
At Nanchang West railway station, March 26. Image – Getty iStockphoto
‘The Year of the Backlist’ Rolls On
During the May 4 presentation of the Jerusalem International Book Forum, the Taipei-based literary agent Gray Tan of the Grayhawk Agency, talked of the last year as a pandemic “year of the backlist” in the Chinese market, with many of the books on the bestseller lists titles that “have been there for years.” And regular readers of our China bestseller lists will know exactly what he means.
‘Distant Savior’
Here in our charts for April, we again find Liu Cixin’s 2008 Three-Body Problem (Chongqing Publishing House) at No. 1 in fiction, and Liu Cixin’s The Dark Forest (also from Chonquing) at No. 3. As in so many markets, of course, such perennials are often referred to as “classics,” but when placed in context of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic—and also in many markets, not just in China—there’s an indication of how hard the past year may have been for emerging authors and newly introduced work.
The moving sector in China continues to be work that has begun life as “online literature,” the preferred market phrase for serialized fiction eked out on huge reading-and-writing platforms. In April, our associates at Beijing Open Book point to three of the only four books newly arriving on the fiction charts as having first appeared as online literature:
- You are My Desire by Xi Jian, ranked No.22
- Douluo Continent Ⅳ (29) by Tang Jia San Shao, ranked No. 25
- When Rumor Becomes Truth by Man Man He Qi Duo, ranked No. 27
The one newcomer to the fiction list is, actually, a book published in 2005, Distant Savior by Dou Dou, from the Writer’s Publishing House. It turns out that this is a book on which a television series, The Way of Heaven, was based. The book, it seems, spent some 13 months of primarily online-retail sales to work itself onto the list in April at No. 9.

‘Counselling for Toads’
In nonfiction, however, there’s something of a shakeup, the almost perpetual No. 1, Tara Westover’s Educated: A Memoir at last slipping and landing at No 3. Taking its place at the top of the list: Counseling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure by Robert de Board. The book is said to be “a classic introductory text in psychology.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from April of bestsellers in fiction and nonfiction, followed by its lists of bestselling fiction and nonfiction in China by authors from outside the country.
In August 2020, Guomai redesigned the latest edition and planned a series of marketing promotions on social media platforms including Weibo, WeChat, Douban, Xiaohongshu, and TikTok. it all seems to have worked, with sales rising and making a first appearance on the chart.
And in kids’ books, the Top 30 in April were “nearly all ‘old friends'” as our associates put it, with those “classics” being spotted on the list up and down the chart.

‘Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain Teaser: Clever Little Prodigy’
But in fact, 24 of the Top 30 children’s books last month in China were all part of several sets of series from Bei Mao, the Mi Xiaoquan books, most from Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House. Within those multiple series, the Mi Xiaoquan School Experience held down 15 spots on the list in April, half the total 30 on the list, and Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain Teaser was next with eight titles on the list.
Author Bei Mao is at times likened, at least in scale of popularity, to Jeff Kinney, the talent behind the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series in the West. Suffice it to say, if you’re writing children’s books in China, it is good to be Bei Mao.
Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from April of bestsellers in fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, 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, April 2021
March 2021 Ranking | April 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
1 | 1 | 9787536692930 | 2008-01 | The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
4 | 2 | 9787229030933 | 2010-11 | Death’s End | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
3 | 3 | 9787536693968 | 2008-05 | The Dark Forest | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
7 | 4 | 9787500601593 | 2005-08 | Red Crag | Luo Guangbin, Yang Yiyan | China Youth Press |
5 | 5 | 9787540487645 | 2018-06 | Moments We Shared | Zhang Jiajia | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
2 | 6 | 9787530221099 | 2021-02 | Wencheng | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
10 | 7 | 9787559452788 | 2020-12 | First Frost | Zhu Yi | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
9 | 8 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
Not Ranked | 9 | 9787506331746 | 2005-05 | Distant Savior | Dou Dou | The Writer’s Publishing House |
11 | 10 | 9787530215593 | 2017-06 | To Live | Yu hua | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 11 | 9787506344791 | 2008-12 | Street Wizards | Feng Jicai | The Writer’s Publishing House |
16 | 12 | 9787530216781 | 2017-06 | Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
6 | 13 | 9787020002207 | 1998-07 | Dream of the Red Chamber | Cao Xueqin | People’s Literature Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 14 | 9787530216774 | 2017-07 | Ordinary Word | Lu Yao | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
12 | 15 | 9787506365437 | 2010-06 | To Live | Yu hua | The Writer’s Publishing House |
13 | 16 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
8 | 17 | 9787555285298 | 2020-03 | Hidden Love | Zhu Yi | Qingdao Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 18 | 9787521208740 | 2020-01 | Street Wizards (3) | Feng Jicai | The Writer’s Publishing House |
14 | 19 | 9787550032071 | 2019-02 | White Olive Tree | Jiu Yuexi | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
15 | 20 | 9787521210033 | 2020-09 | Sit for a While Tea House | Jia Pingwa | The Writer’s Publishing House |
24 | 21 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Yilin Press |
Not Ranked | 22 | 9787550032859 | 2019-07 | You are My Desire | Xi Jian | Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House |
21 | 23 | 9787020090006 | 2012-07 | Fortress Besieged | Qian Zhongshu | People’s Literature Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 24 | 9787557023225 | 2020-12 | The Antidote | Wu Zhe | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 25 | 9787556257775 | 2021-03 | Douluo Continent Ⅳ (29) | Tang Jia San Shao | Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
20 | 26 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
Not Ranked | 27 | 9787559446886 | 2020-09 | When Rumor Becomes Truth | Man Man He Qi Duo | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
27 | 28 | 9787500680239 | 2009-01 | Pioneering | Liu Qing | China Youth Press |
Not Ranked | 29 | 9787229100605 | 2016-07 | The Three-Body Problem (Collector’s Edition) | Liu Cixin | Chongqing Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 30 | 9787530219218 | 2019-02 | Life is Like Ocean | Mai Jia | Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House |
OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, April 2021
March 2021 Ranking | April 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
Not Ranked | 1 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 2 | 9787572201882 | 2020-08 | The Value | Zhang Lei | Zhejiang Education Press Co.,Ltd |
1 | 3 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
3 | 4 | 9787549632725 | 2020-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (5) | Chen Lei | Wenhui Publishing House |
7 | 5 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
2 | 6 | 9787539999883 | 2017-03 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
10 | 7 | 9787559640246 | 2020-04 | Gag Reel (Signature Edition) | Li Dan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
4 | 8 | 9787544382052 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
5 | 9 | 9787544382045 | 2018-05 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
6 | 10 | 9787544387866 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) | Chen Lei | Hainan Publishing House |
9 | 11 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | Huaxia Publishing House |
8 | 12 | 9787559418111 | 2018-04 | 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
11 | 13 | 9787559639134 | 2020-06 | The Rise of China | Jin Yinan | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
18 | 14 | 9787108063106 | 2018-06 | We Three (Third Edition) | Yang Jiang | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
Not Ranked | 15 | 9787557023041 | 2020-10 | If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 16 | 9787559313652 | 2017-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press |
12 | 17 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
Not Ranked | 18 | 9787559330260 | 2018-06 | If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period | Fei Zhi | Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press |
15 | 19 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
Not Ranked | 20 | 9787557017477 | 2019-02 | If History were a Group of Cats: Qin, Chu, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 21 | 9787557021856 | 2020-05 | If History were a Group of Cats: Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 22 | 9787557020149 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: Three Kingdoms | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 23 | 9787557020132 | 2019-09 | If History were a Group of Cats: The End of Eastern Han Dynasty | Fei Zhi | Guangdong Tourism Publishing House |
20 | 24 | 9787201088945 | 2014-12 | No More Than Skins | Cai Chongda | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
14 | 25 | 9787540487850 | 2018-08 | Guo Degang on Chinese Cultural History | Guo Degang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
16 | 26 | 9787508689586 | 2018-07 | Economics Lecture Notes | Xue Zhaofeng | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
Not Ranked | 27 | 9787505748736 | 2020-03 | Grow Up with Your Child | Fan Deng | China Friendship Publishing Company |
Not Ranked | 28 | 9787540498627 | 2021-01 | Guo Degang’s View: Jianghu | Guo Degang | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
22 | 29 | 9787559436184 | 2019-05 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
Not Ranked | 30 | 9787559435552 | 2019-09 | 30 Minutes of Tang Poetry in Cartoon (2) | Chen Lei | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, April 2021
March 2021 Ranking | April 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Chinese Publisher |
1 | 1 | 9787521726473 | 2020-12 | A Dog Named Money | Bodo Schafer | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
10 | 2 | 9787536593749 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Game of the Wise | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
9 | 3 | 9787536574397 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
7 | 4 | 9787536574366 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
12 | 5 | 9787536593756 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Password Discovery | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
15 | 6 | 9787536593459 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: ‘Have a Meal’ Restaurant | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
2 | 7 | 9787534633362 | 2005-05 | Bronze and Sunflower | Cao Wenxuan | Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
13 | 8 | 9787536574380 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy? | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
16 | 9 | 9787536593442 | 2020-05 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Magic Lamp | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
14 | 10 | 9787536574373 | 2016-01 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
5 | 11 | 9787536587694 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I am a Pupil | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
6 | 12 | 9787536587724 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Look at This Family | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
8 | 13 | 9787536587717 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Dog Called Rat | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
11 | 14 | 9787536587700 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: My Good Friend Tie Tou | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
20 | 15 | 9787536587762 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: If I Have a Time Machine | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
22 | 16 | 9787536587755 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Secrets of Nature | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
21 | 17 | 9787536587731 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Trouble of the New Deskmate | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
23 | 18 | 9787536587748 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Lot of Fun | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
19 | 19 | 9787544288590 | 2018-06 | Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (2018 Edition) | Kuroyanagi Tetsuko | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
3 | 20 | 9787559706522 | 2018-05 | The Foolish and the Unhappy (With Chinese Pinyin) | Ren Rongrong | Zhejiang Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
28 | 21 | 9787536587793 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Comedy King Comes | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 22 | 9787536587809 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Cheers, Soccer Boy | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 23 | 9787536596313 | 2019-12 | Mi Xiaoquan’s Idioms Comic Games | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 24 | 9787536587786 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Naughty Boy and Grandpa | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 25 | 9787536587779 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I Have a Super Follow | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
24 | 26 | 9787536588103 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: The Future Me | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
25 | 27 | 9787536588110 | 2018-04 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Undercover Deskmate | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
Not Ranked | 28 | 9787536588202 | 2017-11 | Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Meet Mr. Cat | Bei Mao | Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House |
4 | 29 | 9787533299224 | 2018-10 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake | Tomorrow Publishing House |
18 | 30 | 9787558900648 | 2017-07 | Winter of Three Hairs (With Chinese Pinyin) | Zhang Leping | Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House |
Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, April 2021
March 2021 Ranking | April 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
1 | 1 | 9787544291170 | 2017-08 | One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
2 | 2 | 9787544291163 | 2017-08 | Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
6 | 3 | 9787544766500 | 2017-01 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | United States of America | Yilin Press |
4 | 4 | 9787544285148 | 2016-10 | Malice | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
5 | 5 | 9787532776771 | 2018-03 | Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) | Haruki Murakami | Japan | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
12 | 6 | 9787532175512 | 2020-05 | 13 Steps | Kazuaki Takano | Japan | Shanghai Literature & Art Press |
8 | 7 | 9787544267618 | 2014-06 | The Devotion of Suspect X | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
11 | 8 | 9787544298995 | 2020-09 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
3 | 9 | 9787208061644 | 2018-02 | The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) | Khaled Hosseini | United States of America | Shanghai People’s Publishing House |
15 | 10 | 9787544297059 | 2020-03 | Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition) | Gabriel García Márquez | Colombia | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
9 | 11 | 9787506394864 | 2017-09 | Sophie’s World (New Edition) | Jostein Gaarder | Norway | The Writer’s Publishing House |
10 | 12 | 9787544291224 | 2017-08 | After School (2017 Edition) | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
Not Ranked | 13 | 9787532786831 | 2021-03 | Klara and The Sun | Kazuo Ishiguro | United Kingdom | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
16 | 14 | 9787201116693 | 2017-05 | My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Fredrik Backman | Sweden | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
7 | 15 | 9787539983295 | 2015-10 | Foundation | Isaac Asimov | United States of America | Jiangsu Literature & Art Press |
14 | 16 | 9787544281102 | 2016-01 | Newcomer | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
13 | 17 | 9787544280662 | 2020-03 | Silent Parade | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
Not Ranked | 18 | 9787544280020 | 2019-08 | What Life You Want to Have | Yoshino Genzaburo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
17 | 19 | 9787555910749 | 2020-12 | The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides | United Kingdom | Henan Literature & Art Press |
20 | 20 | 9787544270878 | 2014-04 | Miracles of the Namiya General Store | Higashino Keigo | Japan | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, April 2021
March 2021 Ranking | April 2021 Ranking | ISBN | Release Date | Title (Translated) | Author | Author nationality | Chinese Publisher |
1 | 1 | 9787201161693 | 2020-08 | Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure | Robert de Board | United Kingdom | Tianjin People’s Publishing House |
2 | 2 | 9787544276986 | 2019-10 | Educated: A Memoir | Tara Westover | United States of America | Nan Hai Publishing Co. |
3 | 3 | 9787111495482 | 2020-03 | The Courage to Be Disliked | Kishimi Ichiro | Japan | China Machine Press |
4 | 4 | 9787550268517 | 2016-07 | Positive Discipline | Jane Nelsen | United States of America | Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd. |
5 | 5 | 9787508095226 | 2018-09 | Nonviolent Communication | Marshall B.Rosenberg | United States of America | Huaxia Publishing House |
7 | 6 | 9787540471194 | 2019-02 | Relationship: Bridge to the Soul | Christoper Moon | Canada | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
6 | 7 | 9787111635574 | 2019-10 | The Working Methods of Kazuo Inamori | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | China Machine Press |
8 | 8 | 9787520711531 | 2019-11 | A Compass to Fulfillment | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Orient Press |
9 | 9 | 9787540489304 | 2019-01 | Danshari | Yamashita Eiko | Japan | Hunan Literature & Art Press |
14 | 10 | 9787508660752 | 2017-02 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
12 | 11 | 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 |
11 | 12 | 9787220114045 | 2019-07 | Rich Dad Poor Dad | Robert T. Kiyosaki | United States of America | Sichuan People’s Publishing House |
10 | 13 | 9787115536198 | 2020-05 | Heart: Kazuo Inamori’s Philosophy of Life | Kazuo Inamori | Japan | Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House |
15 | 14 | 9787547734315 | 2019-09 | Life is Worth Living | Nakamura Tsuneko | Japan | Beijing daily publishing house |
16 | 15 | 9787508684031 | 2017-12 | Principles | Ray Dalio | United States of America | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
Not Ranked | 16 | 9787508672069 | 2017-01 | Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow | Yuval Noah Harari | Israel | CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd |
18 | 17 | 9787108009821 | 2014-03 | 1587, a Year of No Significance | Ray Huang | United States of America | SDX Joint Publishing Company |
19 | 18 | 9787535732309 | 2001-11 | A Brief History of Time | Stephen W. Hawking | United Kingdom | Hunan Science & Technology Press |
20 | 19 | 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 | 20 | 9787020116133 | 2017-06 | Red Star Over China | Edgar Snow | United States of America | People’s Literature Publishing House |
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.

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, Jiang Boyan 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.