At the end of last year, Macao’s post-80s poet Kinson Lam published his poetry collection Murmuring of Peacock, which contains his poems published in Macao Daily News from 2009 to 2014. The project was published by a comparatively large-scale local publisher in Macao, Macao Daily News Publishing House. Prior to publication, Lam filled in the application form, submitted the relevant documents to the ISBN Agency in Macao Central Library, and received the ISBN within one month*.
The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is an international identity card for every book. The application status of ISBN in one place, to a certain extent, can be viewed as an indicator of the condition of its local publishing market. According to the application records of the ISBN Agency in Macao, some 640 books were slated for publication in 2014, a decrease of 12 compared to 2013. The agency stated that this decrease was moderate and within normal market fluctuations.
In Kinson Lam’s view, it is very convenient to apply for an ISBN in Macao; however, owing to the small local reading market, the publishing cost is high, therefore book publication in Macao boasts greater social significance than financial significance. As a result, government departments or public institutions with greater financial capacity are the larger producers of publications in Macao.
According to the statistics, of 718 Macao publishers submitting applications for ISBN from 2000 to 2014, nearly half were community organisations, accounting for 314. Others included 160 individuals, 148 commercial organisations, 56 government departments, 29 schools, and so forth. Hence, one can see that purely commercial publishers comprise only a small proportion of the total volume in Macao and that the publishing industry still has a long way to go before achieving robust development.
*Performance pledge: 3 working days
