臺灣文學虛擬博物館

The Advent of a Fruitful Discourse: Marketing Communications

The popularity of serialized novels and the introduction of regularly updated bookstore 'bestseller' lists in the 1980s and 1990s gave marketing communications (marcom) its current, crucial role in publishing success. Publishing firm marcom teams now handle consumer and reader communications, manage book distribution channels, and work closely with editing departments on promotion and publicity strategies. Today, many of the industry's most talented editors are also proficient marketing communicators.

In Words We Thrive
In this panoramic survey of Taiwan's publishing industry, 22 authors share their insights and opinions on key moments in Taiwan publishing history,important publishers & publishing houses, and related topics.provided by: China Times Publishing

Sales & Publishing: aka Book Distribution

Wrap them, box them, ship them out! Check them in, add them to inventory, and get them on the shelves! Publishers and distributors as well as logistics and sales professionals are all key players in getting books into readers' hands. Today, booksellers tailor niche publishing strategies that use finely tuned sales channels in hopes of reaching target consumers. As numbers of brick-and-mortar book stores continue to decline, publishing strategies must be even more exacting and proactively leverage digital publishing and other emerging outlets.

Adaptation and Reinterpretation

With greater clarity and protection for intellectual property rights, publishing has extended its tendrils into a myriad of creative outlets that have helped literature reach new audiences,. The popular literature-based movies of the 1980s paved the way for today's constellation of literature-inspired movies, television dramas, documentary films, theatrical productions, animated films, and video games. Literature is a treasure trove of popular entertainment content ready-made for future generations to rejuvenate and reinterpret. Hsien-yung's Crystal Boys, which inspired both a TV drama series and live theater production, and Fumin Yang's A Boy Named Flora and Goose Chiang's The Making of an Ordinary Woman, which inspired both TV series and literary tourism, are but a few examples of this phenomenon.

Crystal Boys
Its reincarnation as a popular television series introduced Crystal Boys to an entire new generation.
from the NMTL Permanent Collection

Literary 365 / An Author a Day: A New Outlet for Literature

Although page-a-day calendars featuring quips by well-known writers may not be anything new, Newsveg has published their annual Newsveg Page-a-Day Calendar since 2019 as part of a charity initiative that has already taken in over NT$10 million. Its success has spawned a flurry of charitable calendar offerings and opened a new outlet for literary publishing. Newsveg describes their offering as "a page-a-day calendar for your desk featuring 365 treasured words of wisdom from Taiwan literary works. Let the light of Taiwan literature brighten each and every day with a call to action from one work of Taiwan literature."

In the words of Hung-chih Chan: Publishing should be broadly interpreted to encompass all knowledge production. Getting books to print is just one aspect of an editor's job. They must be prepared to facilitate cultural extension in diverse directions with the ultimate goal of creating new horizons for literary publishing.
 

Stories Shared with Distant Lands: Literature in Translation

Authors don't always realize the true reach of their words.

Ang Li's 1982 novel The Butcher's Wife, centering on the miserable life of an abused wife, took Taiwan's literary world by storm and later spawned both a movie and television series. Based on NMTL records, The Butcher's Wife holds the record as the work of Taiwan literature published in the most foreign languages – 17 in all, including English, French, German, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Works of Taiwan literature in translation have increased remarkably in recent years, driven by the efforts of experienced literary agents and the curiosity and initiative of the international publishing market. Tai-Tai Books, for example, is a literary agent actively promoting Taiwan authored works in Japan, while The Grayhawk Agency has already helped bring works by authors such as Ming-yi Wu and Kevin Chen to an international audience. Furthermore, NMTL efforts such as the 'Taiwan Literature in Translation Repository' website, translator training courses, and overseas literary exchange programs as well as long-term follow-up and ongoing work to organize domestic and foreign literary information are creating a crucial and permanent platform for academic literary research and exchange.