K-Book Trends -

Search word : "Future", Search result : 548

[TREND / TOPIC]

E-book Platforms and the Meaning of “Original Content”

E-book Platforms and the Meaning of “Original Content” The value of new methods and strategies 2020.05.04 According to the 2019 National Reading Survey, 52.1% of Korean adults were reading paper books. Adding e-books and audiobooks only pulled up the rate to 55.7%. The rate is falling with every survey. The reason for the fall in adults’ reading rate is a change of pattern in consuming content. People that enjoy other content than books reached 29.1%. Smartphones killed books.Yet, there are still readers. More and more readers are reading books with their mobile devices. Major online bookstores such as Yes 24, Kyobo Bookstore, and Aladdin have more than 10 million members each. Even e-book companies RIDI Books and Millie have millions of subscribers. There are many readers who enjoy reading genre literature through web-novel platforms such as Naver Webnovel, KakaoStory, Munpia, and Joara. In short, the missing number of paper book readers, or even mor...

VOL.22 / 2020.05

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN AUTHORS]

Writer Ha wann

Writer Ha wann 2021.07.05 Please introduce yourself to our readers. Hello. I am illustrator and essayist Ha wann. When did you start writing? I probably began writing in earnest after graduating from college. I was unemployed for three years. At that time, I wanted to become a writer, though I had no idea how to go about it. So, I just wrote a novel by myself. After 3 years, I quit writing. In fact, I thought that I didn't have the talent and that I wasn't really good at writing. So I got a job. But I wrote again. I didn't know I would publish a book. What made you leave the company? People think about quitting after joining a company. So from the moment I joined the company. I think I kept contemplating quitting. But the reason why I eventually decided to leave was I was tired. I was tired of this life. I had a strong desire to want to take a break. I left the company without giving it too much thought. ...

VOL.36 / 2021.07

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN PUBLISHERS]

Hanbit Media

Hanbit Media Publishing professional and practical books that are worth it 2021.06.07 What defines a good book? Everyone has their own yardstick for selecting good books, but one thing in common would be that “good books” have all been a good teacher that provided insights and lessons. In this aspect, Hanbit Media is a publisher that makes good books. It not only offers answers to questions but also enables the readers to make use of them. Hanbit Media, mainly specialized in the IT field, was established in 1993 when computers began to spread out across the country, and computers and PC communication were anticipated as one of the bright future industries. Almost 30-years-old today, Hanbit Media has become a mid-sized publisher in Korea. We asked CEO Kim Tae-Heon about the path Hanbit Media ? which actively tries to identify and reflect readers' needs ? will walk in the future. Please introduce Hanbit Media to overseas publishers. Establishe...

VOL.35 / 2021.06

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN AUTHORS]

Writer Cho Won-Jae

Writer Cho Won-Jae A more in-depth and wide-ranging discussion about art 2021.06.07 Under the motto “Art is a fun and easy toy for anyone to play with,” Cho Won-Jae wrote An Art Museum in the Corner of a Room 1 (Bacdoci Co., Ltd.) and the book became a bestseller shortly after publication in 2018 in the art category. Also, An Art Museum in the Corner of a Room 2 (Bacdoci Co., Ltd.) published in November last year, which talks about Korean art, also became a bestseller, making writer Cho an undoubted steady-seller writer of art. While art was thought to be reserved for the elegant and noble, he talks about artworks and the life and spirit of artists embedded in them through his unique, hilarious way of telling stories. Following is an interview with writer Cho Won-Jae, who has become a missionary of art as he fell in love with it. Let’s listen to his story of art, which starts simply but becomes increasingly captivating. Please introduce ...

VOL.35 / 2021.06

[INTERVIEW / KOREAN PUBLISHERS]

Safehouse Inc.

Safehouse Inc. A Powerhouse of Boundless Cross-genre Imagination 2021.05.03 Established under the slogan of being “A safe house for good stories,” publisher Safehouse is one of the publishers specializing in genre fiction in Korea. Living up to the slogan, the publisher works as a “safe house” for creators and stories so that stories about various topics that had been in the shadow can gain attention. Following is an interview with publisher Safehouse, a home to boundless imagination going across genres and media, collaborating with webtoon and video companies that need stories, particularly those that can be made into books. Logo of Safehouse Inc. Please introduce Safehouse to overseas publishers. Safehouse is a “producer of genre fiction stories” that plans and develops content for stories. Safehouse’s producers and creators cooperate from the planning stage of stories until the end. We pursue stories that have the potential to...

VOL.34 / 2021.05

[EVENT / IMAGE OF K-BOOK]

The Flower of Korea, “Mugunghwa,” Blooms

Image of K-Book The Flower of Korea, “Mugunghwa,” Blooms 2025.03.10 Korea’s National Flower, the Mugunghwa There’s a special flower in Korea: mugunghwa (hibiscus, rose of sharon). The mugunghwa, which won the most votes in the “Which flower/plant reminds you of Korea?” survey by K-Book Trends, is not just a plant, but an important symbol of Korea’s history and spirit. The mugunghwa is a flower that means “blooming eternally.” It symbolizes the perseverance and strong spirit of Koreans as it constantly blooms new flowers from summer to fall every year. Koreans have long used it to express their national identity and pride. Most recently, it has gained more attention worldwide when the popular Netflix series “The Squid Game” featured a game called “Mugunghwa kkochi pieotseupnida (무궁화꽃이 피었습니다, meaning ‘mugunghwa f...

VOL.80 / 2025.03

[INFORMATION / INFO]

2020 Korea-Indonesia Online Meeting

2020 Korea-Indonesia Online Meeting K-Book Platform turns into a networking channel for Korean publications’ advancement into overseas markets 2020.09.07 The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (Minister: Park Yang-Woo) and the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA; President: Kim Soo-Young) hosted the 2020 Korea-Indonesia Online Meeting in the COEX Conference Room in Seoul from June 29th (Mon.) to July 1st (Wed.) to reinvigorate the publishing industry struggling with restricted exports due to the recent pandemic. Icon of “Visiting Korean Book Fair 2020” The two organizations have been hosting the “Visiting Korean Book Fair” since 2015 to support the export of domestic publications. Publishers have been visiting 3 to 5 promising new overseas markets and carrying out 1:1 business meetings each year. This year, it was the third fair held in Indonesia after 2017 and 2018, but due to the recently imposed restrictions on immi...

VOL.26 / 2020.09

[TOPIC / TRENDS]

South Korea’s Literary Awards

South Korea’s Literary Awards 2018.07.31 Authors of South Korea usually start their careers by writing short stories. Every January 1st, South Korea’s key newspapers print literary works that have snagged awards, like short novels, poems, reviews and fairy tales. These contests by the papers are called “sinchunmunye”, which would translate into “spring literary contest”. This tradition began in 1925 by DongA Ilbo newspaper and for the next near century, South Korea’s key writers would first meet readers through this method. South Korea’s literary editors read these works at the beginning of the year, assess the literary potential the writers have and start contacting the new authors. The writers usually win around 5 million won per prize and winning an award at these annual competitions is considered a great honor. For many, a long time is spent honing their craft.Prominent literary magazines like Literature and Society, Munhakdongne (Literary Neighborhood), Creat...

VOL.11 / 2018.07

[TOPIC / KOREAN PUBLISHER]

GOZKNOCK ENT

GOZKNOCK ENT How About a Genre Novel to Read on a Quiet Day? 2018.07.31 Imagine a hunter who seeks out his prey for writing, hunts it down, collects it and cooks it after. If one were to look at Gozknock ENT, they would be reminded of such a hunter, as the workers here become observers and explorers in order to find good writing. They are in their second year of existence and they already have a strong reader base and are known for their genre novels. Readers say they don’t need to think twice when it comes to books from Gozknock - they just read them. The below is a Q&A with Bae Seon-a, head of Gozknock ENT currently sprouting stories for film adaptations in a garden of content. KPIPA Could you tell us what kind of place Gozknock ENT is? Bae Gozknock ENT is a development company that creates original stories ready to be adapted into video, in addition to genre novels. We combined the Korean word ‘gozknock’ which means quiet, cozy with ‘ent...

VOL.11 / 2018.07

[TREND / SPECIAL PROJECT]

Korea’s Diverse Children’s Literature Awards

Korea’s Diverse Children’s Literature Awards Children wishing for a happy world 2020.05.04 As children are referred to as the “future” of a generation, the emotional experience children get from books is very important. The Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, and Hans Christian Andersen Award are the most famous children’s literary awards in the world, but there are also ones given to excellent children’s literature in Korea as well. In particular, as Children’s Day is in May, the winners of many children’s literary awards are announced this month.While there are various children’s literary awards ranging from those named after famous literary people in history to those held by children’s book publishers, let’s touch upon the winners of the awards. The emotional experience children get from books is very important. Children’s Literary Awards carrying on the spirit of renowned writers ...

VOL.22 / 2020.05

VOL.92/2026.03

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