THE transaction volume for this year’s Beijing Book Fair, which was held from Jan. 8 to 10 in Beijing, increased by 10 percent over last year. It was the second year of sales increase for the fair.

    Last year, the fair saw a slight increase of 3.26 percent, which was seen as a “turning point” for the shrinking book industry, according to Chinese media.

    “The market is improving since bookstores have been making drastic changes. The transformation has encouraged customers to return to bookstores. New types of marketing activities have also helped attract customers,” said Sun Qingguo, chief researcher for the Open Book, a Chinese data and information service provider for the book industry.

    The fair attracted more than 780 exhibitors with 500,000 books this year and offered 136 cultural activities for buyers and readers.

    Although a lot of new books were launched at the fair, fewer top authors released their new works this year. Feng Zicai released six new books at the fair, Chi Zijian brought her latest novel and Bi Feiyu showcased two new books and one collection.

    “Many publishing houses like to release their new books at the fair because it is a great promotion opportunity. However, for authors, we like to follow our own rhythms,” said well-known author Alai. Alai’s new novels are expected to be released in the second half of this year.

    Books from online platforms were a highlight of this year’s fair. Daxianggonghui, a popular WeChat account released its book “First Day on Earth” at the fair while famous technology website guokr.com launched its new book “Rumor Crusher.” The books are collections of the popular posts on the platforms.

    Zhihu.com, another popular website and online forum, held an interactive activity with its new book “Zhihu: Money.” “After four years of development, zhihu.com has already gathered more than 10 million professionals and experts in technology, business and cultural areas. Every month, there are more than 150 million views and 50 million visitors to the website. It is a future tendency for the integration of book and online platforms,” said Cheng Yuan, the head of the publication team of zhihu.com.

    Book-related cultural products were another highlight of the fair. Popular items included calendars, USB drives, cardholders, stationery and even teapots.

    “I came to the fair this year mainly because I wanted to see these products. Books can be ordered from the Internet, but these products have to be seen onsite,” Gao Liang, owner of a bookstore in Shandong Province, said.

    “Every time I come to Beijing, I check out these book-related products. Things like stationery and cultural products are necessities for readers. Consumers don’t realize how much they need these products until they see them in bookstores,” said Zhu Yufang, owner of the Xiaofeng Bookstore in Zhejiang Province. “These products are an effective way to attract readers.”

    Despite the increase in sales, the fair still saw a decrease in attendees, particularly representatives from bookstores. “There have been fewer and fewer bookstores coming to the fair over the past few years due to the development of e-commerce,” said Lu Mingqi, head of Phoenix Publishing House. Lu has attended the fair for nearly 10 years. “Many bookstores are now choosing to make purchases through e-commerce platforms that are faster and cheaper.”

    However, many people still think the fair plays an important role in connecting the industry and creating communication channels. “It is irreplaceable. It creates a precious opportunity for exhibitors to gather together and share experiences. We can always find good business opportunities and potential projects at the fair,” said Yang Zheng, general manager at the Huaxia Winshare Book Co.

    Some small bookstore owners also thought that the fair had helped them in terms of learning the latest industry information. “It can be difficult for us to get book lists from major publication houses, so fairs like this became an important channel for us,” said Wu Minghua, a bookstore owner from Hunan.(Wang Yuanyuan)