[Seomideum's Book Talk] "Squeezing Employees Leads to Failure... Allowing Experience of Failure is Essential"

Interview with Han Giho, Director of Korea Publishing Marketing Research Institute

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] Han Giho (64, photo), director of the Korea Publishing Marketing Research Institute, has had many connections with books since his school days. When he was the editor-in-chief of the Gongju National University of Education student newspaper, he used to follow publishing companies asking them to introduce good books. Although he also intended to place advertisements in newspapers to gain promotional funds, through this process, he became closer to books. It was also beneficial for the publishers. He focused on introducing books such as Everett Reimer's School is Dead (Hanmadang) and Paulo Freire's Pedagogy (Hanmadang), selling over 1,600 copies exclusively at the Gongju National University of Education bookstore?exceeding the number of enrolled students.

After serving time for violating the Proclamation, reflecting the era when publishing was considered a (social) movement, he briefly worked as an editor-in-chief at a newly established publishing company in 1982, then joined Changbi Publishing as a salesperson. His first task was to sell banned books piled up in the warehouse. He released large quantities of banned books such as The Complete Works of Shin Dong-yeop and With Burning Thirst into the market. As he said, he was lucky not to be caught by the security authorities. Increased profits were a bonus.

He had exceptional talent related to sales. He actively marketed titles like Novel Donguibogam, My Cultural Heritage Exploration, and Thirty, The Party is Over, achieving sales of over 4 million copies. After spending 15 years at Changbi, he established the Korea Publishing Marketing Research Institute to start his own business and published the publishing trade magazine Planning Meeting. Over 23.5 years, he produced 585 issues. During that time, he founded seven imprint publishing houses (sub-brands).

He currently connects with readers through imprints such as Yoda, Book by Book, Flaubert, Adult Time, Baekhwamanbal, Road Outside the Road, and School Library Journal. Recently, he opened a publishing school to nurture publishing professionals. We met him to discuss the current state of the publishing industry.

- How do you view the current publishing industry?

▶ I wouldn’t say there is no future for publishing, but it is indeed bleak. The framework for producing and consuming information has completely changed. There is a widespread feeling of not knowing how to respond in the publishing world. Usually, planning looks 2-3 years ahead, but with the world of 10 years ahead arriving (including the impact of COVID-19), it’s natural to be bewildered...

- But you are from a generation that has tasted success in publishing, right?

▶ Not necessarily. This is a story from the 2016 Gangneung Reading Festival. After drinking with juniors on the beach and entering the sea, I was almost swept away by a surge wave. At that time, finances were tight, and I owed some money to juniors. I thought, “What if I had died like this?” Would I have died without repaying my debts? From then on, I started building a publishing brand.

- Is that when you began publishing SF, fantasy, writing guides, and criticism books?

▶ In 2017, we created the subculture brand Yoda and the snack culture brand Flaubert. We decided not to compete with Changbi, my home base, by not publishing pure literature. Since Yoda focused on writing guides, criticism, and theory books, we sought out critic groups. At that time, we published books with a young research group called “Textlit,” including Declaration of the Non-mainstream. Three volumes have been released so far, with more than ten planned. The market grows when there are more critic groups. We created it with the intention of expanding the market.

- Did you meet Kim Dongsik, the author famous for SF novels, around that time?

▶ I was lucky. It’s no exaggeration to say that thanks to Kim Dongsik, we found stability. To my knowledge, our publishing house offers the highest starting salary in the industry. When we raised salaries in 2017, employees worried, “Are we going bankrupt?” But after Kim Dongsik’s books started selling, the situation changed. Nobody worried during the next year’s raise. (laughs)

- The publishing industry is known for high qualifications but low pay. Salary disclosure documents circulating online often show a grim picture.

▶ I never pit employees against each other. I’m the type to nag if they work overtime, not encourage it. But literary planners often work 24/7 without being told. Meeting authors after work or reading books at home is all part of the job. Without a basic livelihood, editors cannot sustain their work. Guaranteeing the future keeps employees. Perhaps because of that, the average tenure of our 20 or so employees is relatively long.

- I heard there is a big gap between veteran publishers who experienced relative prosperity and the younger generation stuck in a slump.

▶ There is a difference in thinking. Back then, decision-making power was usually given to young people. It’s important to give opportunities for success but also for failure. Once, a junior editor proposed an idea. I immediately thought it wouldn’t work, but I told him to try anyway. When a senior editor objected, I said, “If you cut it off just because it’s the first idea, they won’t propose ideas anymore.” They went ahead, and the result was poor. But after failing, they changed significantly. In the next project, they raised over 100 million won through Tumblbug crowdfunding alone. Those who have broken a vessel understand its value. You need guts and confidence.

- There is criticism that publishing company CEOs only make good promises they themselves cannot keep. Some even say that when contributing to newspapers, they should disclose their company’s new employee starting salary.

▶ When young people are given opportunities, they naturally strive to do well. Forcing competition and squeezing employees shows a lack of understanding of human nature. If you squeeze employees, you will fail 100%. Instead, building mutual trust offers prospects.

- Maybe that’s why many people leave the publishing industry.

▶ No matter how much they love books and choose publishing, they leave when exhausted. Recently, many move to startups. As UX (user-friendly) writing becomes important, demand for editors has increased. Salaries have more than doubled, so the temptation is strong. That’s why you hear about third-year editors at publishing houses becoming emaciated.

- Still, one-person publishing companies are increasing.

▶ It’s the same context. They leave because they can’t endure it. Only a few large publishers and one-person publishers will survive. Medium-sized companies will disappear. Half of existing publishers have vanished in 20 years.

- In such a situation, you opened a publishing school.

▶ Even in difficult times, there are people passionate about publishing. Those people must survive, but in a rapidly changing world, there is nowhere to consult or discuss ideas or marketing methods. I thought such a structure was necessary, so I created it.

Publishing School Class

- Is it a paid program?

▶ It’s free. We do not seek profit. There are operating committee members and instructors, all participating with good intentions. On the 2nd, ten people started the first class. The curriculum, consisting of marketers and editors as instructors, will run for about 10 weeks. They will serve as mentors.

- Is it like the solidarity of publishers, similar to the ‘Anyway’ series or regional bookstore alliances?

▶ It might be. If we help increase the discoverability of books, there will definitely be synergy. Even now, there are cooperative movements where people plan together.

- How do participants respond?

▶ The competition was fierce, so we conducted interviews. We interviewed for about an hour, and they said that alone was very valuable. They had no place to share such stories... Not only during lectures but also at after-parties, conversations never stop.

- How is it different from existing publishing schools?

▶ The Publishing Preliminary School (SBI) was created by publishers to recruit employees. It focuses on basic literacy education. So, many people leave after joining publishing houses because they cannot adapt. We will create an introductory course that teaches the entire process, including planning and publishing a book, with practical work. We will stay with them until actual sales happen.

- What do you think is the role of a publishing company?

▶ I published the School Library Journal magazine for 12 and a half years. Before COVID-19, I gathered ten teachers with 2-3 years of experience to research and write about online learning. Then COVID-19 suddenly hit, and with the shift to online classes, the writing was completed in a month. Over 10,000 copies were sold. The School Library Journal readers are teachers, but the teachers became second creators. Turning readers into creators is what publishing companies should do. Nowadays, famous authors start their own publishing companies, and even EBS has entered the single-volume book market. In terms of web novels, the largest publishers in Korea are Naver and Kakao. Now, we must target small markets and actively find what we can do. Taking action requires young imagination. I established the publishing school to support that.

- What do you expect from the publishing school?

▶ I want to create a huge publishing marketing platform. If we combine our strength, we might be able to operate events like international book fairs permanently on our own. The publishing school can be seen as the process of gathering that fandom.

■ Director Han Giho

He is the director of the Korea Publishing Marketing Research Institute and a publishing critic. He founded the biweekly publishing trade magazine Planning Meeting in February 1999 and has been publishing it ever since. In 2010, he launched Korea’s first private library magazine, the monthly School Library Journal, promoting reading campaigns targeting students. His authored books include Introduction to Publishing Marketing, 30 Years of Bestsellers, The New Era of Books, Han Giho’s Reading and Reading, In Your 20s, Bet Your Life on Conceptual Power, Life After Forty, I Live with My Mother, We All Must Become Authors, Books and Humans in the High-Context Era, The 21st Century Met Through Books, among many co-authored works.