On the page in Frankfurt

LEADING PRINTING houses, publishers, e-reader device providers, literary and licensing agents from more than 100 countries flocked to Frankfurt earlier this month, eager as ever to participate in the world’s largest book fair.

The five-day annual trade fair, which this year had Brazil as its guest of honour, attracted more than 300,000 visitors from around the world.

Unlike the biannual Thai book fair, which is tailored to the retail trade, Frankfurt’s core business includes trade in rights, procurement of titles for translation and licensing of works for audio book adaptations.

A selection of Thai publishers turned out to man the Thailand booth under a collaborative agreement between the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat) and Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP). Several of them were hoping to export their titles to other countries while others were eager to obtain the translation rights into Thai of the latest best sellers in all genres.

Pimolporn Yutisri, managing director of Tuttle-Mori Agency, a major translation-rights agency in Thailand, describes “Coming of Age fiction” as the biggest trend this year, with classic genres like thrillers also remaining near the top of the list. The most popular thrillers of 2013, she adds, have romantic, investigative, psychological or historical elements.

“Young adult titles are still in high demand, but the content has mutated into dystopian fantasy from direct fantasies like Harry Potter or Eragon,” she says.

“Thai publishers are also showing greater interest in picture books and literature for children, particularly those in the middle grade, such as the works of CS Lewis and Roald Dahl. This is great news for Thai children because these books help build a solid moral foundation. The stories provide both fantasy and self-confidence,” Pimolporn says, adding that the in-demand non-fiction titles are self-help, pop-science and history.

While Thai picture books are selling better than ever before, the interest remains limited to Asian countries. Thai fiction is also in demand in the region fed by the influence of Thai soaps. 

“Vietnam, China and Indonesia are among the countries that regularly import Thai TV series and when these become popular, publishers in those countries ask for the translation rights to the original novels,” she explains.

Pimolporn feels that Thai titles have strong potential in the world arena, but any targetted sales campaign requires a high level of professionalism as well as a proper understanding by the publishers of the international right trade and its process. Certain issues such as the cost of translation from Thai into English will need to be settled before the whole process can even start. 

“And it isn’t easy to find a good translator. You need someone who is a professional translator. It’s not just because someone holds a PhD in English that he or she can do the job. Also, finding a specialised editor is like searching for a rare gem and requires a huge investment. Unprofessionally edited work has no chance on the international stage,” Pimolporn says.

Over the last five years, publishers the world over have been tracking ebook sales in an attempt to analyse how digital downloads will affect the traditional book publishing business. The general consensus is that big e-book players such as Amazon are not yet dominating the market but that sales are growing slowly but steadily.

“We regard it as a blessing that there are still no big e-book players in the Scandinavian market. But we are aware that the e-book trend is increasing,” notes Hakan Bravinger, senior editor fiction of Norstedts, Sweden’s oldest and second largest publisher. 

However, Bravinger acknowledges that times are changing, not least because the majority of Swedes own smart phones, iPads and all kinds of tablets.

“We estimate that in five years, 30 per cent of books sold in Sweden will be e-books. So far though, Norstedts hasn’t seen any effect on its sales,” says Susanna Romanus, Norstedts’ publishing manager, adding that the paperback sector is likely to suffer the most when readers do decide to go digital.

“A paperback is something you buy, read and pass on or throw away. These days though, the Swedes are far more engaged with the environment and they don’t want to cut down more trees, so the e-book answers that need. Hardcovers, though, will not be affected,” she says.

Romanus says she’s also noted that older readers rather than the young are the main consumers of e-books. 

“First, they can enlarge the size of the text on their iPads, making it easier for them to read. They are more environmentally conscious too and love the idea of taking their e-book readers with them on holiday, as it means they never run out of reading material. Moreover, as they are older, they have more money to spend, both on the device and the e-books.”

Malaysia too is preparing for the e-book trend.

“We’re seeing a 10 per-cent decline in the purchase of magazines every year as more and more people read them online. Book sales are not yet affected but we anticipate they might be hit hard so we have to prepare now,” says Wan Nong Muzafar, manager and group strategic planner of leading Malaysian publisher Karangkraf. 

His company is now working with mobile service providers in promoting e-books launches and sales.

Arief Hakim Sani Bin Rahmat, managing director of PTS Media Group, points to the ever-decreasing cost of mobile reading devices. “It’s not just iPads, but all smart devices that have come down in price. Malaysia probably has a mobile penetration of 120 per cent so the device is not an issue at all. But do people really want to read on their phones? Not yet I think.”

Back in Thailand, publishers have yet to feel the pinch from e-books but they are prepared. Amarin Group, for example, launched its e-books sector last year and has seen a rise in sales, particularly from abroad.

Pimolporn is aware of the trend but believes that both traditional and electronic books have their own markets.

“Frequent travellers might want to read on a kindle during a long flight and people on holiday probably prefer to read on a tablet because it saves them from having to carry heavy paper edition. 

“But real books also have their own charm so I think book lovers will eventually buy both versions.”