2002-2003 China Publishing Industry Status and Forecast

Author: Yu Min
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: The report "Status and Forecast of China's Publishing Industry (2002-2003)" has recently been completed by the Institute of Publishing Science of China. The report consists of four parts: analysis of the publishing industry status in 2002, analysis of the management status of the publishing industry, major problems in the publishing industry, and a forecast of the development trends of the publishing industry in 2003. The first part mainly focuses on the publishing market situation (including books, journals, etc., with a special introduction to the reform of textbook publishing), group construction, and distribution reform. Given the outstanding performance of private capital and foreign investment in the publishing industry in 2002, the development of books in the 2002 annual continued to maintain the sustained upward trend seen in the past two years. According to preliminary statistics from the Financial and Accounting Department of the General Administration of Press and Publication, the number of books published nationwide in 2002 increased by 12% compared to the previous year, and total print volume increased by 6.5%. The entire system achieved a year-on-year increase of 5.5% and 6.5% in sales revenue. From the perspective of the variety structure of publications in 2002, the types of publication topics were more closely aligned with people's actual lives. After China's accession to the WTO, the management of the press and publication industry faced unprecedented challenges. The second part of the report introduces the achievements made in the management of China's publishing industry in the past year since joining the WTO, focusing on the transformation of government functions, the implementation of the separation of government and enterprises, the establishment of a legal and regulatory system compatible with WTO rules, market supervision, and copyright protection. The third part mainly analyzes existing problems and their causes, emphasizing new issues arising from concepts, systems, the separation of government and enterprises, group construction, structural adjustments, internal reforms of publishing organizations, and the level of attention and support for small and medium-sized publishing houses, as well as the standardization of publishing information. It is believed that the mindset formed under the planned economy has not been fundamentally reversed, and systemic barriers remain a major constraint on the development of the publishing industry. The fourth part of the report forecasts the development trends of the publishing industry in 2003.