■Zhu Li (Chief Editor, Tomorrow Publishing House) □Zhao Yixue
□How has Tomorrow Publishing House (TPH) performed in terms of international publishing cooperation in the first half of this year?
■From its inception, TPH has placed great emphasis on international publishing cooperation projects and established strong and close partnerships with numerous overseas publishers, achieving both significant social and economic benefits. In the first half of this year, our foreign copyright sales have maintained a high signing rate, with 23 titles sold to countries like Germany, Italy, and Canada. Additionally, 11 foreign language editions of our books have already been published, receiving favorable responses and appreciation from foreign readers.
□What is the current state of collaboration between TPH and German publishers?
■In recent years, TPH has developed close and fruitful relationships with German publishers, particularly excelling in copyright sales. We have sold a series of original picture books to German publishers and established partnerships with several German publishing houses. Notable agreements include those with Leiv Leipziger Kinderbuchverlag GmbH for titles like Cao Wenxuan’s Picture Books: Last Leopard (《曹文轩纯美绘本·最后一只豹子》), Cao Wenxuan’s Picture Books: Crazy Hen (《曹文轩纯美绘本·痴鸡》), and There’s a Monster in the Kindergarten (《幼儿园有个怪》), as well as with Flieder Verlag GmbH for The Series of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Picture Books: Herbs (《中国非物质文化遗产图画大系·本草》). These books, rich in content and of high quality, are distinguished by their strong Chinese characteristics and cultural depth, offering German readers valuable insights into Chinese culture.
TPH attaches great importance to communication and collaboration with German publishers. We ensure smooth and effective communication and project advancement through participating in international book fairs and organizing both online and offline exchange meetings. In addition, we are actively exploring new cooperation models, such as co-developing new works with market potential and jointly organizing exchanges between Chinese and German authors, to further expand our collaboration and enhance effectiveness.
□What are TPH’s future plans for international publishing cooperation?
■Firstly, by leveraging our high-quality book resources, we will strengthen the copyright promotion for children’s themed books and books on Chinese traditional culture, to enhance their impact among foreign youth and achieve multilingual, multi-country copyright sales.
Secondly, based on our established brand in original children’s literature and picture books and our achievements in internationalization, we will invite renowned domestic authors, well-known international illustrators and translators to co-create outstanding children’s literature and picture books that cater to the international market.
Thirdly, by participating in international book fairs and cultural exchange activities, we will select and form appropriate teams of overseas Sinologists, identify suitable foreign publishing partners, and integrate excellent resources from both domestic and international sources. This will enable us to prepare resources for high-quality products, plan for cultural books that meet foreign market demands and tell China’s stories well.
Finally, considering the evolving nature of globalized new reading habits and the ever-changing communication patterns of the Internet and new media, TPH will incorporate synchronized design of integrated projects from the topic planning stage. We will seek the core value of content services within the international cultural industry space and continuously explore new paths for the integrated development of publishing institutions.