VOL.69/2024.04

"NexusBOOKS"

Books for the next generation, Next To Us
South Korean publisher Nexus' travel book brand

 

2017.12.01

 

People fantasize about travel all the time. Placing those fantasies into one book can help create a guide for some, while for others; it can be equal to leaving a mark to remind them of where they had gone. Nexus' travel-specific brand NexusBOOKS is becoming a milestone, a landmark for those people.
The strength of NexusBOOKS, which has set out to create books for the next generation, stems from this. The publisher moves quickly to match changing trends in travel, and not only do their writers convey information accurately, they also deliver all the emotions a trip elsewhere can prompt -- all in their travel books. The following is a Q&A with Geun-hee Kwon of NexusBOOKS, which strives to show what it means to be a true creator of travel books.

 

 

KPIPA

Please introduce Nexus for our readers abroad.

 

Kwon

Hello! The name Nexus was created from the phrase 'Next To Us' and we focus on providing goo content for our readers worth passing on to the next generation. In September 1994, we started our company with the thought "Let's create books necessary for mankind and society" and so far we have published around 5,000 books in categories like linguistics, literature, humanities, refined culture, economics and management, health, self-help, religion and children's books.

We launched our travel books in earnest in the mid-2000s and now they are one of the pillars of our publications. We use specific brand names for our respective book categories, and our travel books are usually published under the names 'NexusBOOKS' and 'Planning Books'. As travel books account for a good share of our publications, we have several editing teams working on them. I am also part of the mother company's publication side and am currently in charge of planning and editing travel books.

 

KPIPA

What do you think sets your travel books apart from those published by other firms?

 

Kwon

There are several publishers that make travel books and they all have their own color and strengths. Our strength would be our sensible design and ready-to-use content. Also, the consistent quality and quick updates made possible through our numerous teams are also strengths I can't leave out.

 

△ Enjoy series

 

KPIPA

Can you share any examples where readers' had a positive response after your planning went well?

 

Kwon

I think I can bring up the Now series we tried recently as an example. Until now, our Enjoy travel guide books had a firm place among our publications and there were some in our company who were hesitant over launching a new guide book series. We eventually felt it was necessary to provide compact travel books for those now beginning to travel aside from our Enjoy series and published the new books. The response has been good so far.

 

KPIPA

The popularity of travel has remained quite consistent. From a publisher's point of view, you must need actual time to forecast trends and prepare for them. Can you tell us a bit about this process?

 

Kwon

The trends in travel continuously change and it is a must for us to keep in line with these changes. For example, if there are new airline routes to a particular destination or if a certain location is introduced on a television show, more people naturally want to start going there. Also, there are times when traveling alone is in vogue, or when people stress relaxation over everything else. There will always be a bit of a time gap between the trends and when the actual books are published, but we continuously check the travel market for changing trends or search for new keywords on social media, the Internet or in bookstores to keep up. And we also start planning books immediately once we pick up on a certain trend we know isn't going to die out as a temporary issue.

 

KPIPA

We've noticed quite a few people on social media like blogs, FaceBook and Instagram who have been getting as much attention as pre-existing writers. We're curious to know what your planning process has been to bring these people to write your travel essays.

 

Kwon

Social media is now a mainstream trend. It's not a new thing to invite famous bloggers to contribute to books and these days, we're getting more writers from Instagram. Publishers are now focusing their efforts on finding new, good writers on social media and always keeping an eye out for these authors. Sometimes we find the right person for something we were planning and at other times we find a good subject while searching through social media. If you're famous on social media with many followers, chances are you'll be tapped for a contribution, but one other important thing is we decide whether to publish this person's content based on the quality of their writing and photographs and whether it matches the direction of our publication and planning. When we feel they're a good match, that's when we get in touch.

 

 

KPIPA

Can you recommend three books for travel in South Korea for our overseas readers? And of course why you recommend them.

 

Kwon

If I have to choose three, I would pick Korea Travel Bucket List 101, Places In and Near Seoul via Subway and our Enjoy series on South Korea. Korea Travel Bucket List 101 features 101 locations in South Korea that are famous and it's a good book to see all good destinations for travel within the country all in one book. It's also a decent read for those looking to set their own path in traveling through South Korea.
Places In and Near Seoul via Subway introduces places in and near Seoul that can be reached by public transportation. It's proven to be a nice book for young backpackers, more of whom we're seeing recently.
Lastly, in our Enjoy series we have guide books on seven different cities and locations in South Korea: Seoul, Jeju Island, Busan, Gyeongju, Gangwon Province, the south coast, Ulleung Island and Dokdo. In them we address all the locations foreign travelers usually prefer to visit and it's a good book to have handy as there are many details inside.

 

 

KPIPA

Could we also ask you to talk about three books on overseas travel and travel essays?

 

Kwon

The books from our Enjoy and Now series are quite popular. From our most recently published books, I can think of Freedom of Travel Becomes Passion in Life, Mom and Baby Travel Abroad and our soon-to-be published Traveling Small Cities in Japan.
Freedom of Travel Becomes Passion in Life is a revised version of On the Road which was a bestseller in the mid-2000s. It is a travel essay with liberated, passionate stories of backpackers who have been on the road for a long time. It's bound to be a boost for readers who dream of traveling the world but can't drum up the courage to do so.

 

 

Mom and Baby Travel Abroad carries the story of mothers inexperienced in travel who headed to Southeast Asia with their children. The book addresses what kind of positive effect travel has on children and what needs to be prepared ahead of a trip with your child. Parents who wish to take off with their offspring may find this a good guide. Traveling Small Cities in Japan is for people who wish to go deep into Japan and its culture, away from its largest cities like Tokyo and Osaka.

 

KPIPA

Were there any books that received positive reviews from foreign readers? Do you have any plans to export any of your books?

 

Kwon

Our Enjoy series has already been translated and exported to mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. We have seen more than 10 books in that series sold in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and the response has been great so far, yielding at least two new book exports every year. We've completed signing the export contract for our Now series for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and four books will be released in these locations sometime in the first half of 2018.

 

 Nexus Homepage : http://www.nexustory.com/about/introduce.asp

 

 

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Writing·photographs by Geun-hee Kwon
Organized by Ji-hye Gwon