The imaginative series by British writer J.K. Rowling has become a great hit in this ancient country, as well as in other parts of the world.

Three days after the ceremony celebrating the first publication in October 2000, nearly 180,000 sets of books were sold across the country.

In China, where the average press-run for books is 20,000 copies, the number sold resulted in a runaway hit.

Last year, the charms of the magical Harry Potter, the English boy wizard at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, continued to draw the attention of teenagers as well as grown-ups. The handsome market performance of the book series made it one of the best-selling books last year.

Meanwhile, other titles from international best-selling book markets, including the "Lord of the Rings" series, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," and "Who Moved My Cheese," have also sold well.

The fact that Chinese readers can read international best-selling books almost simultaneously with their foreign counterparts is due to the booming copyright trade in China in recent years.

So much so that the Ninth Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), which opened on Friday and ends today, has set "copyright trading" as its theme.

Prosperous publishers

Following the nation's rapid economic growth, China's book market has also prospered, a result of reform and opening up polices.

With competition heating up immensely, Chinese publishers have gone all out to secure their market share.

One common practice of many domestic companies to reach this goal is to purchase the copyright from foreign companies.

Although some companies, such as the People's Literature Publishing House and the Commercial Press, have been in copyright trade co-operation with their foreign counterparts for a long time, it was not until the early 1990s that copyright trade got on to the right track.

In 1990, the number of titles of books published, depending on purchased rights, was less than 1,000.

In 2000, the figure increased six-fold.

The simplified Chinese language version of the Harry Potter series was first published in October 2000 in Beijing.

It turned out to be the biggest first edition run of a work of fiction since 1949, as the series attracted long queues that stretched halfway around the block outside Wangfujing Bookstore in Beijing's main shopping district.

Even in relatively backward and less populated regions, the books were well-received. In Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou Province, more than 500 copies were sold in three days.

Ordinary people simply marvelling at Harry Potter's popularity were not aware of the fierce battle that had been going on for the Chinese language copyright of the books.

Having realized the great business opportunity behind the books, at least a dozen publishers - experienced and influential players on the market - joined in the competition and tried their best in their negotiations with Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, the United Kingdom publisher of Harry Potter books.

The Beijing-based People's Literature Publishing House was the final winner. After signing contracts with the British side and the author in August of 2000, the publishing house immediately turned out the books.

"The fight for the copyright of Harry Potter shows Chinese publishers' increased awareness of books copyright," said Wang Xiao, an editor who was in charge of the marketing of the Harry Potter series.

The Harry Potter series is only a typical example of thousands of books published in China, copyrights of which Chinese publishing companies buy from their foreign counterparts.

The boom in copyright trading was attributed to the promulgation of the copyright law in 1991, and the country's accession to international copyright protection treaties in 1992.

"Copyright acquisition is important because it helps publishing houses respond rapidly to the market," said Li Feng, general manager of the World Publishing Corporation.

According to Li, purchasing publishing rights of books from other countries helps publishers produce more books since it takes much less time to translate a book than to write a new one.

Most of the books introduced into China are best-sellers. They have been tested by overseas market and, therefore, reduce the local publisher's risk.

International imbalance

Insiders also agree, despite the tremendous progress, much can be improved in the sector.

In 2000, Chinese publishers purchased more than 7,000 items of book copyright from other countries, a number already common in many developed countries in the mid-1980s.

Among the total 500-odd publishing companies in China, more than half have not been engaged in any kind of activities involving copyright trade.

Above all, there is a huge unfavourable balance of copyright trade. It is difficult to take Chinese-language products into the international market.

In 2000, Chinese publishers sold only 630 items of book copyright to the overseas market, one-tenth of the number of items bought.

Generally, it is only books on Chinese cuisine, traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, traditional Chinese medicine books and coffee-table scenery books, which attract attention from abroad.

The market for such books are restricted in Southeast Asia, where Chinese language is also frequently used.

Shen Rengan, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, believed this is a normal phenomenon, because "we need to use overseas academic resources to satisfy domestic demands."

While few foreign people are interested in any other category, there is still a long way to go before Chinese-language publications can break through their linguistic and cultural barriers.

"It needs thorough analysis and investigation for Chinese publishers to publish books that satisfy the taste of overseas readers," said Shen.

Influential platform

With the theme copyright trading, the on-going BIBF offers a perfect venue for such trading.

The event, which claims to be the most renowned book fair in Asia and one of the biggest in the world, is gaining increasing influence among publishers from home and abroad.

Increasingly more firms have come to display their latest publications, or to buy or sell copyrights.

At the first such book fair in 1986, the number of clinched copyright trade contracts was a neglectable number of 97. In the eighth event in 2000, the figure hit 6,879.

This year, about 100,000 books and digital publications from dozens of countries and regions are being exhibited.

The event is also part of China's efforts of building itself into the publishing centre and copyright trading centre of Asia.

Therefore, it is important for the country's publishing industry to stay in touch and interact with the outside world.

A significant international event, the BIBF also provides an opportunity for domestic publishers to stay abreast of the latest intelligence and information.

Yuan Shuixian, BIBF spokeswoman and deputy general manager of the China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corp, admitted that the goal of the event was not "to make money."

But the huge market potential provides a rosy outlook for the future development of the Chinese publishing industry, and the BIBF is an important step towards this end.

(China Daily May 28, 2002)