HarperCollins pushes book piracy in China aside

[Alexander Turcic]

The WSJ has a quick write up of how New York-based HarperCollins is exploring new business opportunities for selling books in China. Despite rampant piracy and lack of stricter regulation - you can buy pirated copies for 20 Chinese Yuan (that's around USD $2.40) down the bustling street, with print quality that can be mistaken for the real thing - the publisher giant has a certain interest to invest in the potentially huge Chinese market. While China's legitimate book sector is not get-rich-quick industry, a long-term approach may prove fruitful as China becomes a full participant in the international economy.

Ms. Friedman [president and CEO of HarperCollins] said that as publishing becomes more of a global industry, there is no reason that books couldn't be regularly published simultaneously around the world. "The world is without a doubt smaller. There is no emotional reason for books not to be published around the world," she said.

Whether China has a future particularly for paper books or e-books, the article didn't address. We'll know more tomorrow when HarperCollins gives a press conference with more details about its China plans.