Consuming Literature: Best Sellers and the Commercialization of Literary Production in Contemporary China
Shuyu Kong
This book examines the changes taking place in literary writing and publishing in contemporary China under the influence of the emerging market economy. It focuses on the revival of literary best sellers in the Chinese book market and the establishment of a best-seller production machine.
The author examines how writers have become cultural entrepreneurs, how state publishing houses are now motivated by commercial incentives, and how “second-channel,” unofficial publishers and distributors both compete and cooperate with official publishing houses in a dual-track, socialist-capitalist economic system. Taken together, these changes demonstrate how economic development and culture interact in a postsocialist society, ... Read more
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About Shuyu Kong
Reviews for Consuming Literature: Best Sellers and the Commercialization of Literary Production in Contemporary China
CLEAR "The book's strength lies in the richly detailed analyses based on comprehensive interviews and field research....Kong demonstrates a keen understanding of the ... Read more