Someofthisonlinematerialmakesitintobookform.Printsales,dominatedbythecountry’s580state-ownedpublishinghouses,arenowworth44billionyuan($7billion).Butgrowthhasslowedfrom10%ayearin2007toaround5%,accordingtoYangWeiofOpenBook,amarket-researchfirm.Likemanyonlinestart-ups,Shandaisnotyetmakingmoneyoutofwebbooks,althoughrevenuesaregrowing.
Theinternethasalsochangedthewaythatbooksarepromoted.ChinahasrelativelyfewbookshopssoculturalnetworkingsitessuchasDouban.comhaveprovedgoodattargetingnewreaders.Fewwritersmakemuchmoney,onlineorinprint.Thehandfulofstylishnovelistswhodohavebecomecelebrities.GuoJingming,a28-year-oldwithsixnovelsin2011’stop20list,managesagroupofyoungwriterswhosemagazineTopNovelsells400,000copiesamonth.HanHan,a29-year-oldnovelistturnedracing-cardriver,hasapopularblog.MrHanrosetofamecleverlytweakingtheauthoritieswithoutrunningfoulofthecensors.Today’sedgywriters,suchasMurongXuecun,cansteeraroundthecensorswiththeironlinewriting,thenmakenecessarycutsintheirprinteditions.Mostauthorsgivethecensorsnotrouble.Theyknowwherethelineisdrawn.