More foreign publishers are coming to China book expos, like the Beijing International Book Fair held in late August. Lan Shan / for China Daily

2010 was a breakout year for Chinese authors and book titles in the international book market

Wu Wei, who has toiled for years to introduce Chinese books to the international market, says the world isn't looking for just kungfu, cuisine or pithy wisdom from the Middle Kingdom.

"International readers also have a keen interest in stories about the country's current development," says the office director of the State-sponsored China Book International (CBI) project.

Since it was established in 2006, CBI has launched more than 500 projects involving more than 2,000 titles.

In 2010, the CBI sponsored 357 new overseas publishing projects to promote books by Chinese writers in a variety of languages.

Wu says at this year's Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) and Frankfurt Book Fair, the country sold more copyrights than it bought, by a ratio of 1.46:1 (at BIBF).

In addition, the Chinese Writers' Association (CWA) is promoting its translation project of 100 works of contemporary Chinese literature. Launched in 2006 and featuring works by established writers like Wang Meng and Tie Ning and younger writers like Wang Shiyue, their works have been translated into Russian, Polish and other languages this year, says Liu Xianping, director of Foreign Communication Department of CWA.

The Chinese Language Council International, or Hanban, initiated a five-year project in January 2010 with international publishers that will be carried out by the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Normal University, University of Oklahoma Press, and the United States-based magazine World Literature Today.

The project will also see the launch of a biannual academic journal, Chinese Literature Today, comprising translated literary works and reviews, in the United States, and the publication of a 10-volume series of contemporary Chinese novels, in the next three years.

Besides the government-sponsored projects, private organizations are also going global. They're either deepening ties with their international counterparts, or exploring marketing channels, says Chen Yingming, vice-director of the Foreign Communication and Cooperation Department of General Administration of Press and Publication.

"Private publishers were 'forced' to present their products to the world," Wu says. "Now they are doing so on their own initiative."

Nie Zhenning, president of China Publishing Group Corporation, said at the 2010 BIBF in August the company was going global to meet rising demand and fulfill its cultural responsibilities.

Nie credits the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Confucius Institutes and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, for attracting more curiosity abroad about China.

In recent years, it has been the focus country at major international book fairs, which enables Chinese writers to enjoy frequent exchanges with foreign minds.

CWA, expat reading club Bookworm and British publisher Penguin have also boosted communication.

CWA organizes forums of Chinese literature in Spain, the US and South Korea, sponsoring leading writers and critics to visit countries for mutual understanding and inspiration.

It also invites veteran international writers to join Chinese peers at writers' camps, working with partners like the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa, and helps local writers to make their presence felt at international literary festivals.

Despite the achievements, experts are not painting a totally rosy picture of Chinese books in the international market.

Translation is the first barrier. A Chinese literature translation symposium in August gathered more than 30 Sinologists, translators and writers from 13 countries to share their experiences, in Beijing.

Julia Lovell, British translator and lecturer in Chinese history at the University of London, believes this situation is related to publishing and teaching trends in the Anglophone world since the 1950s.

British translator Bruce Humes, known for translating Wei Hui's Shanghai Baby, says Westerners are looking for books that provide easy access to Chinese society and culture, and novels are the best option.

Humes says it's better to get two translators, a Chinese and a native speaker of the targeted readership, to closely cooperate in translating a book.

British book agent Toby Eady, who has successfully represented Yu Dan's Confucius from the Heart, insists on getting the writer and translator to communicate while a work is translated.

Native and expat literature lovers in China are also contributing by promoting Chinese writing in English.

For example, in June, MaLa, a bilingual literary journal based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, attracted writers such as Colum McCann and Paul French to contribute both fiction and nonfiction.

Hong Kong-based Cha intends to give readers a taste of the growing English literary scene in China, with the publication of its China Issue in June 2011.

As channels widen, more qualified literary/book agencies that are adept at operating in the international book market are being sought out.

Lagardere Group, a world-leading publisher based in France, signed a contract with Shanghai Press & Publishing Development Company in September to sell Chinese books and journals in foreign languages at its 3,100 bookstores, located in airports and train stations worldwide.

The move is considered a significant part of the initiative to sell Chinese books through international selling channels, a project launched in December by the General Administration of Press and Publication, and related companies.

Both Penguin's Jo Lusby and Harper Collins' Stella Chou, however, have pointed out the difficulty of selling "new" authors in the Western market, as readers are reluctant to buy books by unfamiliar writers.

No matter how influential or established a Chinese writer may be in their home market, it takes time for foreign readers to discover and appreciate new quality works from China, Chou says.

Chitralekha Basu contributed to this story.