Innovation offers new chapter for publishing sector

Intellectual property is injecting new vigor into the publishing industry and provides space for further industrial cooperation, said Wang Ping, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication.

"High-quality copyrighted works are at the center of a vibrant entertainment industry," Wang said at an IP forum hosted by online portal ChineseAll in Beijing last week.

A great number of online literary works have been adapted into animations and games, and in addition, many movies and TV series adapted from copyrighted games have increased the exposure of those games, thereby increasing player numbers, he said.

The focus of IP operation has shifted from hard copies of online literature to seeking and fostering copyrighted works with high potential value, he said.

The academy's International Publishing Blue Book 2015 shows that the digital publishing industry, including mobile reading and media, as well as online games, animation, music and advertising, saw rapid growth last year, the vice-president said. He also spelled out the importance of innovation to ensure the continuing growth of the sector.

"Digital publishing, an emerging industry based on the internet, requires innovation in technology and content production," Wang said.

Tong Zhilei, president and also chairman of the board of directors at ChineseAll, said: "We are experiencing an unprecedented boom in literature, with diversified mediums ranging from films, TV, games and animation to other derivative products."

Tong referred to the new literature ecosystem as "literature plus" and predicted that it would become a 1 trillion yuan ($149.7 billion) market.

"An integrated IP operation is the core of our 'literature plus' strategy," said Xie Guangcai, vice-president of the company.

With its vast talent base of writers and animators, widespread channel network, and strong promotion and advertising capacity, the company is actively working to expand its industrial chain by branching into the movie and gaming industries, Xie said.

Tong said: "Today's literature is no longer merely words, but an emerging, diverse portfolio of cultural products."

With its growing influence, literature will play an increasingly important role in Chinese culture in the future, he predicted.

In cooperation with millions of writers, ChineseAll plans to forge close ties with online platforms and businesses in the movie, gaming and animation sectors in a bid to create a healthy "literature plus" ecosystem, Tong said.

You Xiaogang, president of the China Television Drama Production Industry Association, told the forum that movie producers should know how to choose copyrights and present copyrighted movie creations.

The renowned director called for cool heads in the current IP boom and noted that identifying genuine value and risk behind IP is key to the healthy growth of the entertainment industry.

Shi Zhongshan, a novelist and screenwriter, said: "A cultural product is simply wasted if it cannot be absorbed into the market.

"Without a sense of responsibility and accountability, an artist's creative vitality and integrity will dissolve. A successful copyrighted literature product is not only commercial but also has a soul."