Bloomsbury to launch China imprint; Charkin honoured in Beijing

Bloomsbury has announced the launch of an English language imprint, Bloomsbury China, next year. Meanwhile Bloomsbury executive director Richard Charkin has been given a major honour in Beijing in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of Chinese publishing internationally.

Charkin made the announcement about Bloomsbury China in a speech at the Beijing International Publishing Forum earlier on Tuesday (22nd August) ahead of this week's Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), which begins tomorrow (23rd August).

The imprint will launch in February 2018 and be based in the publisher's London office, publishing works in translation and in English original. Bloomsbury will sign its first deal for the new imprint at BIBF: The Complete Dramatic Works of Tang Xianzu, "the Chinese Shakespeare", signed with the Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (SFLEP), an affiliate to the Shanghai International Studies University. Further details about Bloomsbury China will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Book Fair this October.

In a wide-ranging speech at the Forum, Charkin explored how China might learn from the experience of Hachette, Bertelsmann, Holtzbrinck and Elsevier by publishing in the English language. Options were setting up local offices internationally, acquiring a major international company, or partnering with existing international publishers, he said. Charkin predicted that "probably a mix of all three" would give the best results.

"I believe in the future of Chinese publishing is bright," he predicted, while noting: "There are obstacles we all face - in the US, China and London - distribution,  finance, freedom to exchange ideas and exchange books."

The run up to BIBF has been dominated by discussion of China's censorship of articles from a Cambridge University Press journal. CUP's Academic division m.d. Mandy Hill had been scheduled to talk at the Forum today, but did not take part in the event. A presenter of the panel said that some speakers who planned to participate had had "other engagements".

Meanwhile Charkin was one of 16 international figures to be awarded the 11th Special Book Award of China. The award recognises a contribution to the promotion of cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world; Charkin was president of the International Publishers Association when China's publishers association was accepted as a member. The honour was presented at a ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in TIananmen Square, just before the BIBF Opening Reception. British translator Paul White, who has translated work by China's president Xi Jinping, was also recognised with the award, as was Australian publisher Harold Weldon.

Charkin expressed his "gratitude and honour" at receiving the accolade.