Chinese Turf Wars Heat Up in Beijing

By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 8/29/2007 7:43:00 AM

The Beijing International Book Fair officially opens tomorrow, but HarperCollins and Penguin have already announced deals that will bring Chinese content to Western readers and vice versa. HC Children has bought world rights to eight books from a bestselling Chinese children’s book series, and Penguin China will launch a bilingual Web site and Chinese blog, and release its first list of Penguin Classics in Chinese this fall.

The Harper deal is for eight books in the Naughty Ma Xiaotao series by Yang Hongying. The deal was brokered by HCUK children’s publishing director Gillie Russell, HC China’s Stella Chou and Jieli Publishing House ed-in-chief Bai Bing. Harper will publish the paperback books simultaneously worldwide in spring 2008. The series, which has sold more than 10 million books in China, is targeted at children aged seven to nine and chronicles the adventures of a mischievous boy named Chen and his eccentric father. Yang Hongying is China’s bestselling children’s author.

HC general books managing director Amanda Ridout said the Naughty Ma Xiaotao books "will offer [American] children a window on contemporary Chinese society at a time when the world’s attention will be focused on Beijing as we celebrate the 2008 Olympics. This exciting venture further represents HarperCollins’ strategic commitment to expanding our business with China."

The Penguin announcement, meanwhile, brings Western literature to the East. Starting this December, 30 Penguin Classics will be sold in Chinese bookstores, published in cooperation with the Chongqing Publishing Group. Among the books are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The History of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. Thirty more Penguin Classics—including some Asian works—will be released in China in early 2008.

Penguin Group chairman and chief executive John Makinson said, "Penguin has been doing business in China since 2005 and we are very excited about these online ventures. Penguin China’s website and blog are the newest examples of our commitment to growth in this important market and the expansion of our global digital strategy. I am further pleased to announce that our first list of Penguin Classics in Chinese will be hitting the market in China before the end of this year."

Penguin Classics's Web site in Chinese will feature audio clips, author information and book news, and will go live later this year.

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