* Vol. 22 – Interview of Woods of Mind’s Books

Korean self-development books are of great popularity in the Southeast Asian market as well. Published in Vietnam, <I Decided to Live as Myself> has undergone a 2nd printing recently. Also, the translation publication rights of <The Power of Language (PlanetB)> by Shin Do-Yeon and Yun Na-Ru were recently sold to Vietnam. <Tired, or Nothing to Like (Ganghanbyeol)> by Geulbaewoo, <Don’t Lose Courage and Cheer Up (One Flower of True Heart)> by Kim Ji-Hoon, <I Learned Life from the Trees (Maven)> by Woo Jong-Young, and <Good or Bad, Who Knows? (The Forest Book)> by Shiva Ryu are books that are steadily loved by readers as bestsellers in Korea. Consoling and encouraging readers who are heart-broken and exhausted from life, these books are expected to be greatly loved by Vietnamese readers in their 20s and 30s.

<Tired, or Nothing to Like>, <Don’t Lose Courage and Cheer Up>

<I Learned Life from the Trees>, <Good or Bad, Who Knows?>

What’s more, the Southeast Asian publishing market’s response to <I Thought Everything Will Be Fine Once I Become an Adult (Force; a brand run by Sam & Parkers, Co., Ltd.)> by Kim Hae-Nam and Park Jong-Seok is highly anticipated. The translation publication rights of this book were sold to Vietnam and Indonesia. This book will be a wonderful guide and companion for readers who feel “When I become a grownup, and when I get older, I thought I would get stronger and be resilient against pains and struggles to a level. I thought I would just grow up to be that way. But I was wrong. People still live an imperfect life and have soft hearts even though they are grown up.”

<I Thought Everything Will Be Fine Once I Become an Adult>

Interest in Korean self-development books continues in Thailand, too. After <Youth, It’s Painful (Sam & Parkers, Co., Ltd.)> by Kim Ran-Do became a mega-hit in Thailand, other books have followed suit. <How to Clean My Head (Garden of Books Publishing Co.)> by Kim Kyung-Rok that gives tips on halving workload and doubling efficiency talks about specific mind-training skills that can change how you work and live. Also, <I Want To Be a Good Person Only For You (Celebit)> by Yoo Kwi-Sun that sends a heartwarming message to those that are in a frenzy of love, or in pain, struggling with human relationships, and worrying about the uncertain tomorrow, <Why Should We Be Happy? (MiraeBook)> by Lee Seung-Seok that gives his own answers to endless questions about happiness such as “I wanted to be happy, but now I don’t know why I should be happy.” all sold their publication rights to Thailand recently.

<Youth, It’s Painful>, <How to Clean My Head>

<I Want To Be a Good Person Only For You>, <Why Should We Be Happy?>

Self-development books published in the US, Britain, and Japan have been taking a great proportion in the Korean publishing market for recent decades. This phenomenon also applies to other languages other than Korea as well. But one thing for sure is that self-development books in various styles that were highlighted in Korea are receiving positive comments recently, and this atmosphere has expanded into many Asian countries; based on the firm fan base in each of those countries, these books are expected to spread their wings into the broader global market.

Written by Joseph Lee (President of KL Management)