The presentation provided an overview of the Chinese scholarly publishing landscape, including the key players such as government agencies, publishers, libraries and consortia. It discussed the growth of higher education and incentives for Chinese researchers to publish. Examples were given of successful partnerships between Western and Chinese publishers. The presentation emphasized the importance of long-term engagement in China through relationship building, local partnerships, and understanding China's priorities and culture.

1. SSP Annual Meeting 2007 – China 101
Adrian Stanley, CEO
The Charlesworth Group (USA)

2. History and Background
• Family firm - founded in 1928, printers
• Clients are society & commercial publishers
• Services; typesetting through to printing/binding,
China Rights and licensing & China marketing
• Offices in UK, USA, and China,
Beijing, Philadelphia & Wakefield/London
• Working in China since 1999, WTO 2001-02
• Lived in China for 4 years, developed business,
3 to 100+ staff, plus good friends for life

3. Scholarly Publishing in the
Chinese Marketplace
• Introduction - Why China
• Who are the players
• Steps to working there
• A few examples
• Summary

4. Why China – quick facts
•“There are currently 110 million
Chinese who are learning English
compared with roughly 50,000
Americans studying Chinese.”
Kirk and Larsen, Far Eastern Economic Review 2005

5. What happens in research & development
& publishing is driven by China's top level
priorities.
70,000 70,000
60,000 60,000
50,000 50,000
40,000 40,000
30,000 30,000
20,000 20,000
10,000 10,000
0 0
Year
CHINA-all fields
Thomson ISI David Pendlebury (david.pendlebury@contractor.thomson.com)

6. Why China
• 20% increase year on year Chinese going into
higher education/university last 4-5 years
• Requirements to publish, Lecturer (1), assistant
professor (5), masters (3) doctorate 3-5,
survey by MOE/MOST
• Incentives to publish in western journals,
promote top research done in China.
• Growing R&D expenditure increasing, trade
surplus

7. Why- benefits to US publisher/society
• A key area for sales and growth (subs)
• Copyright situation much improved, extra
funding to buy legal copies (conference)
• Increase in Chinese authors, content of
value to western journals
• Scholarly communication is advanced if
all scholars have access to the widest
range of other scholars’ work

8. How we got started in 2000
• Market research, understanding
• Make relationships, open discussion, try
out business models, and trust … identify a
gap and need
• Develop business understanding and
relationships
• Show you are there for the long term !
• Build a good team, on the ground
• Hard work …

9. Structure
Chinese
Government
General
Ministry of
Administration
Science and Ministry of
of Print and
Technology Education (MOE)
Publications
(MOST)
(GAPP)
Chinese Universities China National
Publications Import/
Academy (most have at
Export Corporation
of Sciences least 1 journal) (CNPIEC)
(CAS) (and other importers)
Chinese Association
~200 research China University Independent
of Science and
Science Press Press Association Higher Education
Technology (CAST) institutes publishers,
(>200 journals) (>100 presses) Press
(190 societies (~1000 journals) others
~1000 journals)

10. Who the players are
• Agents for print sales (CNPIEC aka
Beijing Book, CEPIEC, Zhongke, WPC,
world wide agents.
• Consortia, online sales, CALIS, NSTL,
CAS, CASS, CAST.
• Pharma sales
• Larger publishers, Springer, Elsevier,
Blackwell etc
• Libraries and end users

11. The agents
• Approximately 34, with licenses to import
• CNPIEC aka Beijing Book largest, organiser of
BIBF (Sept) 70% market, importing over 100k
books, 40k news paper/magazines & 30k
periodicals
• Catalogues on CD, main titles in print, adverts
• Take part in Academic Journal road show
• CEPIEC (China Educational Publications
Import & Export Corporation)

12. The Chinese Academy of Science
(CAS)
• CAS has 5 sections Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry,
Earth Science, & Technology.
• CAS has 11 regional branches, offices are located in 20
provinces and municipalities throughout China.
• CAS has over 100 institutes, one university (the
University of Science and Technology of China), one
graduate school. HQ in Beijing
• Membership of the Academy represents the highest
level of national honor for Chinese scientists.
• CAS has invested in or created over 430 science- &
technology-based enterprises.

13. Online sales
CALIS (China Academic Libraries Information System)
Comprised of academic libraries
Central negotiating, price per institution, libraries opt-in
Funding comes from libraries members, not CALIS
500 libraries, library members can opt in, may grow
Mission is to facilitate content acquisition for their members
NSTL (National Science and Technology Library)
Comprised of research institutes and universities (non
commercial)
Buys nation-wide or multi site access
Mission is to provide fair access across China

14. How to get started, What’s your journal
info, advantages and strengths
• Impact factors
• Journal ranking
• Number of issues and pages, pricing
• Aims and mission
• Key strengths
• Reasons to subscribe
• Consider putting in Chinese

15. What’s your current China info
• Do you know current Institutional subs
• Individual subs
• Online usage v’s print
• Chinese members
• Chinese authors
• Need knowledge to know potential & make
decisions in a changing market

16. Ways to work
• Passive sales, catalogues, mass market
• Online trials, lessons and marketing, usage
• Consolidate current sales, know their needs
• Targeted marketing, identify end users, call
campaign, email, website, adverts, attend
subject conferences
• Make connections with similar societies, be
aware of agendas and needs
• Local language

17. Ways to work, trials
• Know the players, agenda, pricing,
institutions, ways the consortia work
• Understand contracts, issues
• Have an idea about budgets and
expectations, what is your approach
• Challenges in China, access speeds,
search/meta data, perpetual access

18. Ways to work, after agreement
• Monitor online usage, cost per download,
librarians gate keepers
• Promote titles, help increase online
usage
• Look at other metrics, number of
authors, citations, rejections/feedback
• Example of science, & challenges in
China

19. A few examples of partnerships
• 2006, Springer and China’s Higher Education Press
(HEP) began 5 year partnership to co-publish a
series of 27 journals: Frontiers in Selected
Publications from Chinese Universities. The first 12
journals, released in Jan 2006, cover biology, mathematics,
physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering; electrical and
electronic engineering; forestry; economics; education; history,
law & philosophy.
• Journal Department selects best papers,
HEP/Charlesworth typeset/translate/print
• Springer Publish in English outside China on
SpringerLink, win win …

20. A few more examples
• Nature China … publish best research
from China and Hong Kong
• ESA, BioScience, special China issues
• Blackwell/Elsevier partnerships with
Chinese societies, author training
• AMA/Chest Chinese editions
• Rockefeller, research report

21. Lessons
• See the long term picture, allow time, lay firm
foundations, note wages increasing in line with
the west for senior key staff
• Have some good partners/people on the
ground, trust
• Invest time, it can be hard, but worth it …
• Visits, took key staff from China to UK/US,
vice a versa, build relationships, customs
• Reed Elsevier CEO 8 trips/yr

22. Summary, what to do
• Understand how China is having
an impact on your field of science
• Discuss knowledge/information strategy
• Plan visit/connections, see what subject
conferences are taking place there
• Consider putting some content in Chinese
• Know the pitfalls, not all science good yet,
communication, culture

23. Take a chance to Visit !
• Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) 30th Aug – 3rd Sept
• Conferences/subject specific meetings
• CWG Publisher trip, includes seminar with the NSTL,
China Academy of Science Library, CALIS Medical
Presentation & reception with librarians
• Visit to a Chinese publisher, Chinese editors
• Presentation by GAPP (General Administration for Press
and Publications) on policy issues in China
• Visit to Shanghai University and libraries
• Discussion/focus group sessions with end
users and librarians … more info at;
http://www.charlesworth.com/newsflash~tour07

24. Summary
• Still developing, major player
• Take the long term view, strategy and policy …
watch trends …
• Getting information from China, making
partnerships, reaching out …
• Examples of others, Nature, Blackwell
• Go see for yourself
• Good luck … any questions ….
Contact info: a_stanley@charlesworth.com
phone +1 215 922 1611 www.charlesworth.com