Dated: 28 September 2006
Some 14 local writers and more than 60 illustrators of children’s books will have their works on showcase on the international platform -- the prestigious Frankfurt Book Fair held from 4 to 8 October. The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), together with established local publishing companies Popular Holdings Limited and YoungJin Singapore Pte Ltd, will jointly promote fresh talents, new book titles and Singapore’s publishing capabilities at the world’s biggest book fair.
This is the third year that MDA is participating at the Fair, which is expected to attract more than 280,000 visitors and some 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries. Local writers as well as homegrown works on children’s books, education and comics will also be featured in Hall 8 where the main publishers of English Language content are located.
Mr Seto Lok Yin, MDA’s Director of Industry Development sees the Fair as an excellent platform for Singapore’s publishing industry to further their business development potential. Elaborating, he says, “The Frankfurt BookFair is a world stage. It gives Singapore publishers tremendous opportunities to show their works to the world. MDA’s focus this year is to raise awareness that Singapore has creative and innovative writers of children's books. We will be profiling the works of some of our first-time writers and illustrators of children’s books to international publishers and distributors.”
For YoungJin’s third consecutive participation at the Fair, its forays into educational comics will be its key highlight. “This year, we are especially excited by the opportunity to be exhibiting alongside MDA and Popular. Singapore is on the cutting-edge in new developments in publishing and media, and YoungJin is proud to be a part of this growth. This exposure will allow us to introduce our exciting new line of children’s educational comics to an even wider range of international publishers”, says Mr Kim Kil Soo, CEO, YoungJin.
YoungJin Singapore will also be announcing the further expansion of its line of educational comics. The “manga-style edu-comics” have covered to date topics such as mathematics, science, history and mythology. In the Spring of 2007, YoungJin will publish six titles;three in its Literary Classics Series (Treasure Island, Gulliver’s Travels and Little Women, and three in the Great Figures in History Series (Ghandi, Albert Einstein and Madame Curie). Six additional titles in the two new series are planned for the Fall of 2007. Foreign language rights and international distribution rights are available. It will also be announcing 2007 titles in its line of best-selling computer books, new titles in the Go Digital and Accelerated series, as well as several exciting new titles in graphics and design.
Popular Holdings will focus on its range of English books. Ms Wanda Balinska, Business Development Executive, Popular UK Pte Ltd said, “Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the most significant events on the literary calendar and the largest platform for the exchange of ideas, the buying and selling of books and electronic media, and the trading of international rights. We will be promoting our range of English books in the following genres: children's readers, textbooks, supplementary readers and educational workbooks. These are essentially targeted at the preschool and primary school sector as well as the English Language teaching (ELT) markets. Popular will be showcasing and publicising titles produced by our various publishing houses in Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and the United Kingdom, to find new co-edition partners and secure a larger share of the international market”.
In addition, 33 other Singapore/Singapore-based companies, both publishing and printing service providers, and associations/agencies are located in other halls (attached). The value of the output of the publishing sector in Singapore last year is estimated at US$792 million (source: Price WaterhouseCoopers).
For more information, please contact:
Media Development Authority
Sharanjit Kaur
Senior Manager
Communications Division
Tel: (65) 68379365
Email: sharanjit_kaur@imda.gov.sg
Popular Holdings Limited
Wanda Balinska
Business Development Executive
Tel: +44- 7717 222 401
Email: wandabalinska@popularworld.com
YoungJin
Jay Won
Assistant Manager
International Development Dept.
Tel: +82-2-2105-2181
Email: jaehoon82@youngjin.com
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