We Start the Day Global today in Cambodia, where the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia has gifted 500 books to a provincial library in Kampong Speu. This is not so much a publishing story as a celebration of the value of the book internationally.
The Cultural Centre and Library in Cambodia’s Kampong Speu province has since 2015 struggled to meet the needs of the local populace, but this week benefitted from a donation of 500 books by the Vietnamese Embassy.
During a working session with leaders of the Cambodian province, Minister at the Vietnamese Embassy Lai Xuan Chien touched upon the bilateral cooperation in education and reading culture development among young generations of Cambodia.
He voiced his belief in the thriving Vietnam-Cambodia friendship and spoke highly of cooperation between the two countries in the recent past, including the collaboration among their localities.
Read more over at VietnamPlus.
From Vietnam to Brazil, where the ubiquitous Storytel is in the news, this time for prepping the audio versions of the Harry Potter books for the Brazilian market.
Desktakjornal tells us Storytel,
The company also intends to release the first book of the saga, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in 2020, with the sequels being released one every month.
Next we head to India, for a “sneak peak” at the 8th Bengaluru Comic Con.
Described as India’s greatest pop culture experience, Comic Con completes nine years in the country and eight years in Bengaluru. Apart from the biggest names in the industry, this edition features gaming areas, shows by the cosplaying fraternity, stand-up comedy acts and so much more.Jatin Varma, the founder of Comic Con India says, “Comics will always remain a part of Indian pop culture, and we have always had a great local tradition of cartooning and comics. With Comic Con, we have been able to provide a dedicated platform to Indian comics and pop culture. We hope to keep making it bigger and better each year.”
The topic changes to webcomics, where it is reported,
a new webcomic (pops) up every couple of days. With the ease of access thanks to social media and the Internet, more and more aspiring artists and illustrators are trying their hands at making something that people can read and enjoy. It’s always been difficult to get readers to pay for content, so I think the more recent approach has been to make a name and audience for yourself before trying to monetise it. It’s a longer process, but with the amount of content available online, it’s becoming a more and more challenging industry to stand out in. And good competition paves the path for even better work.
Much more about the vibrant India comic scene in this article. Read it all over at the Indulge section of the New India Express. But no, don’t ask me why an item about a comic con is in the food section.
Finally today, the UK trade journal The Bookseller reports from the Shanghai International Book Fair that China’s data service OpenBook says E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (Shanghai Translation Publishing House) remains the country’s bestselling kids’ book.
Further, the UK continues to hold the lion’s share (27%) of the imported children’s books market in China.
Read more over at The Bookseller.
