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Children’s Book Fair McEwen on marketing books for young
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20 November 2019
‘Heads and Tails: Insects’ wins CICLA for
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A delegation of Australian publishers and agents attended
this year’s China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair Affirm acquires novel, memoir from two
Varuna fellowship recipients
(CCBF), which ran from 15–17 November. Wenona Byrne, Local news Rights and acquisitions
Australia Council’s director of literature, reports on the HarperCollins launches new prize for YA,
‘enormous room for growth’ for Australian publishers at the middle-grade Awards Junior
fair, which itself is expected to nearly treble in size by 2022. Local news
Christmas predictions: Sean Guy from
Last Sunday we wrapped up the Australia Council for the the Bookshop Darwin
Arts–supported collective stand at this year’s China Shanghai Daily Newsletter Feature Features
International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF). This was the Text acquires new Lohrey novel
second year the Australia Council has supported the Local news Rights and acquisitions

attendance of a group of Australian publishers and agents at New decade, new nonfiction: 2020
nonfiction preview Features
CCBF to represent works by Australian authors and
illustrators. Nobody knows: Justin Ractliffe on using
data to better understand reading habits
In 2019, participants from five publishers were supported to Not taking cues from Melbourne and
attend the fair: Berbay Publishing, Hachette Australia and Sydney: Sisonke Msimang on Perth
Festival’s Literature & Ideas program
New Zealand, Hardie Grant Egmont, University of Features Festivals
Queensland Press (UQP) and Windy Hollow Books, with
representatives from ALC Agency self-funding their
attendance. Miriam Rosenbloom from Scribble, Scribe’s
children’s imprint, was selected by CCBF as a Shanghai
Visiting International Publishers (SHVIP) fellow.

Australian publishers report that China is currently their most

active international market for children’s books and for many
it is in their top three territories in terms of the number of
rights deals.

The Australian stand was incredibly busy over three days

with over 150 scheduled meetings and a stream of foot traffic
including a visit by the Australian Consul-General in
Shanghai, Dominic Trindade, and his family.

Australian publishers and agents reported that demand was

strongest for illustrated picture books and nonfiction for
children, including books with environmental themes.

Demand for series books, including picture book series,

remains strong given the advantages a series of books offers
Chinese publishers, who have access to a limited number of
ISBNs. In China, a single ISBN can be used for an entire
series, which offers significant cost savings.

Hachette rights manager Emma Dorph said writer and artist

Shaun Tan is currently one of the publisher’s success stories
in China, with Tan’s Cicada recently published there. John
Canty is another Australian author whose books have proved
successful in this market, with Canty and Berbay Publishing
managing director Alexandra Yatomi-Clarke receiving a
prestigious Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature
Award in the Best International Picture Books category for
Heads and Tails: Insects.

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Berbay managing director Alexandra Yatomi-Clarke shows a
publisher a copy of John Canty’s Heads and Tails: Insects

A young reader with Windy Hollow Books publisher Cristina

Pase

The Australian participants were introduced to the Chinese

market with bookshop visits and meetings at two publishing
houses, Shanghai Scientific and Technical Education
Publishing House and the privately owned Shanghai 99
Readers’ Culture Co. At these meetings the group heard that
the Chinese market for children’s literature is still strong while
demand for nonfiction, particularly in the popular science and
art categories, is growing rapidly.

Many of the challenges in the Chinese market are similar to

our own, including a move away from bricks-and-mortar book
retailing in favour of online retailing. On the positive side,
recent education reforms in China that promote the value of
wide reading for children have created opportunities for a
more diverse range of books in the market.

According to data presented at the fair by OpenBook, a

Beijing-based industry data research firm, the market share
for children’s books in China grew from 17% to 26% in the
first half of 2019. English-language books from the US and
UK account for more than 50% of all foreign books published
in China while Australian books currently make up only 1.4%
of all foreign books for children, representing enormous room
for growth.

From an Australia Council perspective, supporting rights-

selling activity increases potential earnings for Australian
writers and illustrators. With the average earnings for
Australian authors currently around $12,900 annually,
diversifying income streams is vital. Rights sales also
increase opportunities to share Australian stories and values
more widely in our region, opening opportunities for further
dialogue and connection.

(Main picture: Australia Council director for literature Wenona

Byrne with the Australian Consulate General to China,
Dominic Trindade)

Tags: Australia Council CCBF China Shanghai International

Children’s Book Fair

Category: Features Junior Rights and acquisitions

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