Reissuing the Hits

In looking at the October bestseller lists from the Chinese market, our associates at Beijing OpenBook are pointing to the popularity that a republication can achieve for a book already long familiar to the consumer base.

In this month’s fiction listings, it should be noted that TikTok recommendations are seen as drivers in the case of Distant Savior by Dou Dou from the Writer’s Publishing House, jumping seven spots from its position in September to the No. 1 position on the overall fiction list in October.

But the phenomenon of a new edition’s power to move the needle is of more interest to the OpenBook team in October’s charts, as they point to Yu Hua’s To Live at No. 2 (Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House) and the perennial favorite in the market, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude at No. 3 in a 50th-anniversary edition from Nan Hai Publishing Company.

In fact, Distant Savior, while given a boost from TikTok enthusiasts, is a 2005 publication. And over time, one of the most reliable aspects of China’s bestseller dynamics is a firm loyalty to modern classics.

“The constant reprinting of classic or bestselling books,” OpenBook’s Wendy Pan tells us, “is a common phenomenon in the book market.

“With the update of an edition, there are often changes in cover design, binding style, and price adjustments. In recent years, with a normalization of discounts in online retail, the pricing level of the overall book market has continued to rise. Some books that continue to sell well have been on the market for a long time, and their pricing has been significantly lower than the current average. So publishers will choose to increase their pricing through reprints.

“Ordinary World in a three-volume 2021 edition, is on the list for the first time this month with a higher price point than in previous editions.

“There are also some reprinted books that are commemorative or collectible editions, launched at special times. Common times are the anniversary of the author’s birth or death, the anniversary of the book’s publication, and so on. This month’s One Hundred Years of Solitude 50th Anniversary Edition is an example of this type of reprint.”

We’re also seeing a continuation of the online-serial-to-book trend, and in that case, nonfiction is more in play than fiction. The hugely popular 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon series of small books and If History Is a Group of Cats are examples in this area.

Also in nonfiction, we note that Counseling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure by Robert de Board (Tianjin People’s Publishing House) was in the No. 1 place in October for its fifth month running. Humor, clearly, seems to reign in these treatments of historic themes.

And there’s an extension of this in the children’s books bestseller list you’ll see below: 30 Minutes of Puberty in Cartoon has appeared at No. 3 on the chart, again from Chen Lei and his team (Tianjin Science & Technology Press).

And strictly in the physical stores’ channel (not broken out in our charts), you may be interested to know that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is now on the children’s chart, at No. 30.

It’s anticipated that the Potter canon will get a major boost from the arrival of the Beijing Universal Resort, which opened on September 20 reportedly with seven theme-park attractions related to Potter-ist enthusiasm.

Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from October 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, October 2021

September 2021 Ranking	October 2021 Ranking	ISBN	Release Date	Title (Translated)	Author	Chinese Publisher
8	1	9787506331746	2005-05	Distant Savior	Dou Dou	The Writer’s Publishing House
3	2	9787530215593	2017-06	To Live	Yu hua	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
6	3	9787544291170	2017-08	One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition)	Gabriel García Márquez	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
5	4	9787540487645	2018-06	Moments We Shared	Zhang Jiajia	Hunan Literature & Art Press
9	5	9787536692930	2008-01	The Three-Body Problem	Liu Cixin	Chongqing Publishing House
1	6	9787572602825	2021-08	Always Have, Always Will	Zhang Jiajia	Hunan Literature & Art Press
10	7	9787536693968	2008-05	The Dark Forest	Liu Cixin	Chongqing Publishing House
11	8	9787229030933	2010-11	Death’s End	Liu Cixin	Chongqing Publishing House
Not Ranked	9	9787530221396	2021-06	Ordinary World (3 Volumns)(2021 Edition)	Lu Yao	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
2	10	9787559614636	2017-12	Fang Si-Qi’s First Love Paradise	Lin Yihan	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
15	11	9787544291163	2017-08	Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
7	12	9787500601593	2005-08	Red Crag	Luo Guangbin, Yang Yiyan	China Youth Press
16	13	9787020090006	2012-07	Fortress Besieged	Qian Zhongshu	People’s Literature Publishing House
14	14	9787544766500	2017-01	To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	Yilin Press
18	15	9787530221099	2021-02	Wencheng	Yu hua	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
4	16	9787020008735	1998-07	Journey to the West	Wu Cheng’en	People’s Literature Publishing House
21	17	9787555285298	2020-03	Hidden Love	Zhu Yi	Qingdao Publishing House
Not Ranked	18	9787544267618	2014-06	The Devotion of Suspect X	Keigo Higashino	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
20	19	9787544298995	2020-09	Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
17	20	9787530219218	2019-02	Life is Like Ocean	Mai Jia	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
23	21	9787559455000	2021-06	First Frost (The End)	Zhu Yi	Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
29	22	9787544285148	2016-10	Malice	Keigo Higashino	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
12	23	9787020002207	1998-07	Dream of the Red Chamber	Cao Xueqin	People’s Literature Publishing House
26	24	9787020164776	2020-07	A Late Bloomer	Mo Yan	People’s Literature Publishing House
30	25	9787550032071	2019-02	White Olive Tree	Jiu Yuexi	Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House
Not Ranked	26	9787559452788	2020-12	First Frost	Zhu Yi	Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
13	27	9787514226386	2019-12	One and Only	Mo Bao Fei Bao	Cultural Development Publishing House
Not Ranked	28	9787506394864	2017-09	Sophie’s World (New Edition)	Jostein Gaarder	The Writer’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	29	9787550032859	2019-07	You are My Desire	Qi Jian	Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House
Not Ranked	30	9787557024147	2021-09	FOG	Man Man He Qi Duo	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House

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OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, October 2021

September 2021 Ranking	October 2021 Ranking	ISBN	Release Date	Title (Translated)	Author	Chinese Publisher
1	1	9787201161693	2020-08	Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure	Robert de Board	Tianjin People’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	2	9787511568687	2021-01	At the Turn of Xiajiang River: The Story of Chen Xingjia	Chen Xingjia	People Daily Publishing House
2	3	9787539999883	2017-03	30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon	Chen Lei	Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
3	4	9787549632725	2020-09	30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (5)	Chen Lei	Wenhui Publishing House
4	5	9787544382045	2018-05	30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2)	Chen Lei	Hainan Publishing House
6	6	9787544387866	2019-09	30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4)	Chen Lei	Hainan Publishing House
5	7	9787544382052	2018-05	30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3)	Chen Lei	Hainan Publishing House
9	8	9787544276986	2019-10	Educated: A Memoir	Tara Westover	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
12	9	9787508095226	2018-09	Nonviolent Communication	Marshall B. Rosenberg	Huaxia Publishing House
15	10	9787557024413	2021-05	If History were a Group of Cats: Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
17	11	9787559313652	2017-09	If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty	Fei Zhi	Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press
18	12	9787559330260	2018-06	If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period	Fei Zhi	Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press
7	13	9787020116133	2016-06	Red Star Over China	Edgar Snow	People’s Literature Publishing House
25	14	9787540489304	2019-01	Danshari	Eiko Yamashita	Hunan Literature & Art Press
20	15	9787557023041	2020-10	If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
10	16	9787111495482	2015-04	The Courage to Be Disliked	Ichiro Kishimi	China Machine Press
Not Ranked	17	9787020135639	2018-03	I and the Temple of Earth	Shi Tiesheng	People’s Literature Publishing House
21	18	9787557017477	2019-02	If History were a Group of Cats: Qin, Chu, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasty	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
13	19	9787213102615	2021-08	Centennial Party History in Cartoon: 1921-1949	Chen Lei, Chen Jin	Zhejiang People’s Publishing House
11	20	9787547739549	2021-05	30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon (2)	Chen Lei	Beijing Daily Publishing House
22	21	9787557020149	2019-09	If History were a Group of Cats: Three Kingdoms	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
8	22	9787559418111	2018-04	30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon	Chen Lei	Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
24	23	9787557021856	2020-05	If History were a Group of Cats: Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
23	24	9787557020132	2019-09	If History were a Group of Cats: The End of Eastern Han Dynasty	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
16	25	9787540484880	2018-01	The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo	Lin Yutang	Hunan Literature & Art Press
19	26	9787550268517	2016-07	Positive Discipline	Jane Nelsen	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
26	27	9787559639134	2020-06	The Rise of China	Jin Yinan	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	28	9787508660752	2017-02	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind	Yuval Noah Harari	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
Not Ranked	29	9787559620125	2018-05	Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right (Full Version) (New Edition)	Gao Ming	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	30	9787208173316	2021-09	30 Minutes of Party History in Cartoon (1921-1949)	30 Minutes in Cartoon,Wu Bo	Shanghai People’s Publishing House

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OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, October 2021

September 2021 Ranking	October 2021 Ranking	ISBN	Release Date	Title (Translated)	Author	Chinese Publisher
5	1	9787556855339	2021-08	Treasure Hunting in Heilongjiang	Jingding Comic	21st Century Press Group
6	2	9787558900648	2017-07	Winter of Three Hairs (With Chinese Pinyin)	Zhang Leping	Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	3	9787557694784	2021-08	30 Minutes of Puberty in Cartoon: Physiological Features	Chen Lei	Tianjin Science & Technology Press
27	4	9787536593749	2020-05	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Game of the Wise	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
4	5	9787544288590	2018-06	Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (2018 Edition)	Tetsuko Kuroyanagi	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
Not Ranked	6	9787536593756	2020-05	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Password Discovery	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	7	9787536593442	2020-05	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Magic Lamp	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	8	9787536593459	2020-05	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: ‘Have a Meal’ Restaurant	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
2	9	9787531332091	2008-05	Xili Hulu The Little Pig (Vol.1)	Sun You Jun	Chunfeng Art & Literature Publishing House
1	10	9787533274269	2013-08	Guess How Much I Love You	Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram	Tomorrow Publishing House
21	11	9787536574397	2016-01	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
26	12	9787536574366	2016-01	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	13	9787020144532	2018-10	Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone	JK Rowling	People’s Literature Publishing House
20	14	9787521726473	2020-12	A Dog Named Money	Bodo Schafer	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
10	15	9787536587694	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I am a Pupil	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	16	9787536574380	2016-01	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy?	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	17	9787536574373	2016-01	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
11	18	9787536587724	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Look at This Family	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
13	19	9787536587717	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Dog Called Rat	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
18	20	9787531340065	2011-07	Xili Hulu The Little Pig (Vol.1)	Sun You Jun	Chunfeng Art & Literature Publishing House
12	21	9787536587700	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: My Good Friend Tie Tou	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
14	22	9787532767373	2014-08	Charlotte’s web	Elwyn Brooks White	Shanghai Translation Publishing House
24	23	9787531340058	2011-08	Xili Hulu The Little Pig (Vol.2)	Sun You Jun	Chunfeng Art & Literature Publishing House
25	24	9787536596313	2019-12	Mi Xiaoquan’s Idioms Comic Games	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
28	25	9787536587731	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Trouble of the New Deskmate	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
8	26	9787533299224	2018-10	Fantastic Mr. Fox	Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake	Tomorrow Publishing House
29	27	9787536587762	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: If I Have a Time Machine	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	28	9787536587755	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Secrets of Nature	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
30	29	9787536587748	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Lot of Fun	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
22	30	9787534618727	1998-07	The Straw Hut	Cao Wenxuan	Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House

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Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, October 2021

September 2021 Ranking	October 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.
3	2	9787544291163	2017-08	Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
2	3	9787544766500	2017-01	To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	United States of America	Yilin Press
7	4	9787544267618	2014-06	The Devotion of Suspect X	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
5	5	9787544298995	2020-09	Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
Not Ranked	6	9787539967363	2016-12	Dune	Frank Herbert	United States of America	Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
6	7	9787544285148	2016-10	Malice	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
13	8	9787506394864	2017-09	Sophie’s World (New Edition)	Jostein Gaarder	Norway	The Writer’s Publishing House
10	9	9787544297905	2021-06	The Nameless Town	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
9	10	9787544291224	2017-08	After School (2017 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
8	11	9787532175512	2020-05	13 Steps	Kazuaki Takano	Japan	Shanghai Literature & Art Press
4	12	9787208061644	2021-03	The Kite Runner	Khaled Hosseini	United States of America	Shanghai People’s Publishing House
18	13	9787530217054	2017-12	The Alchemist	Paulo Coelho	Brazil	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
11	14	9787532776771	2018-03	Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition)	Haruki Murakami	Japan	Shanghai Translation Publishing House
Not Ranked	15	9787201175133	2021-08	Anxious People	Fredrik Backman	Sweden	Tianjin People’s Publishing House
14	16	9787544281102	2016-01	Newcomer	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
16	17	9787201116693	2017-05	My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry	Fredrik Backman	Sweden	Tianjin People’s Publishing House
12	18	9787544297059	2020-03	Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition)	Gabriel García Márquez	Colombia	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
15	19	9787540485337	2018-03	Tsubaki Stationery Store	Ito Ogawa	Japan	Hunan Literature & Art Press
19	20	9787539983295	2015-10	Foundation	Isaac Asimov	United States of America	Jiangsu Literature & Art Press

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Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, October 2021

September 2021 Ranking	October 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	Britain	Tianjin People’s Publishing House
3	2	9787544276986	2019-10	Educated: A Memoir	Tara Westover	United States of America	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
5	3	9787508095226	2018-09	Nonviolent Communication	Marshall B.Rosenberg	United States of America	Huaxia Publishing House
11	4	9787540489304	2019-01	Danshari	Eiko Yamashita	Japan	Hunan Literature & Art Press
2	5	9787020116133	2017-06	Red Star Over China	Edgar Snow	United States of America	People’s Literature Publishing House
4	6	9787111495482	2020-03	The Courage to Be Disliked	Ichiro Kishimi	Japan	China Machine Press
9	7	9787520711531	2019-11	A Compass to Fulfillment	Kazuo Inamori	Japan	Orient Press
12	8	9787540471194	2019-02	Relationship: Bridge to the Soul	Christoper Moon	Canada	Hunan Literature & Art Press
6	9	9787550268517	2016-07	Positive Discipline	Jane Nelsen	United States of America	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
16	10	9787508660752	2017-02	Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind	Yuval Noah Harari	Israel	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
15	11	9787210096528	2017-09	Mindset: The New Psychology of Success	Carol S. Dweck	United States of America	Jiangxi People’s Publishing House
10	12	9787547734315	2019-09	Life is Worth Living	Tsuneko Nakamura, Hiromi Okuda	Japan	Beijing daily publishing house
7	13	9787111635574	2019-10	The Working Methods of Kazuo Inamori	Kazuo Inamori	Japan	China Machine Press
8	14	9787115536198	2020-05	Heart: Kazuo Inamori’s Philosophy of Life	Kazuo Inamori	Japan	Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House
17	15	9787508633558	2012-07	Thinking, Fast and Slow	Daniel Kanneman	United States of America	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
13	16	9787220114045	2019-07	Rich Dad Poor Dad	Robert T. Kiyosaki	United States of America	Sichuan People’s Publishing House
18	17	9787535732309	2001-11	A Brief History of Time	Stephen W. Hawking	Britain	Hunan Science & Technology Press
14	18	9787549635573	2021-07	Talkative People Talk Like That	Moeko Ono	Japan	Wenhui Publishing House
Not Ranked	19	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
Not Ranked	20	9787559647276	2021-03	The Willpower Instinct	Kelly McGonigal	United States of America	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.

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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.

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More China bestseller reports from Publishing Perspectives are here.

More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.