The aftermath of World Book Day has not dissipated, and the enduring topic of reading has once again taken center stage. Around the Reading Day, two live dialogues with the theme of books were held in the north and south of the country, and they all mentioned a topic - in the era of digital reading, how can a good book find readers?
During the dialogue, writers, publishers, and heads of reading platforms gathered together to give answers.
The live broadcast room is full of books
In Kunming in April, the spring is bright. On the occasion of the 3rd National Reading Conference, A Lai, vice chairman of the China Writers Association, chairman of the Sichuan Writers Association, and famous writer, Cao Yuanyong, executive vice president of Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House, Li Zhenzhen, deputy general manager and vice president of Sichuan People's Publishing House, Le Li, executive editor-in-chief of Tomato Novels, and several practitioners from different fields with rich experience discussed the "integrated development of national reading and publishing industry in the digital age", which was the first joint live broadcast of Tomato Novels and multiple publishing houses.
Technological progress has made reading no longer limited to paper pages, and a single screen can accommodate a sea of books, starting a reading journey anytime, anywhere. However, the unique texture and bookish fragrance of paper books are still irreplaceable feelings in the hearts of many readers.
In the face of the wave of the era of the alternation of the old and the new, Alai believes that digital technology provides a new space, in which the scale of creators and readers far exceeds the era of paper books, and authors, platforms, and the publishing industry should maintain a welcoming and inclusive attitude to welcome new opportunities.
Kunming live broadcast scene
A few days later, in a dialogue on "How a Good Novel Comes About" held in Beijing, Han Jingqun, editor-in-chief of Beijing October Literature and Art Publishing House, writer Zhang Chu, deputy editor-in-chief of October magazine Zong Yongping, young scholar He Jiayu, and executive editor-in-chief of Tomato Novel Le Li, once again discussed the integration of publishing and online reading. The conversation begins with Zhang Chu's latest work, "Clouds Falling", which Han Jingqun called "the Qingming Riverside Map of China's county town", which tells the life trajectory of a middle-aged woman in an ordinary county.
When it comes to this excellent work, everyone has discussed how to make a good book more visible. Han Jingqun pointed out that the publishing industry is changing very quickly, and publishers need to adapt to this change and find a path to more readers for good works. Zhang Chu also mentioned that the transmission of knowledge and emotions will not be limited by the carrier. Either way, as long as it can provide readers with excellent spiritual food, its value is the same.
Beijing live broadcast scene
The two book-based live dialogues attracted an average of more than one million viewers, showing the public's strong interest in the topic of reading, and also pointed out the ultimate goal of the development of the industry - to let more excellent works be seen, read and heard, and jointly promote the formation of a social atmosphere of book love.
Two live posters
The two-way journey between the book and the reader
In recent years, the digital reading market has become increasingly prosperous. According to the China Digital Reading Report, the number of digital reading users in mainland China will be 570 million in 2023, and the proportion of digital reading users in the scale of netizens will exceed 50% for the first time. Among them, the three major market segments of public reading, audio reading, and professional reading have all improved in a stable and orderly manner, acting as the leading force in the development of the industry.
In the era of "one screen and 10,000 volumes" of digital reading, Tomato Novel came into being, providing original online texts and introducing 280,000 traditional publishing high-quality content resources, helping 300 cooperative publishing houses find 6 million readers online.
Data source: "2023-2024 Online Literature Ecological Value Development Report"
During the live broadcast, the guests repeatedly pointed out that the online literature platform and the publishing industry are actually a two-way rush: good published works come online, which is easier for readers to see them; Many good books that were buried in the past have once again shined through online reading, and have been seen and liked by more people; After reading an e-book, many readers are often willing to buy another paper book collection. Taking tomato novels as an example, the works of writers such as Yu Hua, Mo Yan, A Lai, and Mai Jia are very popular, and more than 100,000 people read Yu Hua's "Alive" on the platform.
Cao Yuanyong believes that the infinite space of the online platform has broken many restrictions and provided a broader stage for readers and authors, and he vividly said: "Bringing an e-reader is like carrying a library on your back", in the sea of online books, meeting a good book is like meeting a heart-warming confidant, making the world a better place.
Tomato Fiction product page
The advantages of online and offline complement each other, and even collide with new sparks. Li Zhenzhen mentioned that Sichuan People's Publishing House is trying to accumulate data assets and digital assets, and film and television, cultural and creative industries have become the fields they are involved in. As Alai said, "no matter what the form of production is, it cannot change the essence of reading", and the most important thing is to "break down the distinction and seek commonality".
New platform, new story
The new platform brings new channels to readers and new stories to the publishing industry. Whether it is bringing the platform's excellent original works to the publishing house for offline publishing, or introducing the excellent books of the publishing house for online dissemination, Tomato Novel has been moving forward hand in hand with the publishing house.
At this year's National Reading Conference, Tomato Novel and 33 leading publishing institutions, including Xinhua Winshare, Zhongnan Publishing and Media, People's Posts and Telecommunications Publishing House, People's Literature Publishing House, Zhonghua Book Company, and CITIC Publishing House, held a signing ceremony on the intention of business cooperation in e-books and other businesses.
During the live broadcast, Le Li, executive editor-in-chief of Tomato Novels, also revealed that in 2024, the platform will adopt an operation model with a cooperative publishing house of 100% sharing by the copyright owner and the platform not participating in the sharing, and at the same time take out 100 million yuan of content cost to subsidize good books to help good books find users. At that time, reading, listening, chatting, and buying books will be integrated through the platform, which will allow readers to experience "reading for all" in the digital age.
As Cao Yuanyong said in the live broadcast, this is an "era that brings surprises to people". Every book has a chance to become a hit, and every reader can find their own book of the heart. And this is the infinite possibility that reading brings us.
Source: CCTV