A growing number of American readers are becoming more interested in books from China and about China, according to publishers who attended the BookExpo America (BEA) 2015, the largest annual book trade fair in North America, held in New York from May 27-29.
The Xinhua News Agency reported that official data from the event showed that Chinese publishers who participated in the BEA 2015 have sold a total of 1,328 copyrights at the three-day event.
Zhu Lingyun, vice-director of the publishing department of Shanghai Century Publishing Group, told Xinhua that they have signed more than 200 copyright deals at the expo, the highest number for the company.
"With the impressive growth of the Chinese economy and the increasing culture exchanges between the two countries, American readers are much more eager to learn about China than before," Zhu remarked.
Liu Qinqiu, manager of the international business development department of Jiangsu (Province) Phoenix Publishing and Media Corporation Limited and a newcomer to the expo, has also sealed more than 50 copyright deals.
"Apart from books about traditional Chinese culture, children's books from China have also been well accepted by American readers in recent years," Liu said.
According to the report, Chinese publishers attribute the boom of Chinese children books in the U.S. market to the growing global demand for children's books as well as the growing number of Chinese migrants in the U.S.
The Tuttle Publishing Company, a U.S. publisher and one of the leading global publishers of China-themed books, said that out of the 1,500 titles that were signed into copyright deals, 250 of them were Chinese books.
According to publishers, American readers are attracted to China's economy and technology developments and the success stories of China's tech and industry leaders.
"Stories about successful Chinese technology companies such as Tencent, Alibaba and Xiaomi are fascinating to readers in the U.S.," Stephen Horowitz, chief editor of the Royal Collins Publishing Group, said. The Canada-based publishing group has global distributions to 180 countries.
The BEA started in 1947 and was usually held in a major U.S. city in late May or early June. The expo offers the largest selection of English-language themes and also believed to be the largest gathering of booksellers, librarians, retailers and book industry professionals in North America.