China's Book Market is up 4.72%, with E-Commerce and Short-Video Platforms Driving Development

Discover the growth of China's book market fueled by e-commerce and short-video platforms. Explore trends in children's books and traditional Chinese medicine.

on Apr 04, 2024

According to Beijing OpenBook, the book market in China will grow by 4.72% in 2023, with sales income at list price of 91.2 billion yuan (A$19.3 billion), reports Publishing Perspectives.

In contrast to the previous year's 12% value decline, the Chinese book market has recovered. OpenBook cited causes such as late-pandemic Covid-19 effects, with last year marking China's rebound following years of suffering during the health crisis. The volume of sales for 2023 showed a 1.55% growth in active titles from 2.37 million titles, as measured by ISBNs in the retail sector.

The number of new titles released in the Chinese market exceeded 180,000, a 7.3% rise from 2022. Short-video sites like Douyin, which competes with TikTok, have an impact on book sales. E-commerce platforms are the primary drivers of industry growth, with short-video channels coming in second and physical storefronts third. Many Chinese influencers keep authors in the public eye, like Nobel winner Mo Yan and his buddy Yu Hua last September. Children's books are the largest category in the Chinese market, accounting for approximately 27.21% of sales, but they are also the category with the greatest fall in 2023.

Children's books are the largest category in the Chinese market, accounting for approximately 27.21% of sales, but they are also the category with the greatest fall in 2023. There were 13 categories and subcategories that showed positive growth in 2023: content related to physical health, medicine, and life—frequently driven by readers' increased interest in traditional Chinese medical practices following the pandemic; books about knowledge and skill-improvement, including self-help, economics, and management; books related to 'hot topics' as well as film and television, and live broadcast recommendations; and study aids for students for curricular material as well as recreational reads.