What Book will come to the forefront in the Age of Content overload?
In an era of information overload, the question arises: what types of books will thrive? This presentation explores the evolving landscape of publishing in Vietnam, with insights from Omega Books JSC, examining how traditional books are adapting to meet the needs of modern readers.
TRAN THI HOAI PHUONG
Director of Vietnam Omega Books JSC
E-mail: phuong.tran@omegaplus.vn
Cellphone: (8424)945724486
Homepage: omegaplus.vn
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16 years in publishing area
With over 16 years in publishing, I've held roles from editor to executive director. In 2018, I was head of editorial, and now serve as the director of Omega Plus Books. I'm responsible for overseeing all business operations and executing plans aligned with the Board of Directors' goals.
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Pursuing a unique zone
I pursue the publication of Foundational Knowledge, including: History books, Science, Education, Art, especially world classics. My goal is to systematically build and enhance the essential national knowledge while updating the latest publications/researches worldwide, aiming for Vietnamese readers to keep pace with global reading trends. Alongside the journey of publishing valuable, high-content knowledge publications, focusing on activities that encourage reading among Vietnamese people.
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A journey in the field
As a publisher with over 16 years of experience in the publishing industry in Vietnam, I have witnessed significant changes in this field driven by technology. During my time as Production Director and later as Executive Director of Omega Plus—a company specializing in publishing foundational knowledge in science, philosophy, politics, economics, and art—my colleagues and I have explored numerous ways to make academic knowledge accessible to the younger generation. One of the major challenges we face is how to engage young readers with fundamental, systematic knowledge in an era overwhelmed with information. Additionally, we strive to make this knowledge easily accessible without demanding too much time or effort from them.
Vietnam Omega Books JSC
(Omega Plus)
Establishment
Founded in September 2016, Vietnam Omega Books JSC initially focused on publishing books that provide foundational knowledge across various disciplines, aiming to contribute to a well-informed society.
Publication Range
Omega Plus has published nearly 500 titles across 7 series, including Classics, Vietnamese History, Science, Great Figures, Art, Life Books, and Biomedical Books. This diverse range reflects the company's commitment to providing insightful and informative content across various subjects.
Mission
Our core mission is to contribute to societal development by providing high-quality, content-rich knowledge publications. This mission extends beyond publishing books, encompassing community-focused activities that foster a love of reading and knowledge sharing. We believes in the transformative power of knowledge and aims to make a positive impact on society by providing accessible and engaging learning resources for all.
Vietnam's Publishing Landscape
(According to the 2023 publishing Sector summery report
of The Publication, Printing and Distribution Authority)
Publisher Types
57 state-owned companies and 508 private companies as of 2024.
Industry Performance
The total revenue of the entire industry increased by 4.98%.
The total number of publications submitted for copyright deposit decreased by 1.4% compared to 2022. Printed book publications dropped by 4.4%, Electronic publications increased by 19.4% .
Books for teenagers and children have seen a significant increase in both the number of titles and print editions.
Digital Growth
Electronic publications increased by 19.4% with an estimated 36 million copies (up 11%)
Current Publishing Trends in Vietnam
Audiobooks
Audiobooks are prominent in digital content (Data).
Illustrated Books
The trend includes illustrated books (comics that popularize historical and scientific knowledge; books that recreate history through visuals).
Compact size
The trend of compact and smaller books.
Niche-focused
The trend of niche-focused books, such as books on currency, finance, and the market for beautifully crafted books (special editions).
Social Media
The rise of TikTokers and YouTubers (the concept of KOCs) leads to the penetration of TikTok into Vietnam and the platform's support in terms of navigation. The livestream trend of influencers, which mainly based on TikTok platform nowadays has led to the emergence of digital content creators who specialize in introducing books on various topics.
Personal Perspective on Reading
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Multifaceted Purpose
Reading serves various goals: information gathering, field understanding, self-development, and enjoyment. It allows us to expand our knowledge base, gain a deeper understanding of different fields, enhance our personal growth, and simply find pleasure in the act of reading itself.
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Unique Value of Books
The kind of information books provide also differs, with a higher degree of reliability and systematic presentation. Books not only provide information but also offer ways of thinking and methods for approaching problems. Fictional books even allow us to experience worlds different from the one we live in.
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Long-term Outlook
Therefore, I personally think that the information overload of our times will impact certain types of books, but not all. I believe that in the long term, the number of readers in Vietnam will increase as the reading habits of younger generations are cultivated over time.
Perspective on reading book as a publisher
As a publisher, I see that, at least within the publishing industry in my country, there is a general trend of increasing readership. Though there may be short-term declines in the publishing market, perhaps due to economic crises or pandemics, in the long term, I believe the market will grow and the number of readers will increase.
Economic Development
With economic development, parents will have more resources to invest in education, and reading books is one educational tool.
Early Exposure
Younger generations are exposed to books from an early age, leading them to develop a habit of reading and acquiring knowledge through books.
Knowledge Seeking
As the foundation of knowledge improves, people will tend to seek more systematic and reliable knowledge, which books provide better than the internet.
Intellectual Growth
Economic growth leads to a higher intellectual level, which in turn results in more people enjoying reading—a trend that has been observed in countries with developed publishing industries.
Omega Plus's Approach to Content Overload
Systematic Series
We create systematic book series where knowledge in each field is organized from basic to advanced levels, in chronological order, allowing readers to easily understand each book within the larger knowledge map.
Diverse range of products
We publish a diverse range of products with varying content volumes, including extensive, large-scale publications containing substantial content, concise introductory works, academic publications, and popular books.
Various formats
We release knowledge in various formats, such as large-format books, pocket-sized books, and handheld books, to facilitate convenience for readers.
Content Summaries
We develop content summaries. For books with substantial content, we create abridged versions to provide multiple access points to the knowledge.
Omega+ Academy
We plan to develop new product formats based on the content of published books, called Omega+ Academy, on the YouTube platform. This will feature short introductory courses on fields like Art, History, Science, Political Science, etc., in an animation format. The model is similar to Khan Academy but focused on systematizing knowledge for Vietnamese audiences.
Omega Plus's Communication Strategy
Multi-Platform Presence
We use multiple platforms instead of just focusing on websites or Facebook as before. We have Facebook channels, YouTube channels, TikTok channels, Instagram, etc.
New Media Formats
We employ new media content formats: Not just articles as before, but also short videos, aligned with current information consumption trends of readers. We use short videos to summarize book content and are building a YouTube channel with summary content from published books, presented in animation format. We also create a YouTube channel offering free audiobooks of the first chapters of all published books.
Reader Care App
We are planning to develop a reader care app. On this app, published books will be rearranged according to a knowledge map, allowing loyal readers to access knowledge more easily.
Notable Publishing Cases in Vietnam
Multi-Format Publishing
The book Sapiens by bestselling author Harari.
In addition to Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, we have published a comic book version for those who prefer to receive information in a more engaging way, and we have also published Unstoppable Us for children. On the 10th anniversary, we also released a pocket edition. As a result, the pocket edition sold well and received positive feedback from readers. In the first 8 months, we issued 10,000 printed copies.
Notable Publishing Cases in Vietnam
Dual Editions
The book History of the Quốc Ngữ Script and 100 Questions About Quốc Ngữ Script
Notable Publishing Cases in Vietnam
Digital Innovations
Fonos' Podcourse, a type of product that meets the need for fast information consumption, curated by experts with authority.
Multi-volume book series
Multi-volume comic book series adapted from classic works for children by Kim Đồng Publishing House.
Introductory book series by Văn Lang Books
Historical and cultural comic books
Comics focusing on historical and cultural themes are growing strongly.
Messages to fellow
Asian publishers
As long as humans need knowledge, the publishing industry will still be essential.
New technologies always bring opportunities along with challenges.
Don’t be afraid! Let’s let our imagination soar to embrace new forms of books in the future
Book
recommendations
Depicting the Historical picture of Cochinchina by Nguyễn Quang Diệu (Omega Plus Books)
https://omegaplus.vn/san-pham/khac-hoa-buc-tranh-lich-su-nam-ky/
Vietnamese History in Picture (Đông A Books)
https://lichsuvietnam.sachdonga.vn/
Diary of a cricket (Vietnamese: Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký) by Tô Hoài, (Kim Đồng Publishing house)
https://nxbkimdong.com.vn/products/de-men-phieu-luu-ky-2027
Thank you
for your attention