K-Book Trends -

Search word : "Book of the Year", Search result : 35

[TREND / EXPORT CASE]

The Uncanny Convenience Store’s Magical Journey in Taiwan

Export Case The Uncanny Convenience Store’s Magical Journey in Taiwan 2023.04.03 Popular Korean novel Uncanny Convenience Store (Namu Bench) has experienced a very magical journey in Taiwan. Before publishing the book in Taiwan, Solo Press (寂寞出版社) had published Please Look After Mom (Changbi) with a relatively serious and heavy topic as well as Dallergut Dream Department Store (Sam & Parkers), a bestselling novel in Korea. * K-Book Trends Vol. 46 ? Go to the article about Dallergut Dream Department Store’s successful import into Taiwan Unlike Please Look After Mom, the two books, Dallergut Dream Department Store and Uncanny Convenience Store, are relatively simply-written, talking about things close to our daily lives. Above all, they are so-called “healing novels” with humanistic elements, which support the hearts of readers going through hardships driven by the pandemic. With the publishing experience and ...

VOL.57 / 2023.04

[TREND / TOPIC]

The Future of Korean Novels: Gen-MZ Writers

Topic The Future of Korean Novels: Gen-MZ Writers 2023.02.20 There is a new wind blowing into Korean literature. With the emergence of new media, we hear that literature will soon face its demise every time. However, even in the era of YouTube and Netflix, Korean literature still keeps its blood young with the inflow of new writers. At the center of the new flow stands the so-called Gen-MZ (Millennials + Gen Z) writers, born in the 1980s and 1990s. Gen MZ writers, such as Choi Eun-Yung, Chung Se-Rang, Jang Ryu-Jin, Park Sang-Young, Kim Cho-Yeop, and Cheon Seon-Ran, are highlighted as the future of Korean literature. As the new year 2023 loomed, many publishers released a list of books to be published, which includes Gen-MZ writers' names. Writer Choi Eun-Yung, Park Sang-Young, and Chung Se-Rang (ⓒMunhakdongne Publishing Group)...

VOL.55 / 2023.02

[TREND / TOPIC]

The “Most Korean” Features Penetrate the World

Topic The “Most Korean” Features Penetrate the World 2023.01.02 I met Kristen Vida Alfaro, CEO of Tilted Axis Press, in the UK last September. Tilted Axis Press is the publisher set up by Debora Smith, who won the International Booker Prize with Han Kang. The company introduced Love in the Big City (Changbi Publishers) written by Park Sang-Young and translated by Anton Hur to the UK, and the book put its name on the Booker Prize Longlist this year. Also, translated by the same translator, Chung Bora’s Cursed Bunny (Arzak) was selected for the Booker Prize Shortlist. As such, Korean literature ? or K-literature ? has recently been creating a sensation in English-speaking countries. If you take a closer look at the phenomenon, you will realize that diaspora literature written by Korean-Americans is at the center of popularity, such as Lee Min-Jin’s Pachinko and Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H Mart. * K-Book Trends Vol. 47 ? Go t...

VOL.54 / 2023.01

[TREND / TOPIC]

The “Healing Fiction” Fever

Topic The “Healing Fiction” Fever Trending: Fiction With the Theme of Healing Space 2022.10.04 Because I work in a book review team in a press agency, I meet dozens of books every week. And, recently, novels with similar designs and colors caught my attention, and I collected them on one side of the office. Then, one day, one of my colleagues from another team came to say hello, saw the stacks, and asked, “What are they? Are they a series?” Oh, yes. They may appear to belong to the same series, as they are so similar - in terms of atmosphere, not context. Every book seems to be indistinguishable from the others. Their warm color tone, and the “thing.” They all have some “house” drawn on their covers. So, even though people say that this is the generation of non-book-readers, I thought that it was worthy enough to write an article about this phenomenon as there must be a reason for their commonality.In fact, articles about this trend have been around...

VOL.51 / 2022.10

[TREND / TOPIC]

Fandom and Publishing

Topic Fandom and Publishing Trend in the Korean publishing market in 2022 2022.09.05 I have talked with a number of editors from publishing companies about “profitable books.” They all said, “The results are mostly determined by how influential the author is. How many readers it can attract is also one of the key points of signing a contract.”While fewer people are reading books, more people hope to write books today. So, among the manuscripts flooding in, the writers who sign the contract at the end are those who are influential. The marketing capacity of the publisher is indeed important. But, in this market where capital decides the marketing power, it is more likely that you must bring in “people that don’t read” to make a book go best seller. Thus, it is clear that a publishing company prefers to publish books by those with a strong fandom, created before publication. ...

VOL.50 / 2022.09

[TREND / EXPORT CASE]

Book Trend in Korea Eyed by the Russian Publishing Market in the 2020s

Export Case Book Trend in Korea Eyed bythe Russian Publishing Market in the 2020s 2022.08.01 In 2021, Russia was designated as the target country of the “Visiting Korean Book Fair” hosted by the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) for the first time in the fair’s history. Even though the fair was held online due to the pandemic, it was successful enough to draw an enthusiastic response from not only Russian publishers but also Korean participants. It served as a chance for both Korean and Russian publishing companies who have been paying great attention to Korean publications to take the exchange to the next level. Also, it worked as a cornerstone for Korean books to grow further in the Russian publishing market, as a greater variety of Korean books could be exported to the Russian publishing market after the fair.The most distinguished image of Russia in the Korean publishing industry is the “country of literature.” In ...

VOL.49 / 2022.08

[TREND / TOPIC]

Publishing Industry Full of Consolation and Sympathy in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Topic Publishing Industry Full of Consolation andSympathy in the Post-COVID-19 Era 2022.07.04 “Since my mother was not loved, I believed she would love more. Since my mother did not have anything, I thought she would fill someone’s heart more than others. I sincerely hope the story of this insignificant individual can give a sense of comfort to someone with a lonely and hungry heart. I was able to find a sense of consolation before others and by a lot. In addition to what I gained, I released my mother’s obituary collection. (Preface written by author Lee Soon-Ja’s daughter)”The above is the preface written to the essay At 60, as I Became a Sage Again (Humanist Publishing Group), released on May 9, 2022. The book is a collection of prose released after the death of the author Lee Soon-Ja, who won non-fiction award in the 7th Maeil Newspaper Senior Literary Awards last year. It may be that this word of consolation by a little known write...

VOL.48 / 2022.07

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN PUBLISHERS]

Storyseller

Korean Publishers Storyseller A storyteller who delivers unique experiences to the public 2025.10.02 Just as words have power, a name that is spoken often should not only convey identity and vision but also carry a positive meaning. What if we employed homonyms, words with multiple meanings? Such a name, open to diverse interpretations depending on context and intent, also carries a sense of wit and delight. Storyseller (이야기장수; Iyagijangsu), founded by Lee Yeon-Sil, one of Korea’s most celebrated editors, fills its books with stories as diverse and engaging as the word jangsu (장수), a term that itself carries multiple meanings, including “seller.” More than just selling stories, Storyseller seeks to reach readers everywhere, sharing life stories that are ordinary yet one of a kind. Logo of Storyseller It’s a pleasure to have you with us on K-Book Trends. Could you ...

VOL.87 / 2025.10

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN PUBLISHERS]

Booksea Publishing Co.

Korean Publishers Booksea Publishing Co. Reading the Future from the Sea of Classics and History Woven into Books 2024.10.07 There is a publishing company that says that the wise culture of Korean ancestors, who shared good writings through literary collections, is the foundation for our current era of artificial intelligence and big data - Booksea Publishing. The publishing house has been in business for more than 35 years, with a distinguished reputation in the field of classics, history, and humanities. Booksea Publishing is committed to publishing books that use the past as an intellectual foundation for today and as a pathway to the future. As a result, the company has been making various attempts to make reading easier and more enjoyable for more people. Booksea Publishing’s commitment to contributing to the search for life’s wisdom by exploring the “sea of books” is creating waves of intellectuality, encouraging more readers to set s...

VOL.75 / 2024.10

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN PUBLISHERS]

Hakgojae Publishers

Korean Publishers Hakgojae Publishers Turning the Old Into the New, Towards a Broader, Richer Future 2023.12.04 A new trend in Korea - newtro (a newly coined word combining “new” and “retro”) - has recently become popular among the younger generation. It is about finding new meaning and charm in old things and enjoying them as a culture. But even before the word newtro was created, there was a publishing company that worked tirelessly to promote the beauty of Korea on the global stage with such a spirit. Hakgojae Publishers, a publisher founded in 1991, has been at the forefront of exploring Korean culture and beauty for over 30 years. It is also a company that cherishes the past yet gradually broadens its horizons according to the changing demands of readers and the needs of the times, receiving encouragement and acclaim from Korean readers beyond recognition. Hakgojae Publishers, which has been committed to promoting the true beauty of Ko...

VOL.65 / 2023.12

VOL.93/2026.04

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