Offline Sales of Han Kang's "Light and Thread" Begin on April 24
Tops Bestseller Lists at Major Bookstores
Han Kang's first new book since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, "Light and Thread" (published by MunhakgwaJiseongsa), drew attention on April 24 by topping the bestseller list at online bookstores immediately upon its release.
On the 24th, Han Kang's first new book after the Nobel Prize, "Light and Thread," was displayed at Kyobo Bookstore Gwanghwamun Branch in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the bookstore industry on April 24, "Light and Thread," which began online sales the previous day, ranked first in daily sales at both Kyobo Bookstore Online and Aladin. At Yes24, it reached the second position.
Although the exact number of copies sold on the first day was not tallied, it is reported that the figure far surpassed the first-day sales of Han Kang's other works published before she received the Nobel Prize in Literature in December last year.
Aladin explained that "Light and Thread" sold 3.7 times more than "I Do Not Bid Farewell" (published in 2021), 8.6 times more than "The White Book" (2016), and 104 times more than "Human Acts" (2014). Aladin also added that women in their 30s and 40s accounted for 47.1% of total purchases.
Although the publisher has not held any special promotional events, news of the release last week has garnered significant attention. An Aladin representative stated, "Even before sales began at 11 a.m. the previous day, we received a flood of inquiries about the launch time," and added, "12,000 readers signed up for the new release notification event before publication."
"Light and Thread" consists of 12 pieces, including prose and poetry. It includes three texts such as Han Kang's Nobel Prize lecture and acceptance speech, five poems and one prose previously published in literary magazines, and three newly released essays including "North-facing Garden."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
