Digital transformation to help develop book publication

Hanoi (VNA) – Given great changes in readers’ approach and reading culture, implementing digital transformation is an urgent part of book publication, affirmed Nguyen Nguyen, Director of the Department of Publishing, Printing, and Issuing under the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Growing in a lean, quality, modern, and technology-based manner is the inevitable direction for the industry, the official said.

According to him, as of May 2022, 16 publishers proved eligible for electronic publishing. In the 2019 – 2021 period, between 2,000 and 2,500 electronic publications were published on an average annual basis. The three audiobook publishers Waka, Fonos and WeWe alone have attracted hundreds of thousands of regular user accounts, with their total of visits exceeding 20 million in 2021.

“We are determined to innovate management thinking and apply digital technology for better management effectiveness and efficiency; and develop a set of statistical indicators to evaluate development indicators in the fields of publishing, printing and distribution on the basis of comparison with regional and world development indicators,” said Nguyen.

In addition, state management agencies are set to strengthen the industry’s operational capacity in line with the trend of digital transformation by increasing the number of publishers and distribution units engaging in electronic publication. It is also necessary to issue policies encouraging enterprises to invest in developing new technologies for publishing activities, with a focus on big data, cloud computing, the Internet of things and artificial intelligence. A pilot programme for building a digital publishing house and the development of online book trading platforms are also part of the plan.

The goals are to maintain the annual revenue growth rate of the publishing sector at between 4.5% and 5%; and to bring the rate of electronic publications to 15% by 2025.

Such a focus on e-books does not necessarily mean that the publishing industry "abandons" printed books.

Nguyen Quang Thieu, President of the Vietnam Writers Association, said digital transformation and traditional publishing are two things that need to be done in parallel. Going digital does not mean eliminating paper books, he elaborated.

“I believe each approach will yield different value. Maybe in a quiet space, I choose to read a paper book. But when I'm driving down the road, I definitely pick up audio books,” said Thieu.

With digital transformation being an irreversible trend, publishers have engaged in many discussions seeking measures to help develop Vietnam's publishing industry in line with the trend.

It's time to develop a national strategy on e-books to increase management efficiency, take advantage of great resources and benefits of technology to bring more books to a wider audience in Vietnam and abroad, said Nguyen Thanh Nam, Deputy Director and Editor-in-Chief of Tre (Youth) Publishing House.

For Nam, such a strategy lays the basis for perfecting the legal system, thoroughly eliminating acts of sharing pirated books on social networks, and minimising damage caused by piracy.

This strategy will include policies to support e-book publishers in technology investment and human resources training, he noted, adding that it also needs to focus on the areas of e-book, audio book, and virtual reality (VR) book as well as the planning of capable units for the digital growth path.

In addition, Nam suggested management agencies strengthen the training of human resources to make high-quality e-books, be knowledgeable about both publishing and technology, and enhance their exchange of experiences with developed countries where the e-book industry is already established and working effectively./.

Box: This year, Vietnam’s book publishing, printing and distribution sector celebrate the 70th anniversary of its traditional day (October 10, 1952 - 2022).

In 2021, the industry published about 40,000 books with 460 million copies, earning total revenue of more than 2.99 trillion VND (120.35 million USD).