The cover of Kim Young-ha’s book “Reasons for Travel.” (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — “Solely about me” has been the overriding key word for the 2019 publishing market, with several essay collections with the theme selling the highest numbers of copies this year, according to the biggest bookstore chain.
Summing up the trend of the publishing market this year, Kyobo Book Center said 2019 could be characterized by “increased attention on oneself.”
“The reading trend focusing on ‘oneself’ translated into the tendency to personally choose the reading list and focus on personal tastes, as well as into the sustained popularity of the essay genre in the era of social network services that spawned emotional hunger,” Kyobo said in its summary of the 2019 publishing market.
According to the Kyobo analysis, 22 out of the top 100 books in 2019 were of the essay genre, including the top three best-sellers.
Novelist Kim Young-ha’s essay “Reasons for Travel” topped the 2019 sales chart, followed by another illuminating essay by Buddhist Jogye Order Rev. Haemin, “Things that Grow Brighter When It Gets Quieter.”
Kim Soo-hyun’s essay book “I Decided to be Me” came in third place.
The annual sales charts by two other book distributors, Yes24 and Interpark, were also topped by the travel essay by Kim, according to the booksellers.
(Yonhap)
