Mo Bao Fei Bao’s new hit ‘Go Go Squid’ plays on China’s growing culture of urban e-sport–online gamers in love. Image – iStockphoto: Ryan King
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Television-Driven Popularity in Books
Our China bestsellers for July in fiction seem to have been heavily influenced by some critically well-received and fast-selling drama series that readers are seeing on television.
‘Go Go Squid’
Among the most popular series in July were the romance Go Go Squid and the online series The Longest Day in Chang’an. Both have been adapted originally from “online writing,” a popular serial storytelling format in China.
Go Go Squid started as text by Mo Bao Fei Bao and 24 Hours in Chang’an is Ma Boyong’s book, the basis for The Longest Day. Both works are being described as almost naturalistic, very close to the actual lives and attitudes of a new generation of active online users. This is content aimed directly at younger readers.
The casting of Go Go Squid carefully reflects an urban, media-busy culture. The male protagonist is a former e-sports player (competitive online gaming) and founder of an e-sports club. The leading lady is a Web singer.
Both e-sports competitions and live Webcasts are major draws in many parts of the world, and they’ve caught on in China.
Beijing OpenBook’s staff tells us that according to a report from Tencent on 2019 Chinese e-sports and the development of talent for them, 49.2 percent of employees responding said they might spend time at work on e-sports. Some 60 percent of college and university respondents said that they, too, were gaming, as did 70 percent of high school students polled.
’24 Hours in Chang’an,’ Volume 1 of two
And Web singing has become a popular part of China’s online pop culture. All of which means that books referencing these social trends can quickly find receptive audiences.
The Longest Day in Chang’an is a two-volume, historical novel set in Chang’an—known as Xi’an today—during Tang Dynasty. The story has a compact plot and an action-suspense dynamic with contemporary sensibilities blended into a convincing evocation of the era, according to those familiar with the work.
As for nonfiction, a typical summer trend can be seen in the lack of change, with the return of many classics, in particular to the rankings. What’s driving this is students’ purchases of classics for extra reading credit during their holidays, a trend noted during the winter festival period, as well.
We’re reminded by Rainy Liu at OpenBook that “July is only the beginning of the summer vacation, which will see a small climax of classic book sales during September. All kinds of ‘must read classic book lists’ are being pushed now on various social media to energize sales.
And the July 1 Party Founding Day observance of the 70th anniversary of the founding of “New China” drove that eternal bestseller Red Star Over China to double its sales last month.
‘The Love Book of Mo Na Da Shu’
The only real newcomer (as opposed to a returnee) to the nonfiction list is The Love Book of Mo Na Da Shu, a collection of articles from a famous motivational writer, Mo Na Da Shu. The book has a following of more than 10 million fans and mentions of it have surpassed 3 billion hits on Wechat, Weibo, Tik Tok, and other social platforms. The author, Mo, is called a “self-media operator” and has a relatively mature business model. He’s a serial entrepreneur across multiple industries, and a hit author as a result.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from (month) of bestsellers in fiction and nonfiction, followed by its lists of bestselling fiction and nonfiction in China by authors from outside the country.
At the end of our article, as always, you’ll find notes on how the lists are constructed.
OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers in China, July 2019
| June 2019 Ranking | July 2019 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 4 | 1 | 9787506365437 | 2010-06 | To Live | Yu hua | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 2 | 9787559431240 | 2019-02 | Go Go Squid | Mo Bao Fei Bao | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 1 | 3 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 3 | 4 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 2 | 5 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 6 | 6 | 9787530216781 | 2017-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 5 | 7 | 9787208061644 | 2006-04 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 8 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| Not Ranked | 9 | 9787541151736 | 2018-12 | Uninhibited | Mo Xiang Tong Xiu | Sichuan Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 10 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 11 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 12 | 9787020008742 | 1998-07 | Water Margin | Shi Nai’an,Luo Guanzhong | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 13 | 9787540478315 | 2016-12 | 24 Hours in Chang’an (vol.1) | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787540478339 | 2016-12 | 24 Hours in Chang’an (vol.2) | Ma Boyong | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787020008735 | 1998-07 | Journey to the West | Wu Cheng’en | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787020008728 | 1998-07 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Luo Guanzhong | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 7 | 18 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787530216774 | 2017-07 | Ordinary Word | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 12 | 20 | 9787550032125 | 2019-02 | Outcasts | Claire McFall | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 10 | 21 | 9787530219218 | 2019-02 | Life is Like Ocean | Mai Jia | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 22 | 22 | 9787530215593 | 2017-06 | To Live | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 21 | 23 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 24 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 25 | 9787550015630 | 2015-12 | Go Go Squid | Mo Bao Fei Bao | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 9 | 26 | 9787221150639 | 2019-02 | Ran Freely (2) | Wu Zhe | Guizhou People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787559614636 | 2017-12 | Fang Si-Qi’s First Love Paradise | Lin Yihan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 15 | 28 | 9787550013247 | 2015-05 | Ferryman | Claire McFall | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 17 | 29 | 9787559620187 | 2018-10 | Ran Freely | Wu Zhe | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787544760874 | 2016-10 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (New Edition) | Jules Verne | Yilin Press |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers in China, July 2019
| June 2019 Ranking | July 2019 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 9 | 1 | 9787020116133 | 2016-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 1 | 2 | 9787540492380 | 2019-06 | The Kids | Da Bing | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 15 | 3 | 9787549550173 | 2014-01 | Seeing Off | Long Yingtai | Guangxi Normal University Press |
| 4 | 4 | 9787559436184 | 2019-05 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 3 | 5 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 22 | 6 | 9787540484880 | 2018-01 | The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo (Commemorative Edition) | Lin Yutang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 7 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 8 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 10 | 9 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 10 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 7 | 11 | 9787559620125 | 2018-05 | Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right (Full Version)(New Edition) | Gao Ming | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 5 | 12 | 9787201094014 | 2015-09 | Six Records of a Floating Life | Shen Fu | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 13 | 9787544768559 | 2017-07 | Souvenirs Entomologiques | Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787530214787 | 2017-04 | The Stories of the Sahara | Echo | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787535447340 | 2014-02 | The Poignant Culture Traveling | Yu Qiuyu | Changjiang Literature & Art Press Co.,Ltd. |
| 6 | 16 | 9787201088945 | 2014-12 | No More Than Skins | Cai Chongda | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 23 | 17 | 9787201088822 | 2014-09 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 18 | 18 | 9787503565397 | 2019-02 | Xi Jinping in Zhengding | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
| 16 | 19 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | Huaxia Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787505745384 | 2019-02 | The Love Book of Mo Na Da Shu | Mo Na Da Shu | China Friendship Publishing Company |
| 25 | 21 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 2 | 22 | 9787521702415 | 2019-02 | The American Trap | Frederic Pierucci,Matthieu Aron | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 30 | 23 | 9787549564125 | 2015-04 | Dear Andrea | Long Yingtai,Andreas Walther | Guangxi Normal University Press |
| 28 | 24 | 9787108063106 | 2018-06 | We Three (Third Edition) | Yang Jiang | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| Not Ranked | 25 | 9787020116379 | 2016-08 | The Long March (Revised Edition) | Wang Shuzeng | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 26 | 9787503561634 | 2017-08 | Xi Jinping’s Seven Years as an Educated Youth | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
| Not Ranked | 27 | 9787301109489 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | L. S. Stavrianos | Peking University Press |
| Not Ranked | 28 | 9787301110522 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2) | L. S. Stavrianos | Peking University Press |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787550025998 | 2018-02 | Dong Qing: Be a Brilliant Lady | Qiao Ruiling | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787549529322 | 2012-12 | Insight | Chai Jing | Guangxi Normal University Press |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers in China, July 2019
| June 2019 Ranking | July 2019 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787208061644 | 2018-02 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 13 | 2 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 2 | 3 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 4 | 4 | 9787550032125 | 2019-02 | Outcasts | Claire McFall | Britain | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 3 | 5 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 7 | 6 | 9787550013247 | 2015-05 | Ferryman | Claire McFall | Britain | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 7 | 9787544760874 | 2016-10 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (New Edition) | Jules Verne | France | Yilin Press |
| 9 | 8 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 5 | 9 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 8 | 10 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 11 | 9787506390903 | 2017-11 | Sophie’s World (Hardcover) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 6 | 12 | 9787559427434 | 2019-02 | The Outsider | Albert Camus | France | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 10 | 13 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 14 | 14 | 9787550024212 | 2017-09 | Trespassers | Claire McFall | Britain | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 15 | 15 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787530217054 | 2017-12 | The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | Brazil | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 18 | 17 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 18 | 9787544277617 | 2015-06 | Love in the Time of Cholera | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 16 | 19 | 9787544281102 | 2016-01 | Newcomer | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 11 | 20 | 9787544384636 | 2018-09 | The Long Goodbye | Raymond Chandler | United States of America | Hainan Publishing House |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers in China, July 2019
| June 2019 Ranking | July 2019 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 3 | 1 | 9787020116133 | 2017-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 2 | 2 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 19 | 3 | 9787544768559 | 2017-07 | Souvenirs Entomologiques | Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre | France | Yilin Press |
| 7 | 4 | 9787201088822 | 2014-09 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | United States of America | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 5 | 5 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 8 | 6 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | Britain | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 1 | 7 | 9787521702415 | 2019-02 | The American Trap | Frederic Pierucci,Matthieu Aron | France | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 12 | 8 | 9787301109489 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 13 | 9 | 9787301110522 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 4 | 10 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 9 | 11 | 9787108009821 | 2014-03 | 1587, a Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | United States of America | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 10 | 12 | 9787514219203 | 2017-09 | The Willpower Instinct (New Edition) | Kelly McGonigal | United States of America | Cultural Development Publishing House |
| 11 | 13 | 9787220102912 | 2017-09 | Rich Dad, Poor Dad | Robert T.Kiyosaki | United States of America | Sichuan People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787559433626 | 2019-02 | Decisive Moments in History | Stefan Zweig | Austria | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 15 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 17 | 16 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787544768511 | 2017-06 | Three Days to See (New Edition) | Helen Keller | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787544760850 | 2017-01 | Michelangelo / Tolstoy / Beethoven | Romain Rolland | France | Yilin Press |
| 14 | 19 | 9787508672069 | 2017-01 | Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 18 | 20 | 9787508650890 | 2015-05 | Who Moved My Cheese? | Spencer Johnson | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
Notes on the Charts
OpenBook
is a privately owned industry-data research firm based in Beijing. It functions somewhat as Nielsen and NDP do from the West, and Nielsen Book Research International has worked with OpenBook in Asian operations. With authoritative data and information resources, OpenBook is able to deliver consulting service to partners who would like to explore the Chinese book market and identify suitable partners.
Trajectory
, based near Boston, is an importer of Western-language ebooks and audiobooks into China. Trajectory is also helping China’s largest publishers export their books and audiobooks through a proprietary global ebook distribution network that includes hundreds of retailers as well as library and school distributors. Trajectory recently has added copyright services, both for content going into China and for exports from China to the rest of the world.
As of July 1, this data is estimated by OpenBook to represent some 60 percent of the total sales activity in China. OpenBook draws point-of-sale data from more than 7,000 bookstores in China, including a total 4,151 physical bookstores representative of all the provinces in China except Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Retail outlets include:
- Traditional bookstores
- Supermarkets
- Campus bookstores
- “Professional” stores, said to be small stores with a specific industrial or trade focus
- Airport stores
In addition, OpenBook is drawing data from online bookstores of three main types:
- The “Tmall” stores of Alibaba (Tmall is described as a marketplace of companies that create storefronts online to sell products including books)
- The “JingDong” Stores of JD.com (similar to Tmall as a marketplace of both individual companies and bookstores operated by JD.com)
- Ten independent online bookselling retailers
China has 500 or more publishers in operation today. Most of them, Trajectory CEO James Bryant clarifies, are government-owned. Private publishers are required to generate ISBNs for their titles from a publishing company that is government-owned—which, in other words, creates a system in which all ISBNs are in one way or another registered through government channels. The government approves each book published in China.
More China bestseller reports from Publishing Perspectives are here.