Teen literature is richest for authors
Source: Xinhua |
November 16, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WRITING for teenagers is the best way for China's authors to make big money, according to a list of the country's wealthiest writers.
The 2010 "China's 25 Richest Writers" list, published yesterday, revealed a sharp reduction in the commercial performance of serious writers and a corresponding increase in sales of literature for teenagers.
Topping the 2010 list were Yang Hongying, a children's book writer, Guo Jingming, a teenage icon and Zheng Yuanjie, another author for children.
The list has been published annually since 2006 by Chengdu Shangbao, a popular southwest China-based daily newspaper. It is based on writers' revenue from the copyright of their books from November 15, 2009 to November 10 this year.
In China, a writer's copyright revenue is usually equal to about 8 to 12 percent of the sales of the books.
Yang reported revenue of 25 million yuan (US$3.76 million) while last on the list, novelist Jia Pingwa, received 1.6 million yuan.
Wu Huairao, the list's compiler, said the composition this year indicates major long-term changes in China's book market and reading habits.
Yang, Guo and Zheng have dominated the list's top positions since 2008, while the number of serious writers in the list continued to decline.
In 2006, the richest writer was Yu Qiuyu, an essayist and cultural critic, in second place came Eryuehe, a writer of historical novels, while novelist Su Tong ranked fourth.
This year there are only four serious writers among the 25.
Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University's department of Chinese Language and Literature, said China's publishing industry has undergone deep reform, noting that publishers are now more skilled at marketing a book and its writer.
"Children and teenagers have become a major part of the reading population, and parents are buying more books for their children, because they want them to read. Adults are reading less, too," Zhang said.
JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, topped a Chengdu Shangbao list of the 25 most commercially successful foreign writers in the Chinese market since 2000.
The 2010 "China's 25 Richest Writers" list, published yesterday, revealed a sharp reduction in the commercial performance of serious writers and a corresponding increase in sales of literature for teenagers.
Topping the 2010 list were Yang Hongying, a children's book writer, Guo Jingming, a teenage icon and Zheng Yuanjie, another author for children.
The list has been published annually since 2006 by Chengdu Shangbao, a popular southwest China-based daily newspaper. It is based on writers' revenue from the copyright of their books from November 15, 2009 to November 10 this year.
In China, a writer's copyright revenue is usually equal to about 8 to 12 percent of the sales of the books.
Yang reported revenue of 25 million yuan (US$3.76 million) while last on the list, novelist Jia Pingwa, received 1.6 million yuan.
Wu Huairao, the list's compiler, said the composition this year indicates major long-term changes in China's book market and reading habits.
Yang, Guo and Zheng have dominated the list's top positions since 2008, while the number of serious writers in the list continued to decline.
In 2006, the richest writer was Yu Qiuyu, an essayist and cultural critic, in second place came Eryuehe, a writer of historical novels, while novelist Su Tong ranked fourth.
This year there are only four serious writers among the 25.
Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University's department of Chinese Language and Literature, said China's publishing industry has undergone deep reform, noting that publishers are now more skilled at marketing a book and its writer.
"Children and teenagers have become a major part of the reading population, and parents are buying more books for their children, because they want them to read. Adults are reading less, too," Zhang said.
JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, topped a Chengdu Shangbao list of the 25 most commercially successful foreign writers in the Chinese market since 2000.
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