Asia is a beguiling translation market. In recent years the amount of translations from English have increased, mostly a result of the growing Chinese, Thai, and Indonesian markets, though the two most significant markets in Asia remain Japan and Korea. Korea probably commissions the most titles of any territory, but the advances in Japan are higher than anywhere else (even though their overall market has steadily declined in recent years).
As always, major commercial fiction and literary fiction sells well, though due to the costs of translation longer books may get bypassed or even published in multiple editions. Mysteries do well in both Japan and Thailand (though these markets seem to be slightly shifted more towards lighter crime and cozies), and children's titles, including picture books, sell well throughout the region. Nonfiction, especially financial and self-help, seems to find a home in Taiwan, Japan and Korea, and even mainland China has also begun commissioning financial and political works.
China is by far the most intriguing market in Asia. Though people in Taiwan and mainland China both speak the same Mandarin dialect, in China their written characters are simplified, and so any book has to be produced in those characters. Because of this and the political history between China and Taiwan there are basically two Chinese markets (complex - Taiwan, simplified - mainland China).
Taiwan has long been a booming translation market, with nonfiction of all types finding a home. However, romance and mysteries seem to do less well, with Chinese writers dominating the market. China is the slumbering giant, but with stricter piracy laws and the loosening of censorship the market has slowly grown, with progressive books of all types now selling.
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