[Chungmuro Book Cafe] Thanks to 'Jipkok' This Year, 'Chaekkok'

Analysis of Yes24 Sales Trends... Book Sales Up 23% This Year
Haruki and Michael Sandel 'Name Value' Amid COVID-19 Social Trends

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Yes24 revealed the analysis results of this year's book sales trends on the 3rd. The total book sales from January to November increased by 23% compared to the same period last year. This is due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). People are spending more time reading books while confined at home.

One of the key publishing trend keywords this year is the "era of financial investment." This is because COVID-19 has increased economic uncertainty and volatility in the stock market. Yes24 reported that sales of investment and financial management books, which had decreased last year, surged by 118.2%, and stock and securities books sales rose by 202.1% this year. This trend is also confirmed in the Asia Economy Newspaper bestseller rankings.

Asia Economy Newspaper selected bestsellers based on book sales from November 26 to December 2. The rankings referenced sales data from major online and offline bookstores such as Yes24, Kyobo Bookstore, and Interpark, and combined them with ratings from Asia Economy reporters to create a comprehensive ranking.

Ranked 8th, "The Nature of Money," and 9th, "Mr. Market 2021," are investment and financial management books. "Mr. Market 2021" is a book forecasting next year's stock market by current securities company fund managers and analysts, including Ihn Young Lee, Head of Stock Management at DS Asset Management. Interest in the book seems to be growing as the global stock market has recently risen sharply.

"The Nature of Money," written by Kim Seungho, chairman and founder of Snowfox, a gimbap and sushi restaurant, ranked first in Yes24's economic and business category bestseller list this year. This means it recorded the highest sales in the economic and business category until last month.

The first-place book, "Trend Korea 2021," is also an economic and business book. It ranked third in Yes24's economic and business sales rankings this year. The book was published on October 13. In less than two months, it recorded the third highest sales in the overall annual tally, showing explosive sales.

In this Asia Economy bestseller tally, the 11th and 12th places are also occupied by economic and business books, aiming to enter the rankings. The 11th is "John Lee's Escape from Financial Illiteracy," and the 12th is "Stock Investment: Follow Without Hesitation."

Ranked second, "How Should I Tell You?" is a book written by Oh Eun-young, a pediatric and adolescent psychiatrist with high public recognition due to active broadcasting, about child discipline methods. Nowadays, due to COVID-19, homes have to take on the role of schools. This book confirms the growing concerns of parents about child education.

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the publishing industry this year. Amid this, books by famous authors such as Haruki Murakami and Michael Sandel have appeared on the bestseller list.

"First Person Singular" is a collection of short stories published by Murakami, who is annually considered a Nobel Literature Prize candidate, for the first time in six years since "Men Without Women." It contains eight stories, including the title story "First Person Singular." It is said that Murakami's unique worldview and narrative remain intact.

While Im Mi-ye's fantasy novel "Dollar Gut Dream Department Store" continues to maintain long-term popularity, Murakami's new work also made the bestseller list, suggesting that the revived vitality of the novel market will continue for a while.

"The Illusion of Fairness" is a new book by Michael Sandel, a Harvard University professor famous for "Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" It is also Sandel's first new book in eight years since "What Money Can't Buy."

Professor Sandel questions whether today's meritocratic society is just. Rather than criticizing meritocracy itself, he raises issues about the reality where meritocracy is difficult to properly manifest, such as the provision of fair opportunities.