Passengers aboard a high-speed train at Jiuquan, formerly known as Suzhou, in the province of Gansu. Image – iStockphoto: Robert Wei
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Comfort Fiction and ‘Cholera’
In our look at China’s January-to-June statistics for this unusual year, one of the most interesting trends our associates at Beijing OpenBook had spotted was an ongoing struggle for the larger bookstores in the largest cities to reopen. Major chains and recognized big-store hubs were encountering sales drops of 50 and 55 percent by comparison to the first six months of 2019, as digital retail gained some traction.
‘Love in the Time of Cholera’
Parallel to this, bestseller lists, research shows, in June were reflecting a logical interest not only in self-help and self-realization, but also in books directly related to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and prevention of a pathogen’s spread. In fiction, the concerns continued to drive sales of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s 1985 Love in the Time of Cholera, in an anniversary edition selling 3 million copies.
But where some robust charting really occurred seems to have been in a certain amount of escapism, leading to two familiar sources: the “30 Minutes in Cartoon” nonfiction treatments of various topics by Chen Lei and the fiction of the intensely popular Japanese author Keigo Higashino.
A Higashino title published in May by Nan Hai Publishing Co., The Camphor Keeper, arrived on the list in June at No. 16, along with six other titles from the author. A part of what drives the success of these books is film and television development.
‘The Camphor Keeper’
And a type of magical realism in some of Higashino’s work—as in his abiding hit, Miracles of the Namiya General Store—returns in The Camphor Keeper, which centers on the guardian of an ancient tree to which the faithful pray in order to have their dreams come true. Not surprisingly, there’s a comfort factor to this work, and that seems to have played into its popularity in a time when even the Chinese capital has been jolted by outbreaks.
As prolific as Higashino is, and as loyal a following as he has in China, The Camphor Keeper is the first of his titles to be released in China simultaneously with its appearance in Japan. To energize that factor, the author wrote an affecting note to his Chinese readers: “The reason I wrote The Camphor Keeper is to pray that readers can have hope for tomorrow.”
National awareness was also at play, in sales for the books on Chinese president Xi Jinping and a newcomer to the nonfiction charts, 100 Questions About National Security.
The 18th of June was, as it is each year, marked out as a halfway point, usually called “618,” in the shopping year in China and much of the month in digital retail was themed around that trigger for discounts. Classics tend to do better in this annual sale-fest, and that seems to have held the nonfiction charts in place without a lot of change. The late Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time did move onto the main nonfiction lists, having appeared in the past on the international nonfiction charts.
At this writing (July 27), the 3:34 a.m. ET update (0734 GMT) of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center places China at No. 26 in the world for caseloads, with 86,570 infections and 4,652 reported fatalities in a population of 1.4 billion.
Per the reporting of Huizhong Wu, Judy Hua, and Ryan Woo for Reuters, it is of some concern that on Sunday (July 26), China reported 61 new cases for the mainland, “up from 46 cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Monday, with new infections not involving people returning from overseas hitting the highest number since early March.” Some 57 of those cases are said to have been domestic transmissions.
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, June 2020
| May 2020 Ranking | June 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 2 | 1 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 1 | 2 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 4 | 3 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 5 | 4 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
| 6 | 5 | 9787559439482 | 2020-04 | Ran Freely (3) | Wu Zhe | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 10 | 6 | 9787506365437 | 2010-06 | To Live | Yu hua | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 17 | 7 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 3 | 8 | 9787530219218 | 2019-02 | Life is Like Ocean | Mai Jia | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 12 | 9 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
| 9 | 10 | 9787559620187 | 2018-10 | Ran Freely | Wu Zhe | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 8 | 11 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 11 | 12 | 9787530216781 | 2017-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 13 | 13 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 15 | 14 | 9787559446848 | 2020-04 | Ran Freely (2) (2020 Edition) | Wu Zhe | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 16 | 15 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787544299015 | 2020-05 | The Camphor Keeper | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 14 | 17 | 9787208061644 | 2006-04 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 7 | 18 | 9787559614636 | 2017-12 | Fang Si-Qi’s First Love Paradise | Lin Yihan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 18 | 19 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 20 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 20 | 21 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 22 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 19 | 23 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| 27 | 24 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 25 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 25 | 26 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
| 29 | 27 | 9787559436399 | 2019-07 | Break the Cloud | Huai Shang | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 26 | 28 | 9787530215593 | 2017-06 | To Live | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 23 | 29 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| 22 | 30 | 9787500680239 | 2009-01 | Pioneering | Liu Qing | China Youth Press |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, June 2020
| May 2020 Ranking | June 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
| 1 | 1 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 3 | 2 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 4 | 3 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| 6 | 4 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 2 | 5 | 9787559620125 | 2018-05 | Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right (Full Version)(New Edition) | Gao Ming | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
| 10 | 6 | 9787544387866 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 11 | 7 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 12 | 8 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 5 | 9 | 9787201088945 | 2014-12 | No More Than Skins | Cai Chongda | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 15 | 10 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 25 | 11 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 13 | 12 | 9787108063106 | 2018-06 | We Three (Third Edition) | Yang Jiang | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
| 7 | 13 | 9787010219783 | 2020-04 | 100 Questions About National Security | Compile Group of 100 Questions About National Security | People’s Publishing House |
| 16 | 14 | 9787532174997 | 2020-03 | 30 Minutes of Song Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787020116133 | 2016-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787544389372 | 2019-11 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon: Traditional Chinese Festivals | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 24 | 17 | 9787559436184 | 2019-05 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 23 | 18 | 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 |
| 27 | 19 | 9787559435552 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 8 | 20 | 9787503567292 | 2020-01 | Xi Jinping in Ningde | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
| 19 | 21 | 9787503567285 | 2020-01 | Xi Jinping in Xiamen | Party School of the Central Committee of C.P.C | Central Party School Press |
| 22 | 22 | 9787508689586 | 2018-07 | Economics Lecture Notes | Xue Zhaofeng | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 28 | 23 | 9787544387873 | 2019-08 | 30 Minutes of Economics in Cartoon: Common Sense of Life | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 24 | 9787530214787 | 2017-04 | The Stories of the Sahara | Echo | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 26 | 25 | 9787530216590 | 2017-04 | Silent Majority | Wang Xiaobo | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
| 18 | 26 | 9787544391931 | 2020-03 | 30 Minutes of Economics in Cartoon: Financial Crisis (The End) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 29 | 27 | 9787544388672 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Economics in Cartoon: Financial Crisis | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
| 21 | 28 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 29 | 9787521708554 | 2019-09 | Style | Wu Jun | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| Not Ranked | 30 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, June 2020
| May 2020 Ranking | June 2020 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
| 4 | 1 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 1 | 2 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 2 | 3 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 4 | 9787544299015 | 2020-05 | The Camphor Keeper | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 3 | 5 | 9787208061644 | 2018-02 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
| 5 | 6 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 15 | 7 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 8 | 8 | 9787544280020 | 2019-08 | What Life You Want to Have | Yoshino Genzaburo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 6 | 9 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 19 | 10 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 12 | 11 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| 9 | 12 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
| 10 | 13 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
| 7 | 14 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 15 | 9787544281102 | 2016-01 | Newcomer | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
| Not Ranked | 16 | 9787559427434 | 2019-02 | The Outsider | Albert Camus | France | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 11 | 17 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
| 13 | 18 | 9787201116693 | 2017-05 | My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Fredrik Backman | Sweden | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 19 | 9787513312929 | 2013-08 | And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | United Kingdom | New Star Press Co.Ltd |
| 14 | 20 | 9787550013247 | 201505 | Ferryman | Claire McFall | United Kingdom | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, June 2020
| May 2020 Ranking | June 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 |
| Not Ranked | 4 | 9787807639817 | 2013-07 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Japan | Guangxi Science & Technology Press |
| 4 | 5 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
| 5 | 6 | 9787540471194 | 2019-02 | Relationship: Bridge to the Soul | Christoper Moon | Canada | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
| Not Ranked | 7 | 9787508687216 | 2018-08 | Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty | Abhijit V.Banerjee,Esther Duflo | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 6 | 8 | 9787547734315 | 2019-09 | Life is Worth Living | Nakamura Tsuneko | Japan | Beijing daily publishing house |
| Not Ranked | 9 | 9787532772322 | 2016-08 | Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies | Jared Diamond | United States of America | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 10 | 9787220114045 | 2019-07 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert T.Kiyosaki | United States of America | Sichuan People’s Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 11 | 9787521713305 | 2020-03 | What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence | Stephen A. Schwarzman | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 17 | 12 | 9787020116133 | 2017-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
| Not Ranked | 13 | 9787210096528 | 2017-09 | Mindset: The New Psychology of Success | Carol S.Dweck | United States of America | Jiangxi People’s Publishing House |
| 8 | 14 | 9787514219203 | 2017-09 | The Willpower Instinct (New Edition) | Kelly McGonigal | United States of America | Cultural Development Publishing House |
| 7 | 15 | 9787201088822 | 2014-09 | How to Win Friends & Influence People | Dale Carnegie | United States of America | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
| 9 | 16 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 10 | 17 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W.Hawking | United Kingdom | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
| 12 | 18 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
| 14 | 19 | 9787301109489 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.1) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University Press |
| 15 | 20 | 9787301110522 | 2006-10 | A Global History: From Prehistory to the 21st Century (Vol.2) | L. S. Stavrianos | United States of America | Peking University 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.