[KBS News 7] “Readers Invest First”… The Publishing Industry Enters the ‘Funding Era’

 In order for a book to come out into the world, it was natural that the publisher planned it first and the reader bought it at the bookstore. But recently, the order has been changing. The so-called "bookfunding," in which readers pay first and make books with their own power, is becoming a new trend in the publishing world. Reporter Lee Soo-yeon's report. 

 [REPORT] Korean version of Simpson's commentary on the popular American animation.  It took three years to publish a book with the same design and material as the American version. The strategy chosen to publish a large, heavy, and expensive book was pre-sale, or bookfunding.  Bookfunding, where readers book first before the book comes out.  If the target amount is collected, it will be produced, and if it fails, the payment will be canceled. 

 Park Hyo-joo, editor-in-chief of the publishing company: "We were able to break even and make a book (to put it out) because there was a huge unexpected reaction from many fans in the funding."

 This book, a compilation of four Dostoyevsky novels, was also able to come out to the world through book funding.  Although the price reaches hundreds of thousands of won, it far exceeded the sales target, so we are planning to publish additional books.  As various books have been produced in a fundraising manner, the online funding company has quadrupled its book funding in two years.  It can also reduce the risk from the publisher's point of view.

 Lee Bo-ra/Wadiz, head of the book IP team: "The advantage is that there is no burden on inventory and the quality of books that could not be made before goes into production after checking the demand first."

 Bookfunding to make a book with the reader's choice.  Online fundraising is changing book production beyond movies and records.  I'm Lee Soo-yeon of KBS News.  

- Photographer: Han Sang-yoon Ahn Min-sik/Video editing: Lee Yoon-jin/Graphic: Park Mi-Joo/Courtesy of Screen: 20th Century Fox

- KBS 기사 원문보기 : https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/pc/view/view.do?ncd=8659179