Books on the humanities and social sciences staged a comeback last year, thanks to the Sunflower movement, the National Central Library said.
In contrast to the general decline in the nation’s publishing industry, 121 books on humanities and social science were published last year as the result of a greater interest in public affairs in the aftermath of the Sunflower movement — in which protestors occupied the legislature’s main chamber over the government’s handling of the cross-strait service trade pact — the library said.
Library division head Tseng Kung-hsien said 5,087 publishers in the nation released a total of 41,598 new titles and editions last year, which was 30 fewer publishers that in 2013 and 520 fewer publications, setting a three-year low.
E-books represented 4 percent of the titles published last year, he added.
The decline in the number of publications corresponded to the nation’s weakening macroeconomics and a growing penchant for digital books, he said, adding that investors have become increasingly reluctant to enter the publishing market because consumers appear less willing to spend on books.
However, children’s literature has emerged as a new force, as its sales growth last year outstripped those of other categories, the library said.
The nation’s declining birth rate has had a paradoxical impact on the market for children’s literature, as parents are more willing to invest in their children’s education, the library said, adding that a reading campaign launched by the Ministry of Education also contributed to the growth.
More than one-fifth of new publications last year were translated titles, mainly from Japan, followed by books from the US, the UK and South Korea, the library said. US literature made up the majority of best-sellers, it said.
Pornography is also going online, as 796 new publications in the category were published last year, 540 fewer than in 2013, the library said, adding that the content rating system stipulated by the Children and Juveniles Welfare Law (兒童及少年福利法) has also helped curb pornographic publications.
National Central Library Director-General Tseng Shu-hsien (曾淑賢) urged the public to utilize their local libraries and to visit the Taipei International Book Exhibition, which opens on Feb. 11.
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