TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US edition of Yang Shuang-zi’s (楊双子) “Taiwan Travelogue” will be printed in Taiwan after the novel’s International Booker Prize win led to strong demand, CNA reported Wednesday.
The Chinese-language edition has added 100,000 copies through reprints since the book won the award. Editions in the US, the UK, Japan, and other countries have also been in short supply.
The US edition has had three reprints of 10,000 copies each. Its fourth reprint, also 10,000 copies, will be printed by Taiwan-based Red & Blue Color Printing Co.
Literary agent Gray Tan Kuang-lei (譚光磊) said US publisher Graywolf Press publishes the US edition, while Macmillan handles distribution. Tan helped connect Macmillan with Red & Blue Color Printing Co. after Macmillan saw strong demand for the book in Taiwan.
Tan said publishers in the US and Europe have long used China as a major base for overseas book printing. He said the decision to print “Taiwan Travelogue” in Taiwan was significant because the novel itself is about Taiwan.
Tan said the move reflected both cultural identity and wider geopolitical factors. He said it also gave a Taiwanese printer a rare chance to participate in the international book market.
Ding Hsuan (丁玹), Macmillan’s open market manager, said the company chose Taiwan partly because local demand was strong. Ding said Taiwan readers and booksellers would likely welcome copies labeled “Printed in Taiwan.”
Ding said printing the book locally would help shorten delivery times for readers in Taiwan. He said the decision could also open the door for more international books to be printed in Taiwan.
Red & Blue Color Printing Co. Chair Chen Shih-fang (陳世芳) said the company has handled large overseas orders before. However, Chen said an overseas order of 10,000 copies is rare in today’s book market, and the company would do its best to complete it well.
