Korean Publishers
Jakkajungsin Publishing Co. With faith and affection for books
2024.04.01
Jakkajungsin Publishing, a publishing house that has been fiercely and steadfastly upholding the spirit of writers, celebrates its 37th anniversary this year. Times have changed, and so have readers, too, but Jakkajungsin Publishing’s deep faith and love for books have kept it true to its original mission. Starting with literature and expanding to humanities, liberal arts, non-fiction, business, and children’s books, the company has pioneered its own path, communicating with readers while never forgetting the meaning and importance of books. The determination to make books that uplift the soul and awaken the spirit of readers, as well as books that can give strength and courage to readers living in difficult times, showed the passion it had at the beginning. Following is an interview with Jakkajungsin Publishing, which has been meeting readers with quality, mature books that have been built up over the years.
Logo of Jakkajungsin Publishing Co.
It’s a pleasure to have you with us on K-Book Trends. Please introduce Jakkajungsin Publishing to our international readers and provide the meaning of the company’s name.
Established in 1987, Jakkajungsin Publishing took its first steps with the desire to “discover works with a strong writer’s spirit” and the determination to “publish works that do not compromise the writer’s spirit.” Starting with literature, Jakkajungsin Publishing has steadily expanded its horizons to include humanities, liberal arts, and non-fiction. In 1988, The publishing house opened “Gyeongyeong Jungsin (meaning ‘management spirit’),” a brand specializing in business books, and in 2003, “Eorini Jakkajungsin (child writer’s spirit),” a brand specializing in children’s books.
Jakkajungsin Publishing goes into its 37th year this year, and we are curious to know what has kept the company publishing for so long.
The publishing industry was and is having a challenging time, but what has kept us going for so long is basically our faith and love for the value of books. Sometimes, we led the changes of the times, sometimes we dared to go against the trend, and in doing so, we have made our own way through the twists and turns of the world.
We publish books with faith and love for the value of books.
You have been promoting “works with fierce writer’s spirit” and “publishing without compromising the writer’s spirit.” What do you mean by “writer’s spirit,” and how do you try to convey it in your books?
The meaning of our mission of writer’s spirit can be interpreted in many ways, but we believe it lies in the phrases “works with fierce writer’s spirit” and “publishing without compromising the writer’s spirit.” We think that the word “fierce” refers to the passion to maximize one’s potential, and the word “without compromising” refers to the grit to stand up for what one believes to be right without being swayed by trends. Jakkajungsin Publishing strives to discover and publish books with such passion and grit, while not losing sight of the meaning and importance of our name in the course of publishing.
My Beautiful Neighbors, Life of Pi, and Moby Dick
While both the “Fiction, Connection” and “Fiction, Hyang” series are about fiction, what are the specific differences between them?
“Fiction, Hyang,” a series of mid-length novels introduced in 1998 with the slogan “The scent of fiction, the home of fiction,” was designed to revitalize the then-depressed literary publishing industry, and has since generated significant resonance as a trend leading to the lightweight and the popularization of novels. “Fiction, Hyang” is the second generation of the series, following the first generation of “Fiction, Scent,” with the new slogan “The home of fiction, the influence of fiction, and the direction of fiction.” In 2020, a total of 8 books were published, starting with Kim Sa-Gwa’s Zero (original title - ‘0 영 ZERO 零’), and Lee Seung-U’s A Room With a Bathtub was also introduced to readers as the first book of “Fiction, Scent – Remind,” a series of selected masterpieces from the first generation “Fiction, Scent.” Through “Fiction, Hyang,” we aim to continue presenting novels by representative writers of our literary circle as well as newly emerging young writers.
The “Fiction, Connection” series
Korea has recently been trying to create a more senior-friendly reading culture and environment. Looking at Jakkajungsin Publishing’s publication list, it seems that you have published many large print books. Since large print books have not yet taken off in Korea in terms of market and revenue, we would like to know whether you have any particular reason or purpose for re-publishing your books in large print.
A large print book is a book with letters more than twice as large as a standard book, and once produced, it is distributed to bookstores and libraries across the country. We thought it would be a great opportunity to make books more widely available to vulnerable readers, such as the elderly and those with low vision. We focused on public interest rather than profitability, and we are grateful that many writers empathized with the purpose of the large print book and were willing to participate.
In addition to Jakkajungsin Publishing, you also have another brand, “Eorini Jakkajungsin (meaning ‘child writer’s spirit’).” Please tell us about the brand and introduce some of its representative works.
“Eorini Jakkajungsin” is a children’s book brand that has been publishing books in a variety of fields, including literature and liberal arts, to reach audiences from infants and children to adults.
7 Years of Sleep
What made you decide to split your brand into different genres and target audiences? What benefits do you see in terms of actual book sales or building relationships with readers?
It started with Jakkajungsin Publishing’s challenges of “choice” and “focus.” We wanted to “choose” the books we thought Jakkajungsin Publishing should be publishing, and “focus” on introducing them in greater depth and breadth. As a result, we were able to systematize editing, planning, promotion, and marketing, and our members were able to perform more effectively within an independent and creative work environment. Also, by expanding our brand, we were able to grow the size of the company and increase sales and profits.
Jakkajungsin Publishing sometimes opens events for readers on Social Media, and recently, you organized a book club called “Jakkajungsin Book Club.” Please tell us about the book club as well as the events for readers.
The Jakkajungsin Book Club, whose motto is “Truly committed to reading books by Jakkajungsin Publishing,” has already reached its 12th season. The book club is a group of supporters who read one or two new books by Jakkajungsin Publishing a month, leave book reviews, and help promote the books, usually for six months. It has been 6 years now, and over that time, Jakkajungsin Publishing has gained loyal readers who read everything we publish, and even those who didn’t know us before have become interested in our books. As such, we were able to form a closer bond with our readers.
* Jakkajungsin Publishing - Official website, blog, Instagram
We seek to satisfy the diverse intellectual appetites of readers through our broad spectrum.
Please introduce some of the books you have published to our international readers that best represent the characteristics of Jakkajungsin Publishing.
First, we would like to introduce Bandaging by Yoon Yi-Hyung, which is part of the “Fiction, Hyang” series. It’s a bestseller that has been loved by many readers, with one of its sentences, “My dear daughter, be yourself,” being chosen as “Sentence of the Year” on an online bookstore. The book explores the meaning of true solidarity between women, and delicately touches on the complex and innermost feelings that arise in a relationship called friendship.
Bandaging, Going Through Winter, and A Compilation of Works That I Think of Vaguely as Poems on LA/Driving,
We truly look forward to the next steps of Jakkajungsin Publishing, which features a broad spectrum of works written with a fierce writer’s spirit. Can you tell us about your plans for new books or future goals?
Our short-term goal is to continue to publish Korean literary works, including “Fiction, Hyang” and “Fiction, Connection,” which are scheduled to be completed in 20 volumes and 9 volumes, respectively.
#Jakkajungsin#Fiction, Hyang#Fiction, Connection#Writer’s spirit |
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