Third wave
Looking at the history of Taiwanese publishing we can discern three separate waves of independent publishing.
The first wave materialized in the 1960s, a period during which many Taiwanese authors, in addition to their own creative work, also scoured the landscape for emerging voices in domestic literature. They also imported foreign classics to introduce to local readership. Examples include elder statesmen Lin Haiyin’s Chunwenxue and Yindi’s Erya. Both enterprises were run out of their respective founders’ residences, a page directly from the home-as-factory mode of production in vogue during that era, the living room serving both as office and as a meeting space for literati. It was a moment that left an indelible imprint on Taiwanese cultural history.
The second wave came into being around 2000, fast on the heels of the trend in industrial outsourcing. A few editors in Taiwan realized the potential in starting their own businesses. So long as they could pick the right books, get their production chain set, and properly gauge the market, they could compete on an even footing with the industry behemoths.
At Ars Longa Press, Joyce Yen achieved market success by publishing translations of foreign bestsellers like The World is Flat and Justice: A Reader. And at Revolution-Star Publishing and Creation, Ray Huang struck gold by converting the online creations of bloggers Wanwan and Jhai Nyu Siao Hong into the print medium, easily selling over 10,000 copies each, which opened up additional sources of revenue through sales of peripheral merchandise like stationery products and imaged material.
The success of these two provided plenty of food for thought for younger entrepreneurs: could the same one-person modus operandi be applied to the publication of marginalized books? Could limited capital be used to publish only those books that the publisher personally favored and still develop a reliable readership?
And thus the third wave was born. Starting in 2010, CommaBooks appeared, followed by Alone Publishing, VS Press and a host of other individually run outfits all the way up to the present total of more than 10. They bubbled up from the crevices within the industry in which they are ensconced by coming up with a number of novel and creative ideas.
Firstly, instead of importing popular foreign books to Taiwan, the latest wave of independent publishers has focused on new material. Working with established bloggers with large fan bases holds less appeal for these publishers than does seeking talent that has yet to appear on the cultural radar. Another area of interest is obscure works of Western literature, even modern poetry, which the industry has largely left for dead.
Secondly, they have invented creative business strategies that disprove the canard that only a large company has the necessary weight to persuade the public. These individuals relish doing things on such a small scale, because, disburdened of the typical competitive ethos, they are free to apply synergistic approaches like publishing books that can combine with books published by a different firm to form a kind of companion set.
Finally, their work is emblematic of a broader life philosophy emphasizing freedom and joie de vivre that has been embraced by the younger generation.
For the past three years, some of Taiwan’s one-person publishing houses have jointly maintained a booth at the Taipei International Book Exposition as a kind of platform from which to promulgate their publishing ideals.