Best-selling authors around the world choose Korea as the first venue for publishing their new books as its publishing industry is becoming more influential as a test market. / Korea Times file

By Chung Ah-young

A new book “Victor, the Fool: Spread Your Wings” written by Joachim de Posada, best known for his bestseller “Don’t Eat the Marshmallow Yet,” was published last week in Korea for the first time in the world, along with an electronic version.

The reason why the author chose Korea as the first place to publish his new book is because his previous bestseller “Marshmallow” sold the largest number of copies in Korea — more than three million — since it was first introduced in 2006.

His popularity seems to be proven again as his new book both in print and the electronic version is drawing a massive response from Korean readers. Ahead of the launch of the e-book, reservations were sold out earlier than expected in a special event, according to Kyobo Bookstore. “The reservations of the print books before the release were common but the early ‘sold-out’ of the presale reservations of the e-book is very rare,” the bookstore said.

After “Marshmallow” sold some three million copies in Korea alone, Hankyung BP, its publisher, asked the author to release his new work in Korea before other countries, given his popularity, and the author pleasantly accepted.

“The Korean market is becoming more attractive as a test market for many foreign authors to predict whether their new works can succeed before their world debut,” Cho Min-ho, a team manager of the publisher, said.

He said that such trends can be spotted in the recent local publishing market as some works are uniquely loved by Korean fans, more than any other parts of the world. “Currently, many Korean young people are suffering from a high unemployment rate amid the economic slowdown and feel frustration and a sense of failure in the harsh social reality. So books containing hopeful messages are particularly appealing to Korean readers. Many want to find hope and consolation in such books as ‘Victor, the Fool,’” he said.

“Victor, the Fool” is based on the real story of Victor Serebriakoff, the late honorary president of Mensa International, who lived as a fool for 17 years and overcame his limits and finally became an influential figure in the world. The book revolves around a shy, stuttering boy named Victor who is ostracized by his classmates and eventually is forced to quit school. Victor accepts his destiny as a fool, as it seems to be hard for him to escape his destiny. Meanwhile, Laura, Victor’s schoolmate, has a complex about her appearance because of her “ugly” face and dreams of undergoing plastic surgery. The book traces the process of how the two characters find what is truly precious in life. It portrays courage and confidence found against all odds, and how people have the power to change today’s agony into tomorrow’s hope, talents and potential.

Another new book “The Final Summit” written by Andy Andrews first came out here in January for the first time — it will be released in the United States on April 12.

His previous bestseller “The Traveler’s Gift” sold the largest number of copies by country, one million, since it was published in Korea in 2003 and thus his publisher had an interest in the Korean market and his fans, deciding to release his new work here.
“The Final Summit” has sold some 60,000 copies in the two months since its debut in January. It explores the heroic and inspiring story revolving around David Ponder, the male protagonist, who seeks the truth behind life.

The recent trend was already noticed in the case of French author Bernard Werber. He was not famous in his home country before his book series “The Ants” became a smash hit in Korea, selling more than four million copies. After Werber became a household name in Korea, his following books also sold more than a million copies, and with a strong and proven sales power, his reputation and works became popular in France. Korean readers appreciated his unique imagination and literary world earlier than those in other countries.

Werber’s latest work “The Mirror of Cassandra” has a Korean male protagonist, which is seen as his consideration of Korean readers. The story revolves around Cassandra, an autistic orphan with no memory of her past, who has the ability to foresee the future. She meets a soldier, actor, shaman and North Korean defector named Kim Ye-bin in the course of the story’s development. The character of the North Korean is designed to deliver the message that everyone has the right to free speech and that we should listen to each other.

Simultaneous publications of both Korean and English versions are also often found. “The 33” by Jonathan Franklin which portrays the stories of 33 men trapped in a remote copper mine in the Atacama Desert in Chile on Aug. 5 last year, was published simultaneously in Korea, the U.K., the U.S. and France last month. “WikiLeaks” by Daniel Domscheit-Berg, which reveals the reality behind the non-profit media organization, was also released in 18 countries on the same date.