Fair puts publishers on the same page (hktdc.com)


	Record crowds flock to do deals at the Hong Kong Book Fair

	Spain, Europe's third-largest publishing country, hosted a pavilion for the first time

Hong Kong's role as a regional publishing hub was underscored once again at this year's Hong Kong Book Fair. While primarily a mega-retail event, the annual fair, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), has also become a platform for international publishers to expand their market.

More than 480 exhibitors from 21 countries took part in the fair held last month at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Most of the international exhibitors featured their trade in the International Cultural Village. Spain, the third largest European publishing country after Britain and Germany, for the first time set up a pavilion at this year's event.

"We came to Hong Kong because we know we are going to have success selling copyrights," Spanish trade officer Rocio Martinez said. "The opportunities are great in Hong Kong with the diversity of people here. There are not only Chinese people, but people from all over Asia."

"We are able to meet publishers from all over Southeast Asia," said Mercedes Ros, Managing Director of Gemser Publications S.L., which primarily publishes Spanish children's books. The company struck a deal with a local publisher on the first day of the fair.

Gateway to the future

Another first-time participant is Susaeta Ediciones, an established Spanish publisher known throughout Europe. "Asia is the future for us," said Luis Rodriguez, Susaeta's Export Manager. "Hong Kong is the door to Asia and the Chinese mainland." He noted that the Chinese and English proficiency in the city is crucial to helping overseas publishers break the language barrier in the mainland.

Networking opportunities were cited as another advantage to participating in the Book Fair. Sally Mak, an agent for several Belgian publishers, said the fair connects industry players, especially from Southeast Asia and the mainland, to Western publishers. She said the fair is also a chance for international publishers to get a good feel for the taste in Asian markets.

Besides European publishers, the fair also saw a strong presence from Southeast Asian exhibitors, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Henry Chan from the Malaysian Book Publishers' Association said Hong Kong is well connected with the rest of Asia, providing a more efficient channel to conduct copyright trade.

HKTDC Assistant Executive Director Raymond Yip said copyrights trading more than doubled from 500 titles last year to 1,300. "Exhibitors at the International Cultural Village hoped to find Hong Kong publishers to publish Chinese translations of their books," he said. "We hope to do more business matching between rights owners and rights buyers, authors and publishers."

Record attendance

This year's Book Fair saw another record attendance, with more than 800,000 people attending the seven-day event. Under the theme Reading – Your Passage to the World, the fair featured more than 180 cultural programmes, including British Cultural Day. Award-winning British writers and illustrators, such as Peter Suart, Justin Hill and Polly Dunbar, as well as renowned US-based authors Ha Jin and Wang De Wei hosted a series of seminars and workshops.

Next year's Book Fair, scheduled for July, promises to be an even bigger event with more space available after the completion of the HKCEC expansion project in the spring.