Boys Love or Yaoi novels are particularly popular at the National Book Fair, which marks the first time Thailand has partnered with renowned agencies from 14 countries for copyright trading.
Aside from having book booths numbering up to 914, there are also over 3,000 new book covers being unveiled by various publishers. It’s truly a feast for book lovers as the trend of reading physical books is on the rise again, with over 80% opting for tangible volumes.
Suwich Rungwattanapaiboon, President of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT), notes that this year’s bestselling book trends include various genres of novels, including translated works, dominating about 40% of the market share, with Boys Love novels comprising 20%.
Among the highlights of this event is the participation of leading global publishers from 11 companies in 9 countries.
This marks the first time for Thailand to host the “Bangkok Rights Fair”, facilitating the exchange of book copyrights through business matching between Thai publishers and foreign agencies.
Thirty-two foreign companies/representatives from 14 countries and 53 Thai publishers/distributors are expected to participate in negotiations, including representatives from China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, India, and more.
The estimated value of copyright trading is expected to exceed 10 million US dollars or approximately 350 million Thai Baht.
The National Book Week and International Book Week will continue at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center until April 8. Organizers anticipate over 1.5 million attendees and over 400 million baht being circulated during the event. (TNA)
