Awards and screen adaptations drive fiction, while humorous history stokes nonfiction, on China’s October bestseller lists from OpenBook.

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Nine Newcomers to the Top 30 in Fiction

An unusual level of action was seen in October’s Beijing OpenBook bestseller lists for China, in part driven by the Swedish Academy’s choice of Annie Ernaux to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. A total nine newcomers were found among the Top 30, although they entered at the 16th position or lower

As our OpenBook associates point out, Ernaux’s book Annees (People’s Literature Publishing House) entered the chart at No. 16. The Chinese market’s attraction to the book, per the OpenBook team, is how it plays out like a collection of old photographs, each “awakening people’s memories … reflecting the passage of time and the evolution of the world.

Much more familiar on the Chinese market, Yu Hua commanded no fewer than five spots in the Top 30, and one of them, Brothers (Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House) entered the chart for the first time, at No. 28. Here, too, we see the impact of an award–Brothers won the foreign nomination in Russia’s Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, named for Tolstoy’s home, of course, now a museum near Tula.

Our associates talk of Yu’s “personal charm,” particularly in interviews, in which the author tends to reveal a knack for comedy, at one point saying that he “leaves sorrow to readers” and keeps “happiness for myself.”

There’s a lot of happiness to be had, of course, when your books are standing at Nos. 2, 21, 24, 26, and 28 on a 30-slot bestseller list.

Close on Yu’s heels, Zhang Jiajia in October  was able to occupy four spots in the Top 30, and in this case, the success of Moments We Shared at No. 6 (Hunan Literature & Art Press) was pushed along by news of a film adaptation expected to be released in 2023. More than 1 million likes followed that news on social media, and at least 100,000 comments on editorial announcements.

The book is a family drama in which a young man returns to a smalltown and runs into “a series of sorrows and joys with his grandmother and several children.”

Jiu Lu Fei Xiang’s Love Between Fairy and Devil ( Sichuan Literature & Art Press) arrived at No. 20, another newcomer to the charts driven by the screens.

You’ll find the series on Netflix, released August 7 in Zheng Yi’s direction as an opulent fantasy romance, written by Bai Jin Jin and based on a book by Hong Wan Ling.

The Jiu title on the chart is a series tie-in drawing fans to its period glam and the performances of Dylan Wang, Esther Yu, Linghe Zhang, Haiqiao Xu, and Xiaoting Guo.

In nonfiction, if you can tell a story from history in a comedic way, you may stand a good chance of capturing the Chinese nonfiction charts.

Following the runaway success of Er Hunzi’s “30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon” series (Jiangsu Literature & Art Press), we now see Fei Zhi’s “If History Were a Group of Cats” series from Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press ruling the nonfiction list.

There are six entries from Fei’s series on the October chart, and it’s thought that the latest challenger to arrive on the humorous history highway is Interesting Chinese History by Qu Ge, found at No. 26 (Taihai Publishing House).

Not to worry about the Group of Cats: They’re now holding forth in physical bookstore channels, our associates say, with some 10 titles overrunning the Top 30 in those retail venues.

Absolutely no laughing matter, of course, the COVID-19 battle on the mainland continues to be moderated by the government’s easing of its former “zero-COVID” policies. We’ll be interested to see if OpenBook’s research can detect changes in book sales—logically in the physical retail channels—as mitigation efforts are made less stringent.

Within 24 hours of this article’s publication, Reuters Beijing has reported that China’s US ambassador, Qin Gang, has said on the Semafor news platform, “In the near future, I believe that the measures will be further relaxed and international travel will become easier … from all the directions to China.” And in another Reuters report carried by CNBC today (December 13), the state-mandated travel-tracking app known as the “itinerary code” is said to have been withdrawn, having been used to determine whether citizens had traveled to COVID-stricken areas.

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 2022

September 2022 Ranking	October 2022 Ranking	ISBN	Release Date	Title (Translated)	Author	Chinese Publisher
1	1	9787020139590	2019-06	The Last Quarter of the Moon	Chi Zijian	People’s Literature Publishing House
6	2	9787530221532	2021-10	To Live (2021 Edition)	Yu hua	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
2	3	9787506331746	2005-05	Distant Savior	Dou Dou	The Writer’s Publishing House
3	4	9787536692930	2008-01	The Three-Body Problem	Liu Cixin	Chongqing Publishing House
19	5	9787513349437	2022-08	In The Beginning · Year	Wang Shuo	New Star Press Co.Ltd
10	6	9787540487645	2018-06	Moments We Shared	Zhang Jiajia	Hunan Literature & Art Press
4	7	9787229030933	2010-11	Death’s End	Liu Cixin	Chongqing Publishing House
9	8	9787544291170	2017-08	One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition)	Gabriel García Márquez	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
5	9	9787536693968	2008-05	The Dark Forest	Liu Cixin	Chongqing Publishing House
11	10	9787544766500	2017-01	To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	Yilin Press
15	11	9787530219218	2019-02	A Wavy Life	Mai Jia	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
8	12	9787500601593	2005-08	Red Crag	Luo Guangbin, Yang Yiyan	China Youth Press
18	13	9787533966102	2021-12	Life and Death are Wearing Me Out	Mo Yan	Zhejiang Literature & Art Press
17	14	9787530221396	2021-06	Ordinary Word (3 Volumes) (2021 Edition)	Lu Yao	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
13	15	9787506368698	2013-06	The World Under the Sky	Dou Dou	The Writer’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	16	9787020167098	2021-07	Annees	Anne Ernaux	People’s Literature Publishing House
12	17	9787020002207	1998-07	Dream of the Red Chamber	Cao Xueqin	People’s Literature Publishing House
16	18	9787020008735	1998-07	Journey to the West	Wu Cheng’en	People’s Literature Publishing House
20	19	9787572602825	2021-08	Always Have, Always Will	Zhang Jiajia	Hunan Literature & Art Press
Not Ranked	20	9787541158698	2021-01	Love Between Fairy and Devil	Jiu Lu Fei Xiang	Sichuan Literature & Art Press
29	21	9787530217962	2018-05	Cries in the Drizzle	Yu hua	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
30	22	9787540491949	2019-06	I Belonged to You (Revised Edition)	Zhang Jiajia	Hunan Literature & Art Press
Not Ranked	23	9787020164776	2020-07	A Late Bloomer	Mo Yan	People’s Literature Publishing House
Not Ranked	24	9787513331418	2018-08	The Seventh Day	Yu hua	New Star Press Co.Ltd
Not Ranked	25	9787505738478	2016-10	A Madman’s Diary	Lu Xun	China Friendship Publishing Company
Not Ranked	26	9787530216033	2017-09	Chronicle of a Blood Merchant (2017 Edition)	Yu hua	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
Not Ranked	27	9787530217054	2017-12	The Alchemist	Paulo Coelho	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
Not Ranked	28	9787530222324	2021-11	Brothers	Yu hua	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
25	29	9787020127894	2017-07	Fortress Besieged	Qian Zhongshu	People’s Literature Publishing House
Not Ranked	30	9787540496562	2020-07	Journey with you	Zhang Jiajia	Hunan Literature & Art Press

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OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, October 2022

September 2022 Ranking	October 2022 Ranking	ISBN	Release Date	Title (Translated)	Author	Chinese Publisher
Not Ranked	1	9787559664464	2022-10	Wish You Love Yourself Too	Fang Qi	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	2	9787563940615	2014-10	Accompany Children Through The Six Years Of Primary School	Chai Yibing	Beijing University of Technology Press
4	3	9787561346259	2009-05	Yi Ching is Really to Understand	Zeng Shiqiang	Shaanxi Normal University Press
9	4	9787111495482	2015-04	The Courage to Be Disliked	Ichiro Kishimi	China Machine Press
2	5	9787550285880	2016-10	The Complete Book of Dietary Therapy	Shi Xiang	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
7	6	9787201161693	2020-08	Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure	Robert de Board	Tianjin People’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	7	9787555262800	2017-12	The Power of Insensitivity	Junichi Watanabe	Qingdao Publishing House
12	8	9787222204331	2021-11	Details of Law	Luo Xiang	Yunnan People’s Publishing House
5	9	9787511320506	2012-08	Su Shu	Huang Shigong, Ding Minxiang	China Overseas Chinese Press
Not Ranked	10	9787571315252	2021-01	Take Care of Children’s Spleen and Stomach	Li Aike	Jiangsu Science & Technology Press
3	11	9787521733679	2021-09	The Most Tender Upbringing: Be a Gentle but Steadfast Parent	Oh Eun-young	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
23	12	9787555262688	2021-04	Danshari	He Quanfeng	Qingdao Publishing House
22	13	9787521603774	2019-08	The Faith as Premise of Freedom	Luo Xiang	China Legal Publishing House
Not Ranked	14	9787547265727	2020-02	Impromptu Speeches	He Liu	Jilin Literature & History Press
11	15	9787508653389	2015-07	The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War Ⅱ	Iris Chang	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
20	16	9787557027063	2022-04	If History were a Group of Cats: Song, Liao, Jin Dynasty and the Western Xia Regime	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
13	17	9787208171336	2021-08	In the Affair: Chinese Government and Economic Development	Lan Xiaohuan	Shanghai People’s Publishing House
28	18	9787559313652	2017-09	If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty	Fei Zhi	Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press
1	19	9787521746709	2022-09	Reunion	Sun Yue	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
17	20	9787544334792	2011-01	Close to The Buddha	Khenpo Sherab Zangpo Rinpoche	Hainan Publishing House
Not Ranked	21	9787559330260	2018-06	If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period	Fei Zhi	Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press
Not Ranked	22	9787557025847	2021-11	If History were a Group of Cats: Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
Not Ranked	23	9787550285415	2016-10	Accompany Children Through The Six Years Of Primary School	Liu Chenglian	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
15	24	9787520802130	2018-05	Do Their Own Psychological Doctor	Mo Yu	China Business Publishing House
18	25	9787540484880	2018-01	The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo	Lin Yutang	Hunan Literature & Art Press
Not Ranked	26	9787516827628	2020-11	Interesting Chinese History	Qu Ge	Taihai Publishing House
Not Ranked	27	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	28	9787559663740	2021-12	Read to great	Feng Tang	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	29	9787557024413	2021-05	If History were a Group of Cats: Prosperity of the Tang Dynasty	Fei Zhi	Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
14	30	9787520711531	2019-11	A Compass to Fulfillment	Kazuo Inamori	Orient Press

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OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, October 2022

September 2022 Ranking	October 2022 Ranking	ISBN	Release Date	Title (Translated)	Author	Chinese Publisher
2	1	9787218146768	2022-09	Manga Elementary School Student Psychology	Han Tu	Guangdong People’s Publishing House
6	2	9787573110930	2022-04	Psychology in Cartoon for Kids (5 volumes)	Bai Mingyan	Jilin Publishing Group Co., Ltd.
1	3	9787110103074	2022-02	Science Comics Loved by Pupils (4 volumes)	Sunbook	Popular Science Press
5	4	9787533274269	2013-08	Guess How Much I Love You	Sam McBratney, Anita Jeram	Tomorrow Publishing House
4	5	9787570711888	2021-12	Ultraman Series Photo Book for 55th Anniversary	Tsuburaya Productions	Anhui Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	6	9787570229178	2022-10	Grandma Quotes Picture Book (4 volumes)	Ni Ping	Changjiang Literature & Art Press Co.,Ltd.
Not Ranked	7	9787530749777	2011-02	From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler	E.L.Konigsburg	New Buds Publishing House
Not Ranked	8	9787227072201	2021-11	Scientist’s Story	Jiao Qingfeng	Ningxia People’s Publishing House
20	9	9787536587694	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I am a Pupil	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	10	9787566714350	2018-09	World Classic Fairy Tales (20 volumes)	Cai Xiaobai	Hunan University Press
Not Ranked	11	9787566714398	2018-09	Chinese Classic Stories (20 volumes)	Cai Xiaobai	Hunan University Press
23	12	9787536587724	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Look at This Family	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked	13	9787568290685	2020-11	The Classic of Mountains and Rivers for Kids	Xu Pingping	Beijing Institute of Technology Press
Not Ranked	14	9787556862726	2022-03	28-Day Children’s Self-care Ability Development Series (4 volumes)	Deng Juan	21st Century Press Group
24	15	9787536587717	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Dog Called Rat	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
25	16	9787536587700	2018-04	Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: My Good Friend Tie Tou	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
11	17	9787532767373	2014-08	Charlotte’s Web	Elwyn Brooks White	Shanghai Translation Publishing House
Not Ranked	18	9787502086855	2021-07	Why shouldn’t I? (10 volumes)	Little Red Sail	Emergency Management Press
Not Ranked	19	9787555715528	2020-12	10,000 Cases of Stick Figures	Lian Dongxing	Chengdu Map Press
16	20	9787533299224	2018-10	Fantastic Mr. Fox	Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake	Tomorrow Publishing House
Not Ranked	21	9787559621337	2019-04	Butt Detective: Detective and the Fraud	Troll	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	22	9787533264062	2010-12	Let’s Get Mung Beans, Momma!	Zeng Yangqing, Wan Huaguo	Tomorrow Publishing House
Not Ranked	23	9787559608390	2018-01	Butt Detective: The Criminal Appears	Troll	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	24	9787550286122	2016-11	Butt Detective: Disappeared Popular Dessert	Troll	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	25	9787550286214	2016-11	Butt Detective: The Missing Lunch Box	Troll	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked	26	9787550286238	2016-11	Butt Detective: Look for the Rainbow Diamond	Troll	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
10	27	9787533273460	2013-05	Something from Nothing	Phoebe Gilman	Tomorrow Publishing House
Not Ranked	28	9787550286085	2016-11	Butt Detective: The Big Crisis of Small Director	Troll	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
17	29	9787559015266	2017-06	Friendship, to be Rented (with Chinese Pinyin)	Fang Suzhen, Hao Luowen	Xinjiang Children and Youth Publishing House
Not Ranked	30	9787536574366	2016-01	Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego	Bei Mao	Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House

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Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, October 2022

September 2022 Ranking	October 2022 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	9787544766500	2017-01	To Kill a Mockingbird	Harper Lee	United States of America	Yilin Press
Not Ranked	3	9787020167098	2021-07	Annees	Anne Ernaux	France	People’s Literature Publishing House
6	4	9787530217054	2017-12	The Alchemist	Paulo Coelho	Brazil	Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
4	5	9787208061644	2006-04	The Kite Runner	Khaled Hosseini	United States of America	Shanghai People’s Publishing House
5	6	9787544291163	2017-08	Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
9	7	9787540485337	2018-03	Tsubaki Stationery Store	Ito Ogawa	Japan	Hunan Literature & Art Press
7	8	9787532175512	2020-05	13 Steps	Kazuaki Takano	Japan	Shanghai Literature & Art Press
17	9	9787544297059	2020-03	Love in the Time of Cholera (3 Million Sold Anniversary Edition)	Gabriel García Márquez	Colombia	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
16	10	9787201112695	2017–03	Siddhartha	Hermann Hesse	Germany	Tianjin People’s Publishing House
13	11	9787559614711	2018-01	Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit	Jeanette Winterson	Britain	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
10	12	9787544298995	2020-09	Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
15	13	9787544296274	2019-09	Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse	Otsuichi	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
3	14	9787506394864	2017-09	Sophie’s World (New Edition)	Jostein Gaarder	Norway	The Writer’s Publishing House
14	15	9787559641182	2020-07	Scream	Aki Hamanaka	Japan	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
20	16	9787544269452	2021-11	Malice (2022 Edition)	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
12	17	9787521200836	2018-08	Thiaoouba Prophecy	Michael Desmarquet	Australia	The Writer’s Publishing House
18	18	9787544282086	2016-02	The Moon and Sixpence	William Somerset Maugham	Britain	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
11	19	9787533936020	2017-02	The Moon and Sixpence	William Somerset Maugham	Britain	Zhejiang Literature & Art Press
Not Ranked	20	9787544263962	2022-03	Crucifix of Nothingness	Keigo Higashino	Japan	Nan Hai Publishing Co.

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Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, October 2022

September 2022 Ranking	October 2022 Ranking	ISBN	Release Date	Title (Translated)	Author	Author nationality	Chinese Publisher
3	1	9787111495482	2015-04	The Courage to Be Disliked	Ichiro Kishimi	Japan	China Machine Press
2	2	9787201161693	2020-08	Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure	Robert de Board	Britain	Tianjin People’s Publishing House
11	3	9787555262800	2017-12	The Power of Insensitivity	Junichi Watanabe	Japan	Qingdao Publishing House
1	4	9787521733679	2021-09	The Most Tender Upbringing: Be a Gentle but Steadfast Parent	Oh Eun-young	Korea	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
4	5	9787508653389	2015-07	The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War Ⅱ	Iris Chang	United States of America	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
5	6	9787520711531	2019-11	A Compass to Fulfillment	Kazuo Inamori	Japan	Orient Press
9	7	9787544276986	2019-10	Educated: A Memoir	Tara Westover	United States of America	Nan Hai Publishing Co.
7	8	9787550268517	2016-07	Positive Discipline	Jane Nelsen	United States of America	Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
14	9	9787801445445	2003-04	You Can Heal Your Life	Louise L.Hay	United States of America	China Astronautic Publishing House
Not Ranked	10	9787505737488	2016-12	What Life Should Mean to You	Alfred Adler	Austria	China Friendship Publishing Company
10	11	9787111551287	2016-10	Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise	Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool	United States of America	China Machine Press
13	12	9787522200514	2021-05	Nonviolent Communication	Marshall B.Rosenberg	United States of America	Huaxia Publishing House
12	13	9787521741124	2022-04	The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness	Eric Jorgenson	United States of America	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
Not Ranked	14	9787515902241	2012-07	Letters to Louise: The Answers are Within You	Louise L.Hay	United States of America	China Astronautic Publishing House
17	15	9787508680965	2017-12	Predictably Irrational (Revised Edition）	Dan Ariely	United States of America	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
Not Ranked	16	9787505738966	2017-05	How to Win Friends and Influence People	Dale Carnegie	United States of America	China Friendship Publishing Company
19	17	9787511714152	2012-08	How to Talk so Teens will Listen and Listen so Teens will Talk	Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish	United States of America	Central Compilation & Translation Press
Not Ranked	18	9787505745681	2018-12	The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind	Gustave Le Bon	France	China Friendship Publishing Company
16	19	9787521719253	2020-08	The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)	Philippa Perry	Britain	CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
Not Ranked	20	9787108009821	1998-07	1587, a Year of No Significance	Ray Huang	United States of America	SDX Joint Publishing Company

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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, and more on the Chinese book publishing market is here.

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