K-Book Trends -

Search word : "POD", Search result : 44

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

The Rise of Literary Agencies 2021.06.07 There are not many literary agencies in Korea. Most of the publishers prefer working directly with authors over cooperating with agencies. It was common for publishers to think that it is safer to pay more of an advance to overseas writers who have already finished writing their manuscript or are expected to finish them soon rather than domestic writers who have not yet completed their manuscript.The most significant characteristic of the Korean publishing industry would be “diversity.” The system in which up to 6 thousand small- and medium-sized publishers make more than 80 thousand physical titles each year has greatly diversified the types of books published in Korea, but the limited average sales of each title was an expected outcome. In such an environment, it is difficult to invest a sufficient amount of development fee for each title. Hence, even though the literary agent succeeded in discovering fine manuscripts or o...

VOL.35 / 2021.06

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

Audiobooks in Korea: Users and Service Providers

Audiobooks in Korea: Users and Service Providers Service and Content Providers in Busy Days with Market’s Growing Interest in Audiobooks 2021.04.05 In the previous March edition, we talked about the audiobook industry's current status in Korea and its prospects in 2021. Consumers and service providers play a pivotal role in expanding the market and business opportunities. Furthermore, it is meaningful to witness how they interact with each other in the audiobook ecosystem contributes to the industry’s healthy growth and maturity. In this April’s edition, let’s find what behaviors audiobook consumers have shown to the market. Recently-made audio content enabling interaction among provider and users, providing a new-level of “experience”. As the pandemic is not showing any signs of abating, more people are enjoying audiobooks at home instead of going to bookstores or libraries. In the previous edition, we introduced how “Wela...

VOL.33 / 2021.04

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

Korea’s Audiobook Industry Ready to Fly in 2021

Korea’s Audiobook Industry Ready to Fly in 2021 The ongoing rapid evolution and development of the audiobook industry in Korea 2021.03.08 The most striking news in the new year was Influential, the operating company of an audiobook service platform ‘welaaa’, succeeding in winning 25 billion won worth of Series C sole investment from UTC Investment. This is after another mega-investment in 2020, where it attracted 13.5 billion won worth of Series B investment. Such a fast and massive investment implies that the future of the audiobook industry in Korea is rosy indeed. The domestic e-book industry says that the audiobook market's size has reached 30 billion won in 2020 and is likely to hit 60 billion won in 2021, which is nearly double the size. The audiobook market in Korea was formed in the early 2000s, but its size was trivial, with 10 billion won worth volume even until 2018. Given that situation, it is worth paying attention to the movement th...

VOL.32 / 2021.03

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

South Korea's publishing market and distribution structure

South Korea's publishing market and distribution structure 2019.12.09 South Korea's publishing market can be divided into three categories: book publishing (paper media publishing), educational publishing (textbooks and educational material publishing) and internet/mobile digital publishing and production. When taken as a whole, publishing sales stood at 4.0078 trillion won in 2010 and rose 8.2 percent to 4.3388 trillion won in 2017, showing an average growth of 1.1 percent each year in between. A characteristic of South Korea's publishing market is that educational content accounts for a huge piece of it. From 2010 to 2017, educational publishing has seen an average 1.8 percent in growth while paper book sales have seen an average decline of 2.6 percent over the same period. Meanwhile, e-books have seen sharp growth, with sales jumping 17 percent on average each year from 2010 to 2017. A characteristic of South Korea's publishing market is that educational co...

VOL.18 / 2019.12

[TREND / KNOWLEDGE]

South Korea's Imprint System in Publishing

South Korea's Imprint System in Publishing 2019.10.07 Most well-known South Korean publishers have several imprints (independent brands under the same publishing house). This number can go up to double-digits for large publishing houses, while smaller publishers' number of imprints is usually in the single-digit range. Imprints are a way for publishers to expand their publishing range as well as the size of their business and improve profits. Around 2005, the number of imprints grew rapidly in South Korea, and this trend was led by Woongjin Thinkbig, which managed more than 30 imprints at one point. They had a publishing system where they would recruit well-known people from the industry, like directors or editors, give them high wages and place them in charge of imprints. After looking at their performance for two years, the company would decide whether to extend their contract or not. In addition to Woongjin, Minumsa, 21st Century Books and Wisdom House, which...

VOL.16 / 2019.10

[TREND / ONE-LINER QUOTES]

Living a Life in Korea in 2023

One-Liner Quotes Living a Life in Korea in 2023 Podcaster’s Pick: Korean Books 2023.11.06 Lee Ji-Eun is a book editor and the head of the publishing house “UUHEE Press.” She has been running a book podcast named “Podcast Doostation.” Her books include: Book Editor’s Life Essay (Dal Publishers), and an interview collection of the football player Ji So-Yeon, I Will Be Your Dream (Kl Books). In the midst of K-fever in 2023, what does people’s work life look like in South Korea? Here, a group of 11 novelists gathered under the name “Monthly Pay Realism (wolgeupsasiljueui),” have written a book that “realistically depicts the struggles of ordinary people trying to make ends meet.” The book is Thank You For Your Hard Work (Munhakdongne), published in September.While people thought they had narrowly escaped the economic crisis that followed C...

VOL.64 / 2023.11

[TREND / EXPORT CASE]

A Special Convenience Store that Mesmerized Japanese Readers!

Export Case A Special Convenience Store that Mesmerized Japanese Readers! The import case of Uncanny Convenience Store published by Shogakukan in Japan 2023.10.04 It was two years ago, in the fall of 2021, when I first heard about Uncanny Convenience Store (Namu Bench) through an email from a Japanese agent. At that point, the book had already gone through 15 printings in Korea, sold close to 100,000 copies, and had been adapted for drama and theater, which was enough to pique my interest. But it was the title and content of the novel that made me even more intrigued. It’s a “convenience store,” but inconvenient? What a humorous title! My interest in the book grew further. And the story of a tall, mysterious man with no memory becoming a convenience store clerk, and influencing the lives of those around him, was fascinating. As convenience stores are an integral part of modern life in Japan, we knew that this story would appeal to the Japanese public. Th...

VOL.63 / 2023.10

[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

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN PUBLISHERS]

TURTLENECK PRESS: The Delightful Challenge of a Solo Publisher

Korean Publishers TURTLENECK PRESS:The Delightful Challenge of a Solo Publisher 2026.06 TURTLENECK PRESS is a solo publishing house founded by veteran editor Kim BoHee. Although recently established, it has quickly become a rising star in the publishing industry, notably releasing the bestseller Editorial Thinking. The name itself playfully evokes the image of avid book lovers sitting for hours until their necks bend forward like turtles. True to its unique name, the publisher also runs a newsletter called “The Turtleneck Letter.” We sat down to hear about the vision and dreams of TURTLENECK PRESS, a company that does truly special things. Q. Your publishing house has such an intriguing name. Why “TURTLENECK PRESS”? TURTLENECK P...

VOL.95 / 2026.06

[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

VOL.97/2026.08

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