Publishers eye new generation

A boy with his grandfather at the China Shanghai Children's Book Fair. Partnerships with foreign publishers and artists will likely increase as parents demand more new content in children's books. Photos by Gao Erqiang/China Daily

Experts say now is the golden age for kid's books in the country as new content meets demand. Zhang Kun reports in Shanghai.

Even though the publishing industry around the world has been in decline over the past decade, children's books have somehow managed to buck the trend. It is the only sector to thrive amid competition from new media, says Randy Wang of Reed Exhibitions, organizer of the China Shanghai Children's Book Fair.

The fair, which was held last month at the Expo Exhibition Center, celebrated its third edition in Shanghai with a huge crowd and vendor turnout that surprised the organizers.

"You might think online bookstores such as Amazon and Dangdang have taken over the retail business of books with their home-delivery services and discount prices," says Wang.

"Yet people don't hesitate to pay hundreds of yuan to buy imported books for their children at the fair."

Similarly in France, more than 12,000 children's books are published every year and 7,000 of them are new titles, says Nathalie Beau, a specialist in children's literature from France.

Sales of children's books have "never fallen", she adds, despite aggressive competition from digital content.

This year's children's book fair attracted more than 300 publishers and professionals from related industries, and they showcased more than 20,000 titles.

Five Scandinavian countries also participated in the fair for the first time.

Housed in a Nordic-themed pavilion, more than 10 institutions from these countries sold their products to Chinese parents.