At the entrance to a Beijing shopping mall, consumers scan their smartphone tracking QR codes on April 17 to register their presence and get clearance to enter. Image – iStockphoto: Qizai
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Growing Sales Amid Troubling Statistics
Our associates at Beijing OpenBook are reporting that from April to May, their research on physical bookstore sales activity shows a growth of 12.73 percent—another indication, of course, that the Chinese market is gaining more ground after its early encounter with the coronavirus COVID-19.As we’ve understood from other reports from OpenBook this year, the plunge of brick-and-mortar book sales in China hit its deepest point in February as the most stringent lockdowns came into play. While the return of business is good to see, you’ll note that the ascent (the blue line in the chart below) is rather mild—not the “V-shaped” recovery that so many economists and international publishers would certainly like to experience.
Image: Beijing OpenBook
And media reports now tell of complications in the capital city’s status.
By Friday (June 19), CNN’s Nectar Gan was reporting that the new cases numbered more than 180 people, and in a report today (June 22), the network’s David Culver has updated that figure to a potential 230 cases. All this follows some 55 days without reports of new cases in Beijing, which authorities had strictly guarded against incoming cases from outside the city.
At Reuters, Ryan Woo and Liangping Gao are reporting 22 new cases in Beijing (population 20 million) for a total 227 confirmed cases, per the National Health Commission.
The 8:33 a.m. ET update (1233 GMT) of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center has 84,573 cases, total, in China and 4,639 deaths. That caseload places the market at No. 21 in the world.
The Energy of ‘Online Literature’
Developments in the market in May point to new growth in the country’s already powerful “online literature” sector—usually characterized as series genre stories followed by enormous numbers of fans, not just in China but in several Asian markets.
‘Ran Freely,’ Volume 2
As our OpenBook colleagues point out, this is a phenomenon driven by readers’ attachment to authors, especially because the digital setting allows for reader-author interaction. When print editions of popular online literature are released, the normal marketing scheme includes a lot of swag—posters, stickers, bookmarks, and sometimes new writings by the most iconic authors, print-only pieces not published online.
Young-adult women make up the majority of consumers in this sector, and a look at their ability to affect the charts is right in front of us in May’s numbers.
The Ran Freely series by Wu Zhe is charting, as you’ll see, in all three of its print volumes, and it was created as an online literature series between October 2016 and May 2017.
- The first volume in May jumps to No. 9 from No. 17 in April. Published in 2018, this title has appeared 18 times on the fiction bestseller list.
- The second volume (in a new 2020 edition) is at No. 15, newly entering the list.
- The third volume, just released in April, outdoes both No. 1 and 2, making its chart debut at No. 6. In short, you’re seeing a series-closer rekindle sales for its two predecessors.
‘Break the Cloud’
The next title of this kind to watch is Break the Cloud, which you’ll see at May’s No. 29.
This book, too, began as online literature which, of course, was accessible to readers right through the coronavirus mitigation efforts when physical bookstores were closed.
And the five books entering the fiction bestseller chart in May are:
- Ran Freely (3) by Wu Zhe, at No. 6
- Ran Freely (2) (2020 Edition) by Wu Zhe, No. 15
- What Life You Want to Have by Yoshino Genzaburo, No. 24
- Break the Cloud by Huai Shang, No. 29
- Life by Lu Yao, No. 30
A Screen-Powered Japanese Favorite
In books imported into the Chinese market—our foreign author listings—there’s a demonstration at No. 8 of how much marketing can influence what otherwise might be a tough entry into the readership’s favor.
‘What You Have in Life’
What Life You Want To Have–also known as How Do You Live?–is a 1937 work by the Japanese author Yoshino Genzaburo, telling the story of a 15-year-old boy and his spiritual upbringing. When an animated film based on the book was announced by the now 79-year-old filmmaker and manga artist Miyazaki Hayao in 2017, three years of exposure for the screen work’s imagery helped build anticipation, with a special appeal to nostalgic memories of the work for consumers.
The tag line developed for the cinematic edition has been especially smart for capturing a sense of nostalgia for the work: “Miyazaki Read This Book From Age 10 to 70.”
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, May 2020
| April 2020 Ranking | May 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 10 | 1 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 2 | 2 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 1 | 3 | 9787530219218 | 2019-02 | Life is Like Ocean | Mai Jia | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 3 | 4 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 4 | 5 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 6 | 9787559439482 | 2020-04 | Ran Freely (3) | Wu Zhe | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 7 | 9787559614636 | 2017-12 | Fang Si-Qi’s First Love Paradise | Lin Yihan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 6 | 8 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 17 | 9 | 9787559620187 | 2018-10 | Ran Freely | Wu Zhe | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 8 | 10 | 9787506365437 | 2010-06 | To Live | Yu hua | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 7 | 11 | 9787530216781 | 2017-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 5 | 12 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| 9 | 13 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 13 | 14 | 9787208061644 | 2006-04 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787559446848 | 2020-04 | Ran Freely (2) (2020 Edition) | Wu Zhe | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 20 | 16 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 15 | 17 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 19 | 18 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 18 | 19 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 16 | 20 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 21 | 9787506344791 | 2008-12 | Street Wizards | Feng Jicai | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 14 | 22 | 9787500680239 | 2009-01 | Pioneering | Liu Qing | China Youth Press |
| 26 | 23 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787544280020 | 2019-08 | What Life You Want to Have | Yoshino Genzaburo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 23 | 25 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
| 27 | 26 | 9787530215593 | 2017-06 | To Live | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 24 | 27 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 25 | 28 | 9787020008728 | 1998-07 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Luo Guanzhong | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787559436399 | 2019-07 | Break the Cloud | Huai Shang | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787530217061 | 2020-01 | Life | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, May 2020
| April 2020 Ranking | May 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 6 | 2 | 9787559620125 | 2018-05 | Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right (Full Version)(New Edition) | Gao Ming | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 2 | 3 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 4 | 4 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 3 | 5 | 9787201088945 | 2014-12 | No More Than Skins | Cai Chongda | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 5 | 6 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | Huaxia Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 7 | 9787010219783 | 2020-04 | 100 Questions About National Security | Compile Group of 100 Questions About National Security | People’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 8 | 9787503567292 | 2020-01 | Xi Jinping in Ningde | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
| Not Ranked | 9 | 9787505748736 | 2020-03 | Grow Up with Your Child | Fan Deng | China Friendship Publishing Company |
| 7 | 10 | 9787544387866 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 10 | 11 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 12 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 9 | 13 | 9787108063106 | 2018-06 | We Three (Third Edition) | Yang Jiang | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787201088822 | 2014-09 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 13 | 15 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787532174997 | 2020-03 | 30 Minutes of Song Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787201094014 | 2015-09 | Six Records of a Floating Life | Shen Fu | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787544391931 | 2020-03 | 30 Minutes of Economics in Cartoon: Financial Crisis (The End) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 23 | 19 | 9787503567285 | 2020-01 | Xi Jinping in Xiamen | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
| 20 | 20 | 9787540484880 | 2018-01 | The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo (Commemorative Edition) | Lin Yutang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 16 | 21 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 17 | 22 | 9787508689586 | 2018-07 | Economics Lecture Notes | Xue Zhaofeng | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 27 | 23 | 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 |
| 14 | 24 | 9787559436184 | 2019-05 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 15 | 25 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 19 | 26 | 9787530216590 | 2017-04 | Silent Majority | Wang Xiaobo | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 11 | 27 | 9787559435552 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 18 | 28 | 9787544387873 | 2019-08 | 30 Minutes of Economics in Cartoon: Common Sense of Life | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 21 | 29 | 9787544388672 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Economics in Cartoon: Financial Crisis | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 25 | 30 | 9787530216712 | 2017-04 | A Unique Pig | Wang Xiaobo | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, May 2020
| April 2020 Ranking | May 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 2 | 2 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 3 | 3 | 9787208061644 | 2018-02 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 4 | 4 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 6 | 5 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 5 | 6 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 12 | 7 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 7 | 8 | 9787544280020 | 2019-08 | What Life You Want to Have | Yoshino Genzaburo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 9 | 9 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| 10 | 10 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 15 | 11 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 12 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 14 | 13 | 9787201116693 | 2017-05 | My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Fredrik Backman | Sweden | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 17 | 14 | 9787550013247 | 2015-05 | Ferryman | Claire McFall | United Kingdom | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
| 13 | 15 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 11 | 16 | 9787221153159 | 2019-08 | Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 | Cho Nam-Joo | Korea | Guizhou People’s Publishing House |
| 18 | 17 | 9787539982830 | 2015-06 | Everything I Never Told You | Celeste Ng | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 20 | 18 | 9787539971810 | 2015-04 | The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry | Gabrielle Zevin | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 16 | 20 | 9787544384636 | 2018-09 | The Long Goodbye | Raymond Chandler | United States of America | Hainan Publishing House |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, May 2020
| April 2020 Ranking | May 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 2 | 2 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 3 | 3 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 4 | 4 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 6 | 5 | 9787540471194 | 2019-02 | Relationship: Bridge to the Soul | Christoper Moon | Canada | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 6 | 9787547734315 | 2019-09 | Life is Worth Living | Nakamura Tsuneko | Japan | Beijing daily publishing house |
| 12 | 7 | 9787201088822 | 2014-09 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | United States of America | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 11 | 8 | 9787514219203 | 2017-09 | The Willpower Instinct (New Edition) | Kelly McGonigal | United States of America | Cultural Development Publishing House |
| 13 | 9 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 18 | 10 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | United Kingdom | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 17 | 11 | 9787108009821 | 2014-03 | 1587, a Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | United States of America | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 16 | 12 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 20 | 13 | 9787508672069 | 2017-01 | Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 14 | 9787301109489 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787301110522 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787508692098 | 2018-07 | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 17 | 9787020116133 | 2017-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 18 | 9787514208788 | 2013-07 | The Willpower Instinct (Hardcover) | Kelly McGonigal | United States of America | Cultural Development Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787521702415 | 2019-02 | The American Trap | Frederic Pierucci,Matthieu Aron | France | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787544762885 | 2016-04 | 84, Charing Cross Road | Helene Hanff | United States of America | Yilin Press |
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.
Jiang Boyan LLC advises authors and right’s holders on global intellectual property and investment opportunities. 
As of January 1, 2020, OpenBook monitored more than 10,000 online and offline bookstores.
The online channel includes digital retailers such as large self-operated online stores, platform stores, and small- and medium-sized stores. The offline channels include 4,495 bookstores. Coverage includes most of the state-owned and influential privately owned bookstores in 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet are not included in OpenBook’s system.
In 2019, OpenBook tracked around 71.72 billion RMB in sales (US$10.1 billion).
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. And more from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here and at the CORONAVIRUS tab at the top of each page of our site.