fair under the slogan FINNLAND.
Speakers will discuss the growing trend of climate to a talented young translator who has contributed COOL. This year organizers are revisiting Frank-
books and the book industry’s role in addressing significantly to the translation of Norwegian litera- furt to say hello to friends from 2014 and to show
the global climate crisis. ture into foreign languages. what has happened Finnish literature since then.
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019
TOPIC ON THE PAGE 3 PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019
4 RIGHTS & AGENTS
Books On Offer in the Festhalle: LitAg Rights Buzz
Carolyn Bodkin Izumi Yoshioka and Takeshi Oyama
Olivia Snaije many with Heyne Verlag, and has love story. young woman works as a fortune
sold to Planeta in Spain. The agency is also selling Andrea teller in a bar. She is often accom-
“Since it was an embargoed book Tarabbia’s novel, Madrigale Senza panied by a cat who comes and goes
T he Literary Agents & Scouts
Centre (LitAg), located this year
in the historic Festhalle near the
this is the first week we’re going live
with it,” said Carolyn Bodkin.
Also in non-fiction, Harper-
Suono (Soundless Madrigal), which
was published by Bollati Boringhieri
and won the 2019 Campiello prize.
in the bar. One day the fortune tell-
er disappears. One of Sukagawa’s
former books, Tokyo Delicacies, was
Fair’s entrance, on Tuesday morn- Collins is selling Love Yourself Like Set in the 16th century, it recounts adapted for film and presented at the
ing was filling up with agents and Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ra- the true story of Carlo Gesualdo, a Cannes Film Festival in 2015.
publishers. Agents were happy with vikant, on the transformative power nobleman who wrote madrigals but
their new location, but some pub- of self-love. Originally a self-pub- also murdered his wife who was be- Copenhagen Literary Agency
lishers were late to appointments lished book that sold 300,000 copies, traying him. Monica Gram at the Copenha-
not having realized the LitAg had the HarperCollins edition is a revised Back in contemporary Naples, gen Literary Agency is selling Icelan-
moved. The Publisher’s Rights Cor- edition. It has sold in Germany, the film director and author Roberto dic crime author Ragnar Jónasson’s
ner this year is one floor up in a sep- Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, Japan, Andó’s forthcoming Il Bambino Na- White Death, the sequel to his Hulda
arate room. the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. scosto, (The Hidden Child) is about series, about a female detective.
In commercial women’s fiction a friendship that develops between Also in fiction, Gram represents
HarperCollins HarperCollins points out the “new, a tormented man and a young boy Danish author Anne-Sophie Lund-
The HarperCollins team from talented voice” of Liv Constantine, fleeing the Neapolitan mafia. ing-Sørenson whose Happy Hour, the
New York—which includes Carolyn (the pen name of sisters Lynne and last book in her trilogy set in the un-
Bodkin, Catherine Barbosa Ross, Valerie Constantine) and the debut Japan UNI Agency derbelly of Denmark, is just out. TV
Janice Suguitan and Kate Falkoff— thriller, The Last Mrs. Parrish. At the Japan UNI Agency, and film rights have been optioned.
has a number of titles they’ll be Takeshi Oyama and Izumi Yoshioka In non-fiction, journalist Tom
selling, but two of the biggest are The Italian Literary Agency are selling Fumio Sasaki’s Goodbye Buk-Swienty had access to Danish
memoirs by Demi Moore and Deb- The Italian Literary Agency is Things, the New Japanese Minimalism, author Karen Blixen’s letters and
bie Harry. Demi Moore’s Inside Out, still riding high on the success of which has been published by Nor- a diary just released a year and half
co-written with Ariel Levy, was re- Antonio Scurati’s M, the Son of the ton. It’s a philosophical, deeper way ago. The result is The Lioness, Karen
leased September 24th and hit No. Century, which won the Strega Prize of thinking about simplifying your Blixen in Africa, an account of Karen
1 on the New York Times nonfiction last July. The agency is in Frankfurt life, said Oyama. Blixen’s life that is able to delve far
bestseller list in its first week. with a debut novel, L’Esercizio (The Musician, poet, and novelist deeper into her personal evolution.
Deals with Hungary, Russia, and Exercise) by Claudia Petrucci, sold at Durian Sukagawa’s new book The Rights have been sold to Penguin
Bulgaria have closed, and there have auction in Italy, to be published with Shinguku Cat is already selling well Verlag in Germany, Gaïa Editions
been offers in multiple territories. La Nave di Teseo in early 2020 as a in Asian countries. It’s the story of in France, and Ediciones del Viento
Debbie Harry’s Face It, published Oc- lead title. It’s described as a dramat- a tiny street in Tokyo’s Shinguku in Spain. Nordisk Film is developing
tober 1st released this week in Ger- ic psychological thriller that is also a neighborhood where a mysterious The Lioness as a feature film. •
Mariavittoria Puccetti Monica Gram
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019
TOPIC ON THE PAGE 5
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Don’t Miss The EU Digital Single Market Copyright Directive:
Licensing in the Digital Age
Sessions Wednesday 16 October, 11:30 to 12:00
Projekt DEAL and the Anatomy of a Transformative
Located at the Academic &
Agreement for Open Access Publishing
Business Information Stage Wednesday 16 October, 14:00 to 14:30
(Hall 4.2 N101)
Subscriptions, Rights & Open Access:
The Future of Transformative Agreements
Wednesday 16 October, 14:30 to 15:00
Better Data is Better Publishing (and Better Science, Too)
Thursday 17 October, 9:30 to 10:00
Visit us at
Hall 4.2 SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO EXPLORE TRENDS,
Stand E22 CHANGES AND CHALLENGES: copyright.com/blog
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019
6 NEWS FROM THE FAIR
Norway’s ‘Grounded’ Yet ‘Ephemeral’ Pavilion
pavilion design was held across the it all means is left to the viewer, but
country with the winning contract the table is always surrounded by
going to Oslo’s Manthey Kula and groups of people, smiling, smelling,
LCLA Office. Beate Holmebakk from and wondering.
the Kula office said that the idea was Speaking about all the tables,
to depict literature as “a space and a Holmebackk said: “We wanted the
landscape,” with each table “both ab- bottoms of the tables to be solid, like
stract and playfully narrative.” the grounding books give you, but
Each table’s design was inspired wanted the top to be more ephemer-
by poems published over the period al, like the kind of space we all inhab-
of a year by the Guest of Honor site it when we open a book.”
www.norway2019.com under the The pavilion also includes an in-
heading “Poems of the Week.” The triguing sculpture called “Witteng-
designers were keen to feature books stein’s boat,” which is just that—a
in the pavilion, but one of the most damaged wooden hulk behind which
popular tables was an intriguing art is a photograph of the philosopher
Norway’s Guest of Honor Pavilion in Forum, Level 1 installation by “smell researcher and rowing the boat on which the sculp-
(Image: Johannes Minkus) artist” Sissel Tolaas and the publisher ture is based. There is a typically
of the eponymous Norwegian pub- enigmatic quote from him: “My boat
lisher Erling Kagge. This consists is in the world, but the fact that is
By Roger Tagholm and imaginative journey through the of a table of what look like stainless my boat is no – it is not anywhere.”
country’s literature and land. steel pepper-pots, each of which Once again, what this all means it left
There are 23 tables, each with contain an intriguing smell. to the observer too.
W ith its sculptural tables whose
sweeps and curves represent
the poetry of the Norwegian land-
its own sculpture representing a
Norwegian poem. One table has a
grand arch and is called “the moun-
Each pepper-pot sits on a title
card, so there is “Cod, newly cooked,”
“Summer pigs in a field,” “Mother
Interestingly, this year, part of
the pavilion is to go on tour. The 23
tables have been donated to German
scape, its giant photographs of the tain held its breath;” others are like getting dressed for party, Saturday booksellers, which means that these
country’s forests, and its giant mir- storm-tossed trees from the coun- evening,” and the poetic “The first sweeping sculptures may yet find a
rored walls, this year’s pavilion from try’s north. kiss, she had gloss lips with fruity permanent home in one of the coun-
Guest of Honor Norway is a bold A competition to find the best peach flavour, probably 1975.” What try’s bookshops. •
3
Revi ew Prob
Frankfurt Rights Meeting: Focus on China 1
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Chinese publishing partners, this isput 9 poop bugs in an aq
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left in the aq
poop bug s
to grow, delegates heard at the relationships.” (TXDWLRQ ʹ
33rd Frankfurt Rights Meeting. The Guangyu (Tracy) Liu, director, Á
figures, presented by research body department of rights and interna-
Beijing OpenBook, are breath-tak- tional cooperation for China Ren- You have line
d up pieces o
3 bug’s poop on a table. 2 pi
ing. It says that for the first half of min University Press, tackled aca- many pieces of thethp
poo p bug ’s poop fell to
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2019, its print book market showed demic publishing. She said that therepoop remain left on the t
a growth rate of 10.2 percent com- were surprisingly few university (TXDWLRQ
pared with 2018, with the bulk of the presses—around 107 she thinks—and
growth coming from online sales, had some advice on reaching out 14 to
which showed a growth rate of 24.19 Yanping Jiang Wuping Zhao them. “Most major Chinese univer-
percent for the first half of this year. sity presses are profit sensitive, so
In a whistle-stop tour of the the influence of your author, the size
market by OpenBook’s CEO and it has shown a slight decline, with Public domain books are extremely of print-runs and editions, the other
vice chairperson Yanping Jiang, the works by Chinese authors growing popular with EB White’s Charlotte’s foreign rights you have sold are all
details came thick and fast. She noted in popularity. She also noted that Web selling more than one million good references that will be needed.”
that Amazon China has now official- were fewer new titles in the first copies last year. Echoing Zhao’s comments on
ly terminated its print book business half of 2019, down 6.22 percent on Among the most popular for- relationships, she concluded: “Re-
and that audio was up 42.9 percent the first half of 2018. “Chinese pub- eign writers are Kite Runner author lationships and friendships are
in 2018, while growth in ebooks in lishers are concentrating on quality Khaled Hosseini and the Japanese important in Chinese culture. Of
the same year was up a modest 3.7 rather than quantity,” she said. thriller writer Keigo Higashino. course, it is business, but if you have
percent. Children’s books are by far Wuping Zhao, deputy chief ed- Despite the growth in online sales, a genuine interest in learning more
the largest sector with 27.3 percent itor and vice president of Shanghai as opposed to bricks and mortar, about Chinese people and culture,
of the market, closely followed by Publishing House, continued the mentioned by Jiang, Zhao noted that most Chinese people can sense
social sciences with 25.57 percent. deluge of figures. There are 585 there are still in incredible 225,000 your good will and will reciprocate
Interestingly, she said that while state-owned publishing houses and physical bookstores across the coun- with warm friendship and good
works in translation are still popular, more than 10,000 private publishers. try. “Whether you choose to work business.” •
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019
TOPIC ON THE PAGE 7
8
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Practice Proble
8 TRANSLATION
Left to right: Elisabeth Jaquette (ALTA), Piero Salabè (Hanser Verlag) Lynn Gaspard
(Saqi Books), Adania Shibli (author), Daniel Medin (moderator). Image: Olivia Snaije
The Politics of Translation: ‘Arabic 2019 German Book
Literatures in Europe’ Prize Awarded to
Saša Stanišić
Olivia Snaije “You have to work with the readers of Arabic, we don’t grow By Hannah Johnson
translator to solve questions and up only reading Arabic literature.
contradictions. When something Translation is essential to us. And
O ver several days before the
Frankfurt Book Fair opened,
the independent KfW Stiftung held
doesn’t work it’s usually because
there’s an error in the translation or
something is opaque in the original
these translations sometimes push
the boundaries of the Arabic lan-
guage. It’s not about the literal
T his year’s German Book Prize,
one of the highest recognitions
of German-language fiction, goes
a short stories masterclass in the city manuscript.” If a manuscript is good, translation but the transformation to Bosnian-German writer Saša
of Frankfurt, in cooperation with the said Salabè “there shouldn’t need to of one’s Arabic from reading these Stanišić for his novel, Herkunft (Or-
Goethe-Institut in Cairo, for young be many changes.” translations from other languages.” igins), published by Luchterhand /
Arab writers. A closing conference Adania Shibli—whose latest Arabic-to-English translations Random House Germany in March.
in cooperation with Commonwealth book, Minor Detail was translated by in particular have changed over the In announcing the winner on
Writers took place on “The Politics Elisabeth Jaquette and will be pub- past 20 years, said Jaquette. Trans- Monday evening, October 14, the
of Translation, Arabic Literatures in lished in 2020 (Fitzcarraldo/New lators used to be students of Arabic, German Book Prize jury said about
Europe.” Directions)—said her editors don’t and Arabic literature was usually the book and Stanišić, “With great
Eleven writers (one Syrian writ- interfere much with her work. published by university presses. “To- humour, he counters the narratives
er was not granted a visa) attended “I tend to be a heavy editor my- day there’s a new generation of Ar- of historical misrepresentation with
and explored writing techniques, self … What is unsaid and not writ- abic translators more interested in his own stories.”
guided by Palestinian author Ada- ten is as important,” she said literature.” The publisher describes Herkunft
nia Shibli, while Lynn Gaspard, So how does one translate what And what of the outlook for Ar- with a quote from Stanišić himself:
publisher of Saqi Books in London, is unsaid? abic literatures in translation? “It is a book about language, moon-
discussed the publishing industry. “I believe in the collaborative ef- Salabè said he had hoped there lighting, youth and many summers.
Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany fort between the editor, translator, would be more interest Arabic liter- The summer when my grandfather
arrived on the last day to talk to the and writer,” said Jaquette. “In the ature in Germany given the presence trod on my grandmother’s foot
young writers and participate in a silences based on politics, cultural of Islamic and Arabic culture and while dancing in such a way that I
conversation moderated by Daniel background, and language, you can refugees, but “it remains a challenge was almost never born. The summer
Medin of the Center for Writers & assume the reader will fill in the … If the passion is there when you when I nearly drowned. The sum-
Translators at the American Univer- blanks, but with a different reader- translate, as a publisher you have to mer when Angela Merkel opened
sity in Paris. ship it can mean different things, and promote [the book] with equal pas- the borders and which was very like
Translator of Arabic to English there might need to be a shift.” sion. Any place can be the center of the summer when I fled across many
Elisabeth Jaquette, German edi- As far as the boundaries of lan- the world when literature is univer- borders to Germany.”
tor Piero Salabè (Hanser Verlag), guage go, Adania Shibli said, “as sal … I’m optimistic.” • This is the second time Stanišić
Adania Shibli, and Lynn Gaspard has received attention from the Ger-
discussed Arabic literatures and the man Book Prize. His debut novel,
politics of translation. Wie der Soldat das Grammofon repari-
There is an interventionist style ert (How the Soldier Repairs the Gram-
in the UK, France, Germany, and the ophone) was shortlisted for the 2006
US when it comes to editing a trans- prize. This semi-autobiographical
lation, said Gaspard, who explained novel of the Bosnian war became a
that most Arab publishers don’t bestseller in Germany and has been
edit much. “[Lebanese author] Elias translated into 31 languages.
Khoury says he looks forward to be- According to Random House
ing translated into English because Germany, foreign rights to Her-
that’s when he’s edited.” kunft had already been sold to Chi-
Piero Salabè who edits foreign na (Horizon), Croatia (Fraktura),
literature at Hanser Verlag said that France (Stock), Italy (Keller), and
because he can’t read the original Alaa Al Aswany with moderator Daniel Medin. Image: Olivia Snaije
Korea (EunHaeng NaMu) before the
text in Arabic, editing is not a given. prize announcement was made. •
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019
PHOTOS FROM THE FAIR 9
Ilze Micule at the Latvian stand, Hall 5.0 B79 hands out book fair survival kits, Brussels-based children’s book packager Book-A-Tale enjoys setting up their
including earplugs to “treat yourself to a moment of silence.” stand. From left: Lida Varvarousi, Agnes Verboven, and Marc Verheyen
(Image: Johannes Minkus) (Image: Johannes Minkus)
37 and counting! Travel publisher John Beaufoy has notched up 37 Frankfurts,
11 of them with his eponymous house John Beaufoy Publishing. “There is still a At the Rabén & Sjögren stand, Sofia Hahr and Åsa Bergman show their best Pippi
market for physical books,” he says proudly. (Image: Roger Tagholm) poses (Image: Johannes Minkus)
The Frankfurt Pavilion hosted a full crowd at Tuesday’s opening press conference, featuring WIPO general director Francis Gurry and Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk,
alongside Frankfurter Buchmesse director Juergen Boos and Heinrich Riethmüller, chairman of the board of the Börsenverein des deutschen Buchhandels
(Image: Johannes Minkus)
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019
10 ARABIC LITERATURE (SPONSORED)
Dr. Ali Bin Tamim: Encouraging Translation of
Arabic Literature and Academic Writing
Leading the recently announced Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Authority, Dr. Ali Bin Tamim wants
to provide more incentives for publishers to learn about and translate Arabic literature.
“We believe that a focus on timeless
globalized values in creative works
is a factor that can play a significant
role in bringing Arab literature to the
international literary scene.”
Dr. Ali Bin Tamim Dr. Ali Bin Tamim
(Image: Nabs Ahmedi)
By Porter Anderson and publish books translated from Is it possible to say that the biggest in Abu Dhabi—this could be viewed
multiple foreign languages into Ar- problem is political? Or are there as- as an under-utilized route that can
abic.” pects of the Arab world’s publishing raise the awareness and appeal of
I n the effort to see contemporary
Arabic literature properly rec-
ognized and introduced to a larg-
The plans for the new authority
follow the work of the Sheikh Zayed
Book Award, which annually awards
industries that complicate the issue?
Dr. Ali Bin Tamim: There are
multiple factors, apart from politics,
prime creative works in Arabic liter-
ature to the larger international base
of audiences.
er world readership, Dr. Ali Bin some US$1.9 million in prize mon- that impact the Arab publishing in- PP: As old biases fall in the
Tamim is one of the most widely ey and offers translation funding for dustry’s reach to the international widening cultural dialogue of inter-
appreciated. the winners of its children’s and lit- scene. national publishing and literature,
Since 2011, he has served as sec- erature categories. From our interaction with Arab where are the remaining hurdles?
retary general of the Sheikh Zayed The award was created in 2006 authors and writers, we see that not ABT: The orientalism move-
Book Award. And Bin Tamim also to commemorate the late Sheikh many of them view their works in a ment has definitely helped im-
chairs the very new Abu Dhabi Ar- Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, found- globalized perspective, and not many mensely to break long-standing mis-
abic Language Authority, just ap- ing president of the UAE and ruler of them aim in their works to reach conceptions and stereotypes about
proved by the emirate’s executive of Abu Dhabi. the larger international audience. Arabic culture and literature, and
council in July. This month, the first phase has While political tension may im- many have sensed this among aca-
According to state information begun in book evaluations for the pact the flow of works, its influence demic and cultural entities.
released to the media, the new au- 2020 Zayed awards, and longlists are is focused on short-lived subjects And yet what remains as the real
thority Bin Tamim leads puts into anticipated for November. and issues that touch on current issue is a lack of enough support and
place something like a European Publishing Perspectives had a events. Hence we believe that a focus investment in creative works that
language academy, responsible for chance to put several questions to on timeless globalized values in cre- bring together Eastern and Western
“developing strategic plans to ad- Bin Tamim about the rising inter- ative works is a factor that can play cultures, to support a common, glo-
vance the use of Arabic and publish national interest in Arabic literature a significant role in bringing Arab balized set of values.
scientific studies. ... and the Arab world’s book industry. literature to the international liter- So this underlines a dire need to
“The authority will also act as Publishing Perspectives: ary scene. support more translation initiatives;
a research center to support Arabic Help us define the challenges in get- And there are quite a lot of adopt an intellectual strategy driven
speakers [and] support translation ting Arabic content into the interna- bright examples in Arab literature jointly by public and private sectors;
from and to Arabic, and will issue tional publishing industry’s markets. that have reached a globalized status find solid channels of communica-
by building on cross-cultural values, tion with international cultural and
such as the works of Gibran Khalil literary bodies; establish creative
Gibran, Taha Hussein, Najuib Mah- clubs to bring together authors and
Sheikh Zayed Book fouz, and even the historical creative writers from all backgrounds; reas-
works like 1,001 Nights, The Epistle of sess our choices of translated works;
Award in Frankfurt
Forgiveness by Abu L-Ala’ Al-Ma’Ar- and adopt a wider perspective of
ri, and Hayy ibn Yaqzān by Ibn Tufail. nationalism in culture and literature
Pick up a rights guide to the
Another factor is academic that fits with a globalized perspective
award’s winners and learn
books’ reach. While some efforts are of creative works. •
about translation funding: made in translating Arabic academic
works for foreign students—such as
Hall 5.1 B150 the American University in Cairo This article is sponsored by the Sheikh
and New York University’s initiative Zayed Book Award.
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 11
WIPO’s Francis Gurry
Opens an AI Initiative:
‘Technology Should Not
Be the Master’
By Porter Anderson This is why, Gurry says, he’s
pleased with how quickly the mem-
ber-state consultations have gone
W hen it comes to high-level
views of what international
publishing faces today, few people
on an entirely new initiative that
WIPO, under his direction, is about
to reveal in a white paper Gurry
have anything close to the purview hopes can be available early next
of Francis Gurry, for 11 years now month.
the World Intellectual Property Or- At issue is artificial intelligence,
ganization director general. because AI could well be the most
Hearing Frankfurter Buchmesse daunting test of intellectual prop-
president and CEO Juergen Boos at erty’s protection, the end run of the
the fair’s opening press conference new digital paradigm for which the
talk about the accelerating “tran- disruption so far has been only a pre-
sition from the analog to the dig- lude.
ital and now to the networked, da- When content is being created
ta-driven age,” Gurry is ready with by something other than a human
apt eloquence about the effect on so rationale, so the reasoning goes,
many professionals in the creative how do we know whose intellectual
industries. property it really is?
“The term ‘Industrial Revolu- WIPO’s initial position paper
tion,’” he says, “wasn’t socialized un- in early November will open up the Francis Gurry (Image: Johannes Minkus)
til 100 years later. We don’t have that topic to comments—to any and all
luxury of time to absorb what’s hap- who would like to participate—and
pening to us. And we’re losing our those comments then will be pre-
memory. Before we can absorb one sented with full transparency. A re-
thing, we’ve moved on to the next. vised paper that takes the commen-
So we don’t have the memory as a tary into account will then form the
society of what’s happened. basis for “a more structured conver-
“If you think of the digital evo- sation.”
lution, you can’t remember the In the end, Gurry predicts, we’re
technologies you’ve been using” as going to see a world in which a kind
one replaces the other. “So we don’t of “copyright layer” exists atop and
know the social impact” of successive around the world of intellectual
changes, in culture or in the creative property, something that can accom-
and intellectual businesses. modate and interpret the realities of
“We’re now living in a world in wide distribution at the most extrav-
which tech is determining the possi- agant speeds and fragmentation and
bilities. Tech is saying, ‘We can do it, yet find a meaningful way to repre-
so let’s do it.’ And I’m not sure that’s sent ownership and rights.
right. Technology should not be the If the European Union mean-
master, but the servant.” while, he reasons, keeps developing
Where this is taking him, its approaches to the issues of a kind
though, is to what might finally be of data-level inventory, it could, he
the broadest possible context of need says, end up in a pace-setting posi-
for change for publishing and near- tion that could give the US market
by creative fields. “The most press- trouble.
ing thing institutionally is that the “The existing intellectual prop-
idea of multilateralism—the idea of erty structure came out of that In-
multinational cooperation—is under dustrial Revolution,” he says. “It’s ba-
attack. But also the form of multina- sically mass production that created
tional cooperation is under attack. the idea that it’s not the product but
The form was created in a complete- the process that manufactured it.”
ly different world” of slowly evolv- And if the content itself is to be
ing debate and policy. superseded by the digital dynamics
“And we’re all finding ourselves to come, “there’s got to be a layer, a
unraveling the consequences of layer of data rights” that will exist as
tech.” While that might be right, we an envelope of value around a deeply
can’t move at Old World speed when transformed creative industrial com-
the landscape is racing by. plex. •
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 201912 CROATION AUTHOR IN FOCUS
Croatian Publisher Fraktura Plans Big Print Run for
Igor Štiks’ Latest Novel, ‘W’
Štiks’ previous works have been translated into 15 languages. Fraktura publisher Seid Serdarević
has high hopes for this new novel, a murder mystery and political reflection in one complex story.
“just after the Genoa G8 summit and
the police murder of the young an-
archist Carlo Giuliani, and just a few
days after September 11. The experi-
ences of the Balkan wars in the 1990s
were still fresh.
“I asked myself how on Earth the
war happened in the former Yugo-
slavia, what on Earth is happening in
this world, and what can we do now
to change it? This is how a long re-
search [project] in utopian and revo-
lutionary movements, actors, events,
and personal destinies throughout
the 20th century started.”
Seid Serdarević and Igor Štiks
(Image: Fraktura)
Croatian Authors and
Translation
By Olivia Snaije The publishing house Fraktura’s
first print run for Štiks’ W will be for
2,000 copies, twice the usual print
“If you observe the heated debates
T he breakup of Yugoslavia and
the devastating violence that
followed has been a fertile subject for in the British parliament today, or the
run in Croatia, with its population
population of just over 4 million.
Any book that sells more than 1,000
writers from the Balkan states and copies is considered a bestseller, says
has produced powerful literature. discord between EU member states, publisher Serdarević.
In mid-October, the Croatian He says that despite the lack of
publishing house Fraktura will re- you might get an idea of what we an official program to promote Cro-
lease a new novel by one of the atian literature to foreign publishers,
region’s most interesting authors, lived through before the war.” he believes that rights sales of Croa-
Igor Štiks. W is, as described by its tian authors abroad are satisfactory.
author, an action-packed novel that “There’s a whole string of au-
recounts an important European Igor Štiks thors whose works are translated
story with twists and turns that can across the world,” Serdarević says,
be read on many levels. “which shows the vitality of the lit-
As Štiks’ publisher Seid Serdare- erary scene.
vić describes W, “Historic tragedies mer Yugoslavia and the post-Yugo- in 2017 as The Judgment of Richard “And these are authors from
are mixed with humor and erotic slav states since 1918. Richter. In the book, a World War II many generations who write poetry
passion. The novel vividly brings And as he describes it, what the diary reveals a confession that leads and prose. Among the more widely
to life the period between the early Balkan states have been through in the character Richter to war-torn translated authors, I’d mention Daša
1960s and today with all its contra- recent history reflects many of the Sarajevo. Drndić, Miljenko Jergović, Olja Sav-
dictions, disasters, and hopes.” problems that Europe and the world His 2001 debut novel, A Castle in ičević Ivančević, Robert Perišić, Igor
As in his previous novels, Štiks at large are grappling with today. Romagna—published in English by Štiks, Dubravka Ugrešić, Slaven-
again examines the political events “Socialist Yugoslavia faced Amazon Crossing in 2018 in a trans- ka Drakulić, and also poets such as
that took place in Yugoslavia and af- questions to which there were no lation by Russell Scott Valentino and Marko Pogačar.
ter its breakup. straightforward and easy answers,” Tomislav Kuzmanović—alternates “There’s a great interest in re-
Štiks says. between Renaissance Italy and Tito’s gional authors, as well, among
Reflections of Recent History “If you observe the heated de- Yugoslavia, as history ultimately re- whom I’d like to point out Dragan
bates in the British parliament to- peats itself. Velikić and young Lana Bastašić. I
Štiks is a Sarajevo-born writer day,” he says, “or the discord between Štiks says he sketched out the anticipate that the forthcoming ap-
who fled to Croatia during the war EU member states, you might get an structure for his new novel, W, in pearance of Slovenia as the guest of
and currently lives in the Serbian idea of what we lived through before 2006, but it took him another 10 honor country at the 2022 Frankfurt
capital, Belgrade. His work positions the war. Violence is always just be- years to write, during which time he Book Fair will spark an even great-
him for many as an embodiment of neath the surface.” lived in Paris, Chicago, Edinburgh, er interest in the literature of south
the question of identity and politics Štiks’ prize-winning 2006 novel and Belgrade “taking stock of our Slavic countries.” •
in the region. Štiks’ PhD dissertation Elijahova Stolica has been translat- contemporary predicament.”
and subsequent research at the Uni- ed into 15 languages and published The seed for the novel was
versity of Edinburgh focused on the by Amazon Crossing in an English planted in 2001, when Štiks had re- Find Fraktura at the Frankfurt Book
evolution of citizenship in the for- translation by Ellen Elias-Bursac cently arrived in Paris for his studies Fair: Hall 5.0 A24
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019AUSTRALIAN BOOK MARKET (SPONSORED) 13
In Australia’s Growing Children’s and
YA Sector, Nonfiction Is Trending
By Andrea Hanke signer, said she was guided by “books are valuable,” she says. She jokes that
that speak to children today, rather the eye-catching green cover may
than their parents,” with a strong fo- have also helped. “We were warned
I t’s a good time to be a children’s
publisher in Australia, according
to figures on the Australian chil-
cus on design.
Since Scribble’s launch, the im-
print has released more than 20
that green book picture books never
sell, but maybe actually people were
starved for them.”
dren’s and YA market coming from titles—mostly local with some in- Fellow independent publisher
Nielsen Book. ternational buy-ins—including the Pantera Press has a small but highly
Having grown significantly over runaway picture-book bestseller and successful children’s and YA list, us-
the past decade—the children’s and Australian Book Industry Award ing a grassroots approach to launch
young adult sector has the largest winner All the Ways To Be Smart by and build its authors. It’s paid off for
volume share of the of Nielsen’s 10 Davina Bell and illustrator Alison YA author Lynette Noni, with more
territories—the sector in Austra- Colpoys. This year, Scribble also than 100,000 copies sold in her fan-
lia remains in steady growth, up 3 won the Bologna “BOP” Prize for tasy series The Medoran Chronicles
percent in value this year compared Best Children’s Publisher in the Oce- and dystopian novel Whisper.
with the same period last year. ania region. The publisher is also expanding
The main growth is in pre- Almost 70,000 copies of All the into children’s nonfiction with You
school, picture books, and children’s Ways To Be Smart have been print- Can Change the World by Lucy Bell,
and YA nonfiction. ed in Australia, the UK, and North a practical guide that empowers kids
There’s no doubt this growth America. Translation rights have to make a difference, which attracted
has been reflected in a flourishing sold into eight additional territories. rights interest ahead of Frankfurt.
children’s book publishing scene. In Rosenbloom says she believes “We’re seeing that this age group
recent years, independent publishers the book—which reimagines how we is very motivated to engage with the
including Scribe, Affirm, and Wake- evaluate success—has struck a chord world in a positive manner and they
field Press have launched dedicated at a time when expectations for chil- want to make it a better place,” says
children’s imprints, while children’s dren are high and standardized test- Pantera COO Lucy Barrett. •
specialist Berbay has announced ing is commonplace.
plans to double its list in 2020. “All the Ways To Be Smart reas-
When Scribe launched its Scrib- sures children that there isn’t just
Say G’day at the joint Australia and
ble imprint in 2016, publisher Miri- one way to be smart, and that their Sponsored by the Australian Publishers IPG Stand Party: 17:30 on Thu. 17 Oct,
am Rosenbloom, a former book de- different skills, talents and interests Association, Hall 6.2 A56. Hall 6.2 Stands A56 and A57
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 201914 PUBLISHING IN INDIA
Nitasha Devasar: ‘Indian Publishing
“Publishers need
Has a Vital Role To Play’ to rally around
Leading the Association of Publishers in India, Devasar wants the global and project
industry to recognize the value India contributes to the book business. their value and
relevance as a
By Porter Anderson
collective.”
N itasha Devasar, the managing
director at Taylor & Francis
India, is in a particularly good po-
Nitasha Devasar
sition to lead the Association of
Publishers in India (API), not least
because of the publication a year ago increasing challenges in the external
of her book Publishers on Publishing: environment.
Inside India’s Book Business. And as Second, we need consistent ad-
the Frankfurter Buchmesse kicks off, vocacy and awareness-building in
Devasar’s message is that the Indian key stakeholder groups, even within
publishing industry is more import- our industry. These things are vital
ant to the global content business to our health going forward.
than many people give it credit for. The API has been working on
“The Indian publishing indus- Nitasha Devasar both aspects with mixed results and
try is now the second-largest En- for all Indian publishing, whether lo-
glish-language market in the world,” cal or international players in India,
Devasar says in an interview with ment publishers operate in becomes ND: This is an interesting ques- to gain from the great macro trends
Publishing Perspectives, “and contin- tighter. Added to this are the en- tion because recent census data for growth in education, research,
ues to grow at a heathy pace of al- during challenges of piracy, lack suggests that more than 50 percent and the market. And to continue to
most 19 percent. Arguably, India of copyright awareness, and digi- of young Indians are bilingual and grow, this is vital.
doesn’t fare this high in any other tal-vs.-print debates that add confu- 18 percent are trilingual. Not so PP: Can you point to other
positive indices and yet, neither its sion and slow purchase decisions. surprising in a country that has 22 trends and issues today in Indian
key stakeholders nor government Publishing Perspectives: recognized languages and in which publishing?
policies recognize and support the Given that it’s a large English-lan- the medium of higher education is ND: Indian publishing has al-
role publishing can play in the wider guage market, does Indian content English. ways been characterized by a mul-
socioeconomic goals of the country. travel well elsewhere? What are the Migration from one part of the tiplicity of seemingly contradictory
“It’s said that more than 95 per- factors holding this up? country to another for studies or trends, and this has been both a
cent of global content passes through ND: I’m best placed to answer employment has fueled this multi- cause for disruption and survival.
India for some sort of processing or this in terms of academic content. lingualism further. Alongside that, The industry and its output
another, and as a result, that content And from a Taylor & Francis per- the proliferation of cheap data and have always spoken in many voices
is generating employment for our spective, I can say that content from mobile devices with Indic keyboards as different segments faced varied
graduate and technical workforce. India flowing into our global mar- is feeding this trend, and consump- markets within India. The past few
“And it’s in this context that In- kets is growing steadily and is in tion of local-language content is now years have been tough as many of
dian publishing, comprising all pub- keeping with the shifting geogra- growing faster than English. these markets and margins have
lishers operating in this geography, phies of research toward Asia. This has led to collaboration be- been squeezed further. Add in recent
is simply not getting its due.” Scholarship from India accounts tween English and indigenous-lan- policy and tax changes, more gov-
In following up with Devasar to for about 8 percent of our global guage publishers to make education- ernment participation in what’s read
understand better the market con- books content. And journal articles al and literary content available in and taught, to the enduring issues of
ditions she’s describing, we start by have also been growing steadily, put- regional languages. piracy, patchy government funding,
asking her what challenges she can ting us among the Top Five in this That output has yet to find com- segmented supply chain, and low
see working against the Indian pub- category globally. We are working to mercially successful models and cur- copyright awareness. The industry
lishing industry. drive India’s fast-growing scientific rently follows the print economy. ... associations are constantly in a reac-
Nitasha Devasar: Currently, research into peer-reviewed journals The space is being filled by startups, tive mode.
it’s a mix of taxes and restrictions and books that are read and used in which are operating in the indige- Today, all this is playing out in a
that are giving us a hard time. Europe and the United States. nous-language self-publishing space, much more challenging way, so the
First it was the GST [goods and But this could happen at a much in social media, and making content stakes for the industry as a whole are
services tax] on ebooks, which was faster pace than we currently see. available and discoverable. bigger.
later reduced, and yet, the GST on The constraints on this range from a PP: In your capacity as president Publishers need to rally around
author royalties continues. lack of awareness by Indian research- of the API, what does the group see and project their value and rele-
More recently, it’s a 5-percent ers of publishing practices and ethics as the best path forward? vance as a collective. In the present
custom levy on imported books to a lack of institutional support and ND: At the most basic level, the times, when the Indian government
that’s disrupting demand as publish- training to publish in high-impact takeaway for publishers is two-fold: wants to grow both its digital and its
ers and the supply chain struggle to journals, and an academic evaluation one, that we need to de-prioritize knowledge footprints, Indian pub-
cope with this extra charge. system that rewards quantity over our differences, whether they’re geo- lishing has a vital role to play. This
As governments increase their quality. graphic, linguistic, or any other, and has yet to be realized, and it’s this
participation in curricula, platforms, PP: What about Indian-lan- find common ground to stand to- recognition that’s needed for Indian
and access to content, the environ- guage content and its growth? gether as an industry in dealing with publishing to get its due. •
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019CHILDREN’S BOOKS 15
Agent Stephanie Barrouillet: Nonfiction Leads the
Global Children’s Book Scene
Publishers in many countries are finding success with nonfiction children’s books that tackle
everything from environmental stewardship to illustrated explanations of complex concepts.
Life of Animals) by Katharina von der especially popular internationally,
Stephanie Barrouillet Gathen and Anke Kuhl, published by and on Wednesday, she joins our
Klett Kinderbuch Verlag, about ani- Publishing Perspectives Talk on
mals’ love lives and families. “Publishing and the Climate” (10:30
Another favorite is on architec- a.m., Hall 5.1, A128), where she’ll
ture, How Does a Bridge Work? by Ro- talk about Plastics, Past, Present, and
man Belyaev from Moscow-based Future, a Korean book by Eu-ju Kim
publishing house Samokat. and Ji-won Lee from Woongjin
Barrouillet also mentions space Thinkbig.
and the universie as a trend, rep- “Another title we have on recy-
resented by books like Impossível cling,” Barrouillet says, “is Zero Waste
(Impossible) by Catarina Sobral from by Sima Özkan and Zeynep Özataly
Portuguese publisher Orfeu Negro,
and Where Does the Moon Rise? by
Jung Chang-hoon and illustrator
By Porter Anderson Jang Ho, from Woongjin Thinkbig
in South Korea—in the latter title,
the moon cycle becomes part of the
W ith all their travel and meet-
ings, literary agents are often
among the first to observe emerging
bedtime story ritual.
“Across most markets,” Bar-
rouillet says, “publishers are looking
book industry trends. When Publish- for books that offer some sort of tool
ing Perspectives asked literary agent or useful information for children’s
Stephanie Barrouillet where she sees development.
trends in children’s books pointing “The picture book becomes a
this year, she told us, “During recent vector to explain complex concepts
business trips in Europe, the States, such as economics, biology, politics, (Redhouse Kidz), and If Elephants
and Asia, I noticed what a strong and to instill key values in a sim- Disappeared by Lily Williams (Roar-
interest there is in illustrated non-
fiction.
ple and accessible way at an earlier
age. Cases in point are Save It! and
Stories loved by millions,
ing Brook / Macmillan) was released
in September.”
“Publishers around the world Spend It! by Cinders McLeod (Pen- now available in print.
Last but not least, she says, books
are actively looking and originating guin Random House) that introduce about bullying and emotions and, in
children’s books that convey infor- money concepts. particular, how to deal
Wattpad’s with difficult
#OriginalSix
mation in a different and innova- “There’s also Eleição dos bichos moments in life remain popular in
tive way. While there’s still interest (Animals’ Elections) by André Ro- youngAvailable Now! and one
readers’ nonfiction,
in the traditional educational books drigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Des- example is When Sadness Is at Your
that we grew up with, nonfiction gualdo, and Pedro Markun (Com- Door by Eva Eland from Random
books today are informative but also panhias das Letras, Brazil) that House Books for Young Readers. •
entertaining, packed with fun facts introduces children to the election
and highly illustrated and designed.” process.”
A good example of this, she says, Barrouillet says that books about
is Das Liebesleben der Tiere (The Love the environment and recycling are
9780993689949 / $10.99 9780993689956 / $17.99 9780993689918 / $17.99
“The picture book becomes a
vector to explain complex concepts
such as economics, biology, politics,
and to instill key values in a simple 9780993689932 / $10.99 9780993689925 / $17.99 9780993689901 / $10.99
and accessible way.”
For more information visit books.wattpad.com Follow @wattpad!
Stephanie Barrouillet or contact wattpadbooks@wattpad.com
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 201916 BOOKSELLING
Hiroshi Sogo of Kinokuniya Goes to Frankfurt
How’s bookselling in Japan and other countries? With 107 bookstores worldwide, Kinokuniya’s
director of import and distribution, Hiroshi Sogo, gives us his international insights.
By Roger Tagholm
Hiroshi Sogo
Kinokuniya’s 107
H iroshi Sogo is the director of bookstores:
import and distribution for
the Japanese bookselling chain Ki- Japan 69
nokuniya, and at the Frankfurter
Buchmesse, the company will have US 21
its stand this year in Hall 4.2, J8G. Singapore 3
The company has been in a rap-
id expansion in several parts of the Indonesia 2
world, and we opened our exchange Malaysia 1
with Sogo by asking how its retail lo-
cations in international locations are Thailand 3
doing so far. Cambodia 1
Publishing Perspectives:
Myanmar 1
What are your opening plans, both
in Japan and internationally? Australia 1
Hiroshi Sogo: One in Nagoya,
Taiwan 4
Japan later this year and two in the
USA—one just opened in Portland UAE 1
in Oregon, and the other is to open
soon in Katy, Texas [just west of
Houston]. We plan to open one in
Abu Dhabi in March 2020. We’re
always looking at opportunities both started to crack down. Retail price maintenance (RPM) Winning competitions became
in Japan and overseas. That helped the industry to re- will stay for the foreseeable future in the highest virtue above all else.
PP: How are your international gain what had been lost for many Japan, but retailers are competing by Then people started to think that
stores doing? years, and helped digital manga sales offering extra benefits such as points fixed rates are a cartel that’s ugly and
HS: In the United States, opera- for some of the major publishers, or mileage and/or vouchers. unsavory. Yes, it’s under pressure
tions have been exceptionally strong such as Shuei-sha and Kadokawa. PP: Why do you think Japan and will remain so.
for the past 18 months or so. South- It’s estimated that the total loss col- takes a different view from the US
east Asia, especially Singapore and lectively inflicted by piracy is 300 with regard to fixed prices? ‘Physical Bookshops Will
Malaysia, are under strong competi- billion yen (US$2.78 billion). HS: Historically, the mechanism Never Die’
tion against Amazon/The Book De- PP: How is your ebook service has been regarded as one of the more
pository. We’re holding up well, but Kinoppy doing? civilized, inclusive government pol- PP: What are your thoughts
definitely cannot be at ease. HS: Kinoppy is doing fine with icies. It goes back to the era when about the future of physical book-
Bangkok is fine. Dubai and Syd- positive growth, albeit being pretty Japan was rebuilding the country shops?
ney are stable. Taiwan’s economy as small compared to other ebook ser- after the war. Recovery of social co- HS: I believe that physical book-
a whole seems not to be helping the vices such as Kindle and specialist herence and infrastructure was the shops will never die, partly because
retail industry at present. manga sites run by publishers. priority. physical, printed books will never
PP: How is the market in Japan For academic markets, we While ordinary commodities completely disappear.
at the moment? launched our own Japanese content were exchanged in free markets, the Digital may continue to grow,
HS: Tough as ever. A long de- ebook platform called KinoDen last government (and I could be wrong but tactile reading will not leave hu-
cline since 1997 hasn’t hit the bot- year. For public libraries, we have a but the Allied Occupation Forces as man behavior entirely.
tom as yet. Total sales have declined digital library service called LibrariE. well) thought that information car- Books will have stronger con-
to half of what they were in 1996. These two services are fast develop- ried by publications such as newspa- stituencies, where people are will-
ing and penetrating each market seg- pers, books, and magazines should ing to support physical bookshops
Digital vs. Print: Especially ment in Japan. be available to all citizens at the same because they value the physicality of
Good for Manga PP: Are fixed prices under pres- price wherever they were. books, the curation, the serendipi-
sure in Japan? When Japan went into a fast tous experience, the conversations,
PP: What’s the balance between HS: It would not be right if I said economic development drive in the and recommendations over your
digital and print in Japan? no. Pressure on pricing in general is 1960s and 1970s, fixed pricing made favorites.
HS: Digital is around 14 percent being felt more strongly than before, a lot of sense. Publishers and book- I admire [US author and book-
and print 86 percent. Basically, print while a large section of the working sellers didn’t have to compete on store owner] Ann Pratchett a lot
continues to decline while digital population is feeling worse off as price. There was a strong appetite whenever I read her essay “The
grows. their wages haven’t been increasing for news, knowledge, learning, and Bookstore Strikes Back.”
Around 90 percent of digital is enough to negate inflation. entertainment. I suspect that there PP: And what do you like about
represented by comic and manga Furthermore, the consumption was hardly a soul who had any neg- Frankfurt?
content. There was rampant piracy tax is due to increase from 8 to 10 ative perception against fixed prices HS: The buzz and adrenaline
of manga content until March 2018 percent on October 1, which will be up until recently when a new type of goes up as Day One opens. After
when the government finally passed a huge blow to the entire retail and Western capitalism started seeping three days or so, you start feeling
seminal legislation and the police service sector. into the social fabric of the country. wiser than you were last week. •
PUBLISHING PERSPECTIVES / FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2019You can also read
