VOL.69/2024.04

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.

 

Established in 1993, Hanbit Media is a publisher that pursues three core values of “We dream of the future and work with passion,” “We aim to become a publisher that is trusted by readers,” and “We seek sustainable and balanced growth,” under the vision of “A publishing hub of Asia that delivers a better tomorrow and a better world.” IT had been our main field in the early days, but now we have expanded our scope of publication to encompass various fields, including business, economics, self-help, leisure, hobby, parenting, and college textbooks.

 

What is the standard or value Hanbit Media pursues when it comes to choosing authors or works?

 

There’s one principle that Hanbit Media has been trying to stick to ever since its establishment. It is “to become a publisher trusted by readers.” This is also because Hanbit Media mainly publishes practical books. We are aiming to publish books that satisfy readers’ needs, and which the readers feel were meaningful or worth reading. And when we are choosing authors, we tend to prefer authors that can be our long-lasting partners, steadily publishing works over time.

 

Why did Hanbit Media choose to specialize in IT among other fields, and what do you think is the compelling point of IT books?

 

The year 1993 – when Hanbit Media was established – was when computers began to be distributed across the nation, and PC communication services such as Chollian and Hitel were newly born, heightening anticipation for computers and communication to be the next industry in Korea. So, we thought that ICT will be the infrastructure of new industries, just like automobiles and railways and that the general public and developers will be in continuous need of IT applications and expertise. Well, I was not that greatly specialized in literature or liberal arts, and maybe this was also one of the reasons, but I’d rather say that Hanbit Media joined the big trend in the publishing market.
The IT industry grew exponentially starting from the early 1990s. IT was adopted in all industries, and new technologies are pouring out day by day. Now, rather than the vague instinct of the editors, rational projects that are based on readers’ needs are prioritized. I think this is the biggest charming point of IT books.

 

 

I am proud that Hanbit Media has been growing step by step as a mid-sized publisher in Korea.

 

 

It’s almost 30 years into Hanbit Media’s establishment. How do you feel?

 

They say that only 30% of startup companies in Korea manage to survive for 5 years. This means that 7 out of 10 companies shut down in 5 years. I am so thankful for our readers, authors, and our staff that enabled Hanbit Media to observe its 30th year amidst such a business environment. There are even four staff members that have worked for more than 20 years at our company. All companies have hard times. I myself also faced a tough time, the Asian Financial Crisis, not so long after I set up Hanbit Media. It was actually the time I experienced how risky promissory note transactions are. (laughs) And I faced another challenge in 2002 when the bubble in the IT industry burst. But at the same time, I feel proud that Hanbit Media grew step by step along with the staff members. And I also feel a sense of accomplishment that it can continue to contribute to Korea’s publishing industry with readers as a mid-sized publisher in Korea.

 

Please recommend some of Hanbit Media’s books to our readers.

 

I am a Programmer / Written by Lim Baek-Jun and 6 others
This is a collection of essays written by 7 authors, who are referred to as “role models” in several IT fields, where they talk about their lives as programmer, sharing their values, philosophy, work, and struggles. It will be a good book for those trying to become a programmer and those that are already one. As the book was published in 2004, the IT environment would have changed greatly ever since then. I personally think the book is highly meaningful as it’s about the lives and stories of developers during those years.

Self-Learning Python / Written by Yoon In-Sung
This book focuses on practicality so that beginners who are thinking of learning a programming language, or Python, for the first time can properly take away “must-learn” things when studying by themselves. It is a private tutor that kindly points out the most important parts, resolving the puzzled mind of the beginners who do not even know “what” and “how” to study a programming language. Verified by and made with 27 beta-readers, the book is a perfect introductory book for self-taught people. It is also one of the Self-Learning series, which is a successful introductory series about programming developed after multiple tryouts.

Mom’s Talking Practice / Written by Park Jae-Yeun
Suppose mom can continue having conversations with her child, boosting their self-esteem by wisely hugging their minds in numerous situations they face. In that case, parenting will become a bit more convenient. To make that possible, moms should be able to look into themselves first. This book introduces some ways for moms who have lost themselves due to the tough days of parenting to understand and sympathize with themselves. It includes conversation training cases the author conducted with parents and teachers for a long period and episodes introduced on Mom’s Radio, in which readers can get practical tips applicable to various situations in life. This book is particularly impressive as we exported its copyright to several countries.

 

 

Hanbit Media has recently published 3 titles. Please introduce them to us.

 

Actually, I wanted to be loved / Written by Park Jae-Yeun
This book is a conversation guide that helps readers talk with those that make them suffer, express their true feelings such as gratitude and apology, and improve human relationships. It is also a conversation guide for those that have agony inside their heart for not being able to respond to people spitting out absurd things, those that feel it hard to say sorry or thank you, thinking it hurts their pride, and those that think they have lost because they couldn’t say what they should say. As the book provides step-by-step introductions to expressing your feelings calmly and properly carrying out conversations with pictures, readers will be able to warm up their hearts and build courage through the book.

Sweet Design Photoshop & Illustrator CC 2021 / Written by Park Junga
You will be able to easily learn about Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator that are the must-learn tools for graphic designs. There’s no burden in learning as it only contains the essence, and you can more effectively learn how to use the two programs. It fully responds to the latest version, CC 2021, helping readers quickly learn new functions. And as it includes practical examples optimized for learning various functions, readers can quickly pick up basic and core functions. It is also one of the bestselling Sweet Design series.

Self-Learning Machine Learning & Deep Learning / Written by Park Hae-Sun
This book is for self-taught people tired from machine learning and deep learning books heavily packed with formulas and theories to accurately learn the most important parts. The author, a Google ML expert, understands the dead-end feelings of beginners who have no idea “what” and “how” to study through his experiences of teaching machine learning and deep learning to beginners, translating, and writing. He clearly points out must-learn parts in the book, like a private tutor. This book is also one of the Self-Learning series.

 

 

Hanbit Publishing Network has many other brands other than Hanbit Media. Could you please introduce each of the brands to us?

 

Hanbit Media is the mother company established in 1993, an IT specialist publishing books about programming and computer engineering for IT developers and OA (Office Automation), graphics, and social media for the general public. Meanwhile, Hanbit Academy makes college textbooks, and Hanbit Biz produces business, economics, self-help, and liberal arts books. Also, Hanbit Life mainly publishes books in categories such as life, hobby, parenting, travel, and children, where readers can discover a happiness in ordinary daily life. Hanbit Life is the youngest brand of all.

 

You have been elected as the 12th president of the Korea Publishers Society. How do you feel?

 

The first two ideas that came to my mind were “Am I capable enough to be in such a position?” and “Is it about time?” Past presidents of the Korea Publishers Society were from companies which publish liberal arts or literature books. So, I wondered if I am the right person to be in that position as I was from the tech / practical field.
Many people say that publishing is a cultural industry. But as this could reflect the changes made in the publishing environment, I accepted the position, thinking that it would be meaningful to look at the industry from an industrial and practical perspective. It would be great if I could make small contributions to the Korea Publishers Society and the publishing industry by working together with the executives, gathering various opinions from member companies and the industry.

 

 

Hanbit Media hopes to be a publisher that plans and publishes each and every book with sincerity.

 

 

What kind of publisher does Hanbit Media aim to become, and what are your future plans?

 

There is a saying that people make books and books make people. With that saying in mind, Hanbit Media wants to become a publisher that plans and publishes each and every book with sincerity. People say that the publishing industry is a matured, or stagnant, industry but as books (content) are the bowls that keep the knowledge, wisdom, and values that humanity has been cumulating, their roles and values will persist regardless of their form, whether it be paper books or e-books.
In the world of IT that we are ushering in, Hanbit Media hopes to be a publisher that digitally transforms, actively catching up with newly developed IT technologies and infrastructure. And Hanbit Media also hopes to be a publisher that walks into the better world – and the better future – with our staff members.

 

 

Website www.hanbit.co.kr
Facebook www.facebook.com/hanbitmedia

 

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Organized by Lee Ji-Hyeon