Chinese books capturing UK readers' imagination
The global publishing industry is transforming, driven by the new ways people are discovering, consuming and sharing books — from the rise of audiobooks and BookTok to the influence of TV adaptations sparking wider reading trends. In this evolving landscape, Chinese books are becoming an integral part of a new reading culture in the West.
The just-concluded London Book Fair 2025 saw its largest-ever participation from China, drawing strong interest from global publishers. The London Book Fair is one of the major global marketplaces for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across different media.
From "romantasy" web novels to graphic novels and book-to-screen adaptations, Chinese storytelling is capturing the imagination of a new generation of readers. Take The Three-Body Problem, for example. According to Nielsen Book-Scan, the English edition sold nearly 26,000 copies in the United Kingdom in 2024, with almost half of those sales occurring within 10 weeks of the release of the Netflix series. This has made it the best-selling Chinese novel in the UK and significantly boosted Liu Cixin's reputation as a leading international science fiction writer.
