Minumsa, 30 Years of Translating the Complete Works of Shakespeare
Last Month Published 'Anthology of Korean Women’s Literature'
Changbi, Led by Professor Baek Nakcheong, 'Korean Thought Series'
Covering Thinkers from Jeong Dojeon to Kim Daejung
21st Century Books Compiles Scholarship in 'Philosophy and Reality'
"Published with a Sense of Mission and Duty over Profit"
The publishing industry has been suffering from a prolonged recession. According to the Korea Publishers Association, among 71 major publishing companies last year, 45 experienced a decline in sales. Only 26 companies saw an increase. Amid these challenging conditions, a number of carefully planned publications, which required considerable time and investment, have recently been released, drawing attention.
Minumsa completed the complete works of Shakespeare last week, translated into verse over 30 years by Yonsei University Professor Emeritus Choi Jong-cheol. The collection includes 10 tragedies, including the four great tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth; 13 comedies; 15 historical and romance plays; 3 poems; and 154 sonnets, all compiled into 10 volumes totaling 5,824 pages.
Earlier last month, Minumsa published the "Anthology of Korean Women’s Literature," which organizes the history of modern and contemporary Korean women’s literature. The anthology consists of 7 volumes totaling 3,256 pages. It divides the eras from the modern enlightenment period of Joseon to post-democratization Korea in the 1990s into historical turning points, selecting women writers and works that achieved distinctive individuality and transformation in each era. It encompasses traditional genres such as poetry, novels, and plays, as well as diverse and free forms of "women’s writing," including magazine founding articles, manifestos, letters, and diaries.
The anthology of women’s literature was the result of joint efforts between Minumsa and the Women’s Literature Research Group. Established in 2012, the group completed the anthology through 12 years of collaborative research and discussions, offering a new perspective on the origins of women’s literature. While the existing literary community regarded Na Hye-seok’s "Gyeonghui," published in the 1918 women’s cultural magazine "Yeoja Gye," as the origin of women’s literature, the Women’s Literature Research Group identified the 1898 "Yeo Hakgyo Seolsi Tongmun" as the true origin of women’s writing, predating it by 20 years.
Changbi released the "Changbi Korean Thought Series" last month. Professor Emeritus Baek Nak-cheong of Seoul National University served as the editorial chairman, selecting writings by great thinkers who shaped Korean intellectual history from Jeong Do-jeon, a founding figure of Joseon, to President Kim Dae-jung, Korea’s first Nobel laureate, covering from the Joseon era to the 20th century. Changbi plans to publish a total of 30 volumes by 2026, its 60th anniversary. The first batch of 10 volumes was released last month, and the second batch, including works by Jo Gwang-jo, Jo Sik, Yi I, Kim Gu, Yeo Un-hyeong, Han Yong-un, and Shin Chae-ho, is scheduled for release in the first half of next year.
21st Century Books recently published "Philosophy and Reality, Reality and Philosophy," co-written by 74 philosophers. The 4-volume set totals 2,000 pages and comprehensively covers all topics in world philosophy, from ancient Eastern and Western religious thought to Confucianism, Taoism, Neo-Confucianism, Buddhist philosophy, Indian philosophy, Western medieval philosophy, Western modern philosophy, analytic philosophy, and postmodernism.
Publisher Kkachi also released six volumes of the "Reflections Illuminating Today" series on the 5th, which explain the thoughts of six philosophers?Schopenhauer, Erich Fromm, Hannah Arendt, Marx, Foucault, and Rousseau?in an accessible way.
Planned publications can be a double-edged sword for publishers. If they receive positive responses from readers, they can significantly boost a publisher’s profits. Selling complete works can generate substantial sales at once, and continuing to publish series can ensure long-term profitability. However, if the publications fail to resonate with readers, the large-scale investment poured into them can backfire.
Arte, the literary brand of Book21, launched the "Classic Cloud" series of classical humanities travelogues in 2018. Experts in the field visited the traces of life left by world-renowned figures in the humanities, reflecting on the lives and works of these masters. However, sales fell short of expectations, and it is now known that Arte has reduced its investment in Classic Cloud. The series was a long-term project aiming to publish 100 volumes, with 34 volumes released so far.
Publishing industry insiders said that planned publications like complete works require significant investment and thus carry considerable risk.
Lee Si-yoon, head of public relations at Minumsa, said, "Complete works often involve high costs, and it’s uncertain whether they will be profitable. However, because these are meaningful books, large publishers strive to continue publishing them steadily."
Park Ju-yong, team leader of the humanities and general publishing department at Changbi, also said that they do not expect profits from the recently published Korean Thought Series. However, Park said, "Changbi has maintained continuous interest in Korean intellectual history, and as Korean society develops into an advanced nation, there is a tendency to undervalue our unique thoughts and philosophies compared to foreign ones, so we judged that a new reflection is necessary." This indicates that mission and duty take precedence over profit.
Fortunately, reader responses to recently published planned works have not been bad.
For Minumsa’s anthology of women’s literature, a book funding campaign on Aladin set a goal of 3 million won but raised nearly ten times that amount, about 28 million won. Changbi’s Korean Thought Series also raised over 8 million won against a 3 million won goal.
In March this year, Humanist’s book funding for "Park Si-baek’s History of Goryeo" attracted 39 times the target amount. "Park Si-baek’s History of Goryeo" summarizes the history of Goryeo contained in the 139 volumes of the History of Goryeo and 35 volumes of the Goryeo Sajeolyo into five comic books. Given Park Si-baek’s popularity as the author of "Park Si-baek’s Annals of the Joseon Dynasty," this work has also received enthusiastic responses from readers. A Humanist representative said that cumulative sales of "Park Si-baek’s History of Goryeo" have exceeded 75,000 copies so far.
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