Books in bloom
Updated: 2014-08-21 15:25
By Zhang Kun(Shanghai Star)
|
|||||||||||
Although younger readers admit to spending long hours on the Internet, they complain that reading on mobile phones and other devices exhausts the eyes. Wang Haoran, a 17-year-old middle-school student, says that reading digital books "feels like playing". Xia Qianhui, a 15-year-old, says free books available on the Internet often contain mistakes or are incomplete.
Han Weidong, director of Shanghai Translation Publishing House (STPH), a leading player in the introduction of foreign books in China, says digital reading is an extension, not the enemy, of the traditional publishing industry. Whether on a mobile device or paper, it is the mission of a publisher to provide readers with high-quality content, he says.
At present, sales revenue from digital books is no more than 4 percent of income at STPH, but Han and his colleagues are very aware of the prospects for digital publishing and are ready to present their best products on a digital platform.
STPH started its digital publishing service three years ago, and Han says that now "all our best-selling and latest publications are available in digital editions–as long as writers grant us the digital copyright".
Some writers, such as Milan Kundera, are against digital publications, refusing to accept them as proper books. Some even compare digital publishing to piracy.
Related Stories
2014 Edinburgh int'l book festival stresses dialogue 2014-08-12 10:01
George W. Bush writes book about dad 2014-08-06 07:19
New kids section at Beijing Book Building 2014-07-28 20:40
Beijing International Book Fair to open 2014-07-28 20:39
Book fair addresses high-tech demand 2014-07-23 07:19
Today's Top News
NATO to offer tailored support to Ukraine
Babies bob about in water at US's first baby spa
News website staff face extortion probe
China's meeting on 13th five-yr plan
Number of visitors to China drops
Export of mooncakes on the rise
Putin outlines ceasefire plan for Ukraine crisis
China paves way for sports investors
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
People progress |
Caring out of the ordinary |
Young China - You've got talent |
Clearing the way with clean waters |
Host of Japan's historic surrender |
National gifts give new look at China |