Bumble Books

Take-homes from Shanghai

Bumble Books, a small South African independent publisher has won several international awards including the Best Children’s Book Publisher Africa in Bologna in 2016. This international recognition has led to rights sales of Bumble titles, some of which have been in Chinese. As a result Robin Stuart-Clark, owner and publisher of Bumble Books, was invited to attend the Shanghai Visiting International Publisher’s Programme Fellowship (SHVIP) at the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (CCBF) in 2017.

The CCBF is the only book fair in the Asia Pacific region fully dedicated to children’s book publishing and children’s content. Established in 2013, after five successful book fairs, today CCBF rapidly confirms its status as a significant publishing event on the global market.

The SHVIP is a six-day fellowship programme that offers a group of children’s book specialists the opportunity to gain detailed insight into China’s publishing landscape and visit the CCBF from an exclusive perspective. The 2017 fair took place from 13 to 18 November in Shanghai and welcomed 11 children’s book professionals.

The programme is designed for publishers and editors from all levels. However, vacancies are reserved for foreign rights and, literary agents, scouts and other specialists in children’s literature with a strong interest in the Chinese market.

The Fellows met Chinese publishers who showed them what they are doing and what they are buying from international publishers. Meetings with some of their writers, editors, designers and illustrators led to an exchange of ideas with both parties.

The programme culminated in a book pitch party where the 11 international fellows and 9 Chinese publishers each had three minutes to present a book. The Fair then ran from 17-19 November where various appointments with Chinese publishers had been pre-arranged.

The Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair has 350 exhibitors from some 35 countries displaying over 60,000 new titles in 25,000 square metres of exhibition space, 66% of which is Chinese product. The development of the Fair over the past 5 years has mirrored the social and cultural changes in China that have led to growing consumer demand, particularly for pre-school titles and picture books. Many titles are designed to introduce reading to young children with interactive and novelty titles much in evidence.

The Chen Bochui Literature and Publishers Award as well as a comprehensive conference and children’s literature programme are major features of the Fair. Highlights of the event are the Golden Pinwheel Illustrators Award (now in its third year) designed to showcase new talent from around the world. A record 3,655 entries were received from 37 countries. Notably, South African Dale Blankenaar, who is currently working on a Bumble book, Copycat by Sadia Ismail, was one of the nominees.

The State encourages publishing – including purchase of international rights (adult and children’s titles) – and promotes accessibility with subsidies to keep book prices low and provides access to the education system. This allows publishers to publish many more titles per annum; for example, The China Welfare Institute Publishing House publishes over 200 titles per annum. There has been talk of the State limiting the allocation of ISBNs for international titles published in Chinese, but it seems that China’s ‘open door’ policy will prevail.

TRENDS

China is open for business. They want to be seen as truly international and want to trade with us: buy and sell. Their books are sophisticated, beautifully produced and accessibly priced. Bookstores are child-friendly with special areas for activities, readings and performances, resting, food outlets and can also include optometrists.

Art, culture and heritage are big earners in China. The Chinese are proud of their culture and heritage and this is evident in children at heritage sites and the many books published on folk stories, history, fantasy and the like. This reading ethic extends to international children’s classics which are hugely popular as well as contemporary children’s books.

There is a definite interest and need for entertaining but less didactic texts with images – Bumble titles like The PossibiliTree, The Rainbow’s Heart, and at a simpler level The Baby Brother Curse, Mu’s Wolf Problem and Farrah is not a Dalmatian were their top picks in the 2017 Bumble Catalogue.

OPPORTUNITIES

China offers South African Publishers a massive market. The bureaucracy requires patience but in general publishers will be looking at print runs of 6,000 – 100,000 copies and upwards with 80,000 considered a bestseller. Bumble has sold the Chinese (simplified characters) rights for Farrah is not a Dalmatian for a 20,000 copy print run. This is a far cry from Bumble’s 1000 print run in South Africa.

WORK ETHIC

Four of the five publishing houses we met were woman-owned with what I can only describe as a dynamic family atmosphere; employees are highly trained – graduates or post graduates – and were encouraged to communicate and present their roles to us. My over-riding impression was a strong team ethic, disciplined, hard-working and respectful with a pride in their product which is of the highest quality.

TAKE HOMES

Bumble Books is publishing and selling rights for South African written and illustrated children’s picture books that have relevance to foreign markets – China, Finland, Japan, Korea and Spain (Spanish and Catalan). From the Fellowship it was clear that there are other international like-minded publishers and Chinese publishers with whom South African publishers can network and trade to access far larger markets beyond South African retail.

By ROBIN STUART-CLARK