[Publishing Industry Upheaval]④ "Nothing New, Just Different Takes on the Existing"

Interview with MinumsaTV Team Leader Joaran... A Representative Success Story of Publisher YouTube
Solving Publishing Industry Slump: "Striving to Add a Modern Touch to Attract Readers' Interest"

Jo Ah-ran, Team Leader of Content Planning Team, Marketing Department, Minumsa

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] There is a publishing company achieving remarkable results in the self-deprecating world of publishing marketing, where people say, "We've tried everything." It is Minumsa, well known for its World Literature Collection, and now also famous for MinumsaTV. The subscriber count is around 110,000.

This is the highest record among domestic publishers operating YouTube channels, achieving great success just three years after launching the channel in 2019. At the center of this is Jo Aran, head of the Content Planning Team in Minumsa's Marketing Department.

Initially, they declared, "We will not create book advertisement content," but as the YouTube channel gained public interest, Jo has been recognized as a trusted and enjoyable book content creator. How does she analyze the current publishing industry, which is stuck in a slump, and how is she coping with it? We met her on the 3rd at a cafe near Minumsa's office in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The following is a Q&A.

- I've heard that the publishing industry is having a very difficult year.

▲ It seems that overall bookstore sales, including Minumsa's, are declining. Especially with rising raw material costs and labor expenses, profit margins are quite poor. It's difficult to reflect the increasing production costs in the pricing, which is a big concern. Older titles are undergoing reprints with price increases, but the situation is not easy. When the production department suggests price hikes, the sales department shows reluctance, and there are internal disagreements as well.

- MinumsaTV is considered a representative success case of a publisher's YouTube channel.

▲ I don't know if I can call it a success story, but many places have started inviting us. (laughs) Usually, when a YouTube channel is launched, people think of it as a promotional channel, but MinumsaTV seems to have broken that stereotype and gained attention. The company environment, which allows for freely trying various things, also played a key role.

- What was your biggest concern?

▲ I thought of it as creating a personal YouTube channel and considered content that general subscribers would find fun. First, something has to work well so that later on, even if we add advertisements, it would be acceptable.

- The chemistry among the cast members is impressive.

▲ I tried to bring out the unique characters of the employees. Minumsa's internal atmosphere itself is not rigid. There is a culture of encouraging and supporting each other. Of course, willingness to appear on video varies by individual, but all employees respond well and seem to enjoy watching.

- In fact, many publishers operate YouTube channels but struggle.

▲ For small publishers, sometimes marketers are told to learn editing and do it themselves. Then, overwhelmed by work, they tend to quit soon. So from the start, we secured a budget and set up an outsourced dedicated team for filming and editing, which was effective. The CEO supports but does not interfere much with the videos themselves. Sometimes I wonder if he is watching. (laughs)

From the left in the photo: PD Sim Seong-ju, PD Bae Chae-min, PD Kang Min-a, Marketer Jo Ah-ran, Marketer Seong Yeon-ju, PD Ryu Hee-rim

- Is there originally a culture that tolerates and encourages failure?

▲ Yes. The magazine series ‘Hanpyeon’ is a representative example. While it’s not exactly “do whatever you want,” if an editor proceeds with conviction, the company is quite tolerant of small starts.

- MinumsaTV seems to have created a platform for direct communication with readers while enhancing the publisher’s brand awareness.

▲ In the past, events were held through bookstores, but now we focus on meeting readers directly with our own power. In fact, since launching the first domestic book club 10 years ago, there has been an internal voice saying “We need to create fans.” That investment seems to be showing visible results. This year, the book club, which usually recruited continuously, closed early after gathering 7,000 members in just three months. This is an unusual record for adult single-volume books.

- Is the rise in brand image also affecting sales?

▲ We consider ourselves still in the growth phase, expanding the market, so we are not in a hurry. On the side, YouTube ads have started to be attached. With that budget, we plan to produce and release short videos introducing books. Paying millions of won for ads on bookstore main pages is temporary, but videos accumulate continuously. It’s a kind of investment.

- What is your biggest concern in publishing marketing?

▲ The most exhausting part is that the marketer’s contribution to planning and predicting bestsellers is unpredictable. There is great uncertainty. Also, trends change quickly, but books have characteristics that do not change easily, which is another concern.

- There is a self-deprecating saying that “we’ve tried everything,” what do you think about that?

▲ The ‘Life Calendar’ started in 2018 (a calendar containing 365 famous quotes from classics) has sold about 15,000 copies. The Zoom events related to the World Literature Collection are also noteworthy. We have experienced that the number of participants can increase infinitely beyond the limitations of offline events with 50 to 100 people. Recently, we held a lecture called Minum University, styled like a literature liberal arts class from university days, and even though it was a paid lecture (30,000 won), 700 people registered.

- I understand that new reader inflow is decreasing besides existing readers.

▲ The originally targeted readers were women in their 20s and 30s. However, through MinumsaTV YouTube, relatively younger readers aged 18 to 24 are also participating a lot. We targeted university students, and sometimes I’m surprised to see comments like “The college entrance exam is over. I want to buy books.”

- There may be no definitive solution to the publishing slump, but if you could suggest your own solution.

▲ I think there is nothing new. It’s about planning and refining existing things into concepts that appeal to today’s people. Even waterproof books (Waterproof books) are not new. We need to think about applying a modern sensibility to existing things to attract readers’ interest. Since challenges are trending, Munhakdongne and Changbi each launched ‘Dokpa’ and ‘Switch,’ but does that mean the challenge didn’t exist? No. It’s about gradually refining and contributing to reading culture.