Experts say books still have a place in the modern publishing world. (Photo: ipub.vn) NguyenNguyen, Director of the Authority of Publication, Printing andDistribution under the Ministry of Information and Communication, said digitaltransformation was crucial for the development of the publishing industry, butit wouldn't mean the end of the printed book.
"Despitethe increase of e-book publications, the number of printed books has notdecreased. Books, as we know them, will not disappear and will never, ever bereplaced by information on the screen because they are used in our leisure timeand the main tool for our education," he said.
LeHoang, Vice President of the Vietnam Publishing Association, saidthe digital transformation in the publishing industry was inevitableand a new trend of development, but still could not replace printedbooks. He added printed books still had a role and hardcopy books wouldcontinue to exist.
Nguyensaid digital transformation in publishing activities has many advantagesdue to the ubiquity of internet-connected electronic devices.
Butthe e-book market was still posing great challenges for local publishersdue to the poor reading culture in Vietnam, he said.
Accordingto the Authority of Publication, Printing and Distribution, dueto the impact of COVID-19, the revenue of publishers sharply declinedagainst 2019.
Thenumber of publishers participating in electric publishing has risen but thenumber of electronic publications has reduced.
Lastyear, publishing houses in the country released 36,218 publications, down 2.4percent to 403.5 million copies. Printed books accounted for 32,158 copies,down 2 per cent to 363 million copies. Meanwhile, 2,050 e-books were alsopublished down 14.6 percent and hitting 1.5 million views.
Advancedtechnology infrastructure is also key to boosting e-publishing and to meet theincreasing demand for e-books, publishers need to rapidly upgrade theirinformation technology infrastructures to provide easier access toe-books.
LeHoang, Vice President of the Vietnam Publishing Association, said digitaltransformation always had two sides. As technology developed, illegalactivities based on technology platforms have also increased, posing greatchallenges to publishers. To solve this problem, authorities needed to conducteffective solutions and use sanctions for copyright infringement.
Topromote digital transformation in publishing activities, publishers must changetheir perception, he said.
Interms of management, the Authority of Publication, Printing andDistribution will study and create laws to develop the publishing, printing anddistribution industry in a professional and modern manner by working towardsdigital transformation./.
VNA
