China’s book retail sales surge in 2024.
In 2023, China’s book retail sales reached 91.2 billion yuan, marking a 4.72% increase YoY. The market saw 180,000 new book titles, growing by 7.3% compared to last year
China is a huge country. It has 1.386 billion people. When we talk about China the numbers are often impressive. The country represents an opportunity for anyone who wants to do business there, the author included. In this article, we will deep dive into the Chinese book market as well as the best practices to sell books in China.
According to a report by the industry of book in China, 506 million digital book readers were found in China in 2021. This is an increase of 2.43 percent from last year.
According to the China digital readership report 2021, China’s overall digital market reached 41.57 trillion yuan ($6.4 Billion). This represents an 18.23 percent increase in year-on-year growth.
According to the report, which was compiled mainly by the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association and also indicating that digital content is becoming more affordable for readers, more and more people are willing and able to pay.
Last year, more than 400,000 Chinese digital books were published abroad. The most popular destinations for these books were North America, Japan and the Republic of Korea. According to the report, fantasy and martial arts were the most popular topics.
Overview of the Chinese Book Market
It is estimated that 58% of the Chinese population regularly reads books. It represents more than half the population with 800 million people. The Chinese book market is therefore considered to be a market with a very large audience.
In fact, there are more than 700.000 book stores in China making the country the largest book market, no wonder why more and more book publishers are trying to sell books in China!
A new library in China to make young people in China discover “books”
Who are Chinese Book Lovers?
This large audience has diverse interests in reading.
When Chinese women buy books, the pleasure of reading prevails. Meanwhile, it is more the desire for knowledge that guides Chinese men in their book purchase decision.
Book preferences are also observed by age groups. Typically Younger folks are more interested in fiction books, whereas Parents go for more serious topics and have a much more stimulating reading experience. For the elderly, the subject matter of their reading becomes deeper and deeper. Books on topics such as philosophy sell better to a more mature audiance.
How to actually sell books in China?
We’re digital. Even books are being sold on the internet. In fact, that’s how the e-commerce giant was born. Yeah, I’m talking about Amazon. The company has now expanded to include countless different products But in the beginning, the object that Amazon was trying to make accessible to everyone was the book.
It is thanks to Amazon that literature is now accessible to everyone. More than ever before, books are at the desire of consumers. One more factor that promotes book sales is globalization. Cultures are becoming more and more intertwined. People have a desire to learn about the world. Travel books are a booming market. And above all, languages!
The world’s population is beginning to want to travel and thus learn new languages. Let’s start with English, which is present almost everywhere. That’s why selling foreign books in China is a great opportunity.
In order to do this, it is first necessary to find out what strategy to adopt. As we have seen, China is a large market, but it is also complex and unique. As you probably already know, the country blocks some sites and thus uses its own tools.
Indeed, there are some very effective Chinese e-commerce sites; they are the only ones that can be used in the territory, given the restrictions to which the other sites are subject. On the other hand, these platforms have their own codes, so you have to understand them in order to master them.
Here are the websites you need to use in order to sell books in China :
1- Dangdang
2- Douban
3- WeChat
5- Taobao
Sell Books in China on Onlie App Dangdang
Dangdang is a company created in 1999 by Peggy Yu and Li Guoqing. The company has thus become one of Amazon’s legitimate competitors. In 2010, Dangdang entered the book market with a fierce price war.
Reach out to Chinese Book Lovers on Douban
Douban was created 14 years ago. The primary purpose of the platform was sharing. Indeed, users can exchange opinions and advice. There are books, music, films but also activities to do in the various cities of the country.
People find valuable advice, books, for example, are rated and commented on.
Douban will not be used to market your books, however, it is essential that you use it. The promotion of your book must be adapted to your target audience. Chinese consumers rely heavily on the comments of others to get an idea of the product. So make sure you don’t neglect the promotion that a site like Douban can bring you.
WeChat: great place to promote and sell books in China
WeChat is the most used application in China. It has nearly 900 million users. The platform is gaining more and more ground and functionality. Today WeChat is not only restricted to its original use, which was an instant messenger.
WeChat is also a place of commerce. If there are many users, it makes the market even more fruitful. This is why the platform has become a highly coveted place for e-commerce. But then again, it’s complex. We must then arm ourselves with patience and precautions in order to adopt a strategy adapted to Chinese consumers. The e-commerce platform could thus be used to create an online shop. This would give your brand visibility and therefore a reputation in the market.
For more information about how you can use WeChat: https://ecommercechinaagency.com/how-a-foreign-company-sell-on-wechat/
How to sell books in China with Taobao?
Taobao is a web platform that sells online and is a surprisingly good channel to sell your books in china. The company was created in 2003 and today has around 8 million users. Obviously, the site is only written in Chinese because it is intended for a Chinese audience. That’s why you need to call on professionals.
You can sell anything on Taobao, from icon package to customized pillows or skincare to clothing.. and books are also a favorite. What we like about Taobao: it’s cheap and relatively easy to register a seller account. Also, they just release their user affiliate program. We can wait to see where this goes.
To conclude on selling books in China
It is obvious that breaking into the Chinese market is a complex action. Especially with the language barriers, but not only! It is all the things learned by our experts that are important to know. Therefore, if you wish to get started and sell your books in China, we invite you to contact us so that we can send you all the necessary knowledge on the subject.
