Book Factory Dubulu One-person Publisher for Animal Rights
2018.05.30
The South Korean public's interest in animals is growing by the day. More people are recognizing animals must be protected and as many celebrities join the movement it is far from a foreign concept now. However, this trend didn't appear naturally. Society is only changing because of someone's desperate cries and actions for change from when no one thought about animal preservation. Book Factory Dubulu, founded in 2006, is one of those entities who sought change. The publisher created momentum for change in people's thoughts and actions as they consistently published books on animals.
KPIPA We are delighted to meet with Book Factory Dubulu which has played an important role in spreading awareness of animal rights and welfare. Please introduce your publishing company for our readers inside and outside Korea.
Kim We are a publishing company that only creates books on animals. We published our first book in 2006 and have been doing the same thing ever since. Our books are largely divided into two categories: one would be books on pets and the other on animals in general like those in the wild, captivity or on farms. All the books address animal rights or welfare in general and we aim to become a publishing company that can be a good friend for animals, which have no choice but to play the weaker party when it comes to their relationship with humans.
KPIPA I think as a publisher specifying in animal books you would probably have a different philosophy setting you apart from other publishers. Why do you think our society needs books on animals?
kim The concept of pets is relatively new in South Korea but I started living with animals from far before that. At the beginning I had very little knowledge about pets. I tried to look for books on pets but the ones I found were of little help to me. As I continued to spend time with animals I found I was beginning to change. I began thinking animals were no different from human beings and saw them as special individual beings with life. From then on I also began thinking about animals outside my home, realizing they too are no different from the animals I keep at home.
There was a zoo inside Changgyeong Palace years ago. I liked animals so I would visit often but I came to realize I felt sorry for the animals trapped inside. I think it was around that time I learned elephants move tens of kilometers in one day where they originate. But they were trapped behind bars. I found it difficult to eat meat gradually as I learned what kind of environment animals for food were raised in. The more I studied about animals the more I felt people needed to be educated on these issues. I felt I needed to tell the Korean people about these things. That's when I created my one-person publishing company and started publishing books on animals. This is why when you look at the list of books I've published so far, it's exactly in the order of my thought process at the time and what I studied then. I think it'd be accurate to say what I know has been published into books.
KPIPA You said around the time when you first founded your company there weren't many books on animals in South Korea. What is the situation like now?
Kim In the 2000s books on animals were quite rare here. This was understandable as people didn't have a firm concept of pets and they would casually sell or buy animals and also feed them scraps left over from their dinner table. If you wanted to learn about animals you had to read foreign publications and there were few translations of these as well. I studied as much as I could through foreign books then, but now 10 years later, there are many books on animals. In the past I used to feel there were so many themes and issues to publish animal books on but now for some, I don't think it needs to be addressed by my company. I think this change was brought on by the changed recognition the public has about animals in general. Now, people are largely in agreement that people who buy or sell animals or abuse them should be socially criticized. When I compare it to when I first started my business, so much has changed.
KPIPA Looking at the books you've published so far, we can see they're not simply about animals but books on the relationship between animals and people or books compelling readers to think about society. Where do you get your ideas for books?
Kim At first there were times when I would worry about no books being left to make. Thankfully I haven't gotten to that point yet. At times I feel overwhelmed by the issues and ideas for books because there are so many. Ideas or planning directions usually come from people. As I have so much interest in animals and my business focuses on animal books, many opportunities arise in which I can meet with animal caretakers, animal rights groups and veterinarians. When I meet with these people I naturally think of ideas I want to turn into books and at times the people I speak to suggest books to me. One book called Why Do People Abandon Dogs and Cats When They Become Pregnant? was one of them. The author who wrote this book was a family physician and they told me there are so many misunderstandings about pets and pregnancy. They wanted to make this right and I think many readers likely thought twice about sending their pets elsewhere after they became pregnant thanks to that book.
KPIPA Do you have any books you'd like to recommend to people who don't know much about animals?
kim There are so many books on animals out on the market nowadays I think it'd be hard for me to choose. If any of your readers have a new interest in animals and they want to learn about them, they should choose a few books on the market and read them carefully. However, as there are so many books out there including those that focus on the aesthetic side of pets and these books might not be good for people who are beginning their education on animals. People who have cared for pets are likely aware, but when you live with animals there are happy times as well as sad ones. If you wish to learn about animals you need to know all of it - the good, cute parts of animals as well as the difficult and sad aspects. If you only read books that focus on the good parts then you're only halfway there and that is inadvisable.
KPIPA What are your plans going forward?
Kim Right now we're planning a book on preventing roadkill and measures regarding this issue. I'm also preparing to release a book on farm animals and sea animal rescue. We've already published so many books on pets and there are many good books out there on that issue so now I want to focus on the rights, protection and rescue of animals the public has less interest in, like wild animals, zoo animals and farm animals. Recently we began creating a copyright guidebook for offshore publishing. I've always wanted to take our books abroad and it's something I've prepared for but it went so slowly as it's a one-person company. The project has made some headway recently thanks to my company being selected by KPIPA for funding. I hope my books will be able to reach foreign readers someday.
There are times when people ask me whether I find it tiresome publishing books on animals for over a decade. Of course sometimes I think it's difficult but whenever I feel I am making change in people's perception of animals through my books, that the world is changing, I draw power from that. Our company has many long-term readers and I like to think our readers grow together with us. Whenever I publish a new book I learn new things and our readers do too. I hope there will be more growth going forward with more good books.
Book Factory Dubulu Homepage: http://animalbook.modoo.at
Written by Jeon Jin-woo Jeon Jin-woo |
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