Launch of first collection of “Hong Kong Smart e-Book Hub” with 1000+ selected locally-published Chinese e-books

Highlighting e-book and audio versions of local classic works

Set to participate in Frankfurt Book Fair in October to facilitate copyright trading abroad

In the new technology era, publications of local Chinese books are no longer constrained by  language boundary. By leveraging technology advancement to breakthrough traditional publishing mode, Hong Kong’s creative works can be translated into other languages and digitalised to reach wider readers around the world. With funding support from Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and technical support from Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM) under Innovation and Technology Commission, “Publishing 3.0 – HK Smart e-Book Hub” Scheme ("Pub3.0") is organised by Hong Kong Publishing Federation (HKPF) and implemented by Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS), with its first collection of “Hong Kong Smart e-Book Hub” launched on 19 July 2023.

Pub3.0 tailor-makes an e-Book Publishing Conversion Platform driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Hong Kong’s publications and a smart e-book hub featuring selected high-quality Hong Kong’s e-books with international market potential. After a year of preparation and open recruitment of local publications, the project launched its first collection of “Hong Kong Smart e-Book Hub” (the Hub) with over 1 000 selected Chinese books. With the goal of featuring all these selected publications in Chinese e-book and Cantonese and Putonghua audiobook versions in the Hub, Pub 3.0 has been assisting the publishers or writers concerned to convert their printed books into e-books and audiobooks using the e-Book Publishing Conversion Platform. Upon launching the Hub’s booklist on 19 July 2023, sample chapters of these selected Chinese books go live on Pub3.0’s portal at https://publishing3.hk. Publishers, writers and public readers can online read and listen these sample chapters for free in e-book and audiobook versions, which  enables local classics and outstanding publications to be presented in a brand-new manner.

The over 1 000 local publications that are featured in the current Hub come from nearly 60 local publishers and fall under five categories, namely Literature & Fiction, History & Biography, Living & Social Lives, Medical Healthcare, and Finance & Business. They are written by Yi Shu (亦舒), a renowned novelist, CHUA Lam (蔡瀾), a food culture expert and gourmet, Agnes CHAN (陳美齡), a parenting expert, CHEUNG Ka Long (張家朗), Hong Kong’s Olympics fencing gold medallist, and the Honourable Kenneth FOK, JP (霍啟剛),Member of the Legislative Council (Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication) of the HKSAR, among other writers. Local publications featuring the old Hong Kong, as well as experience sharing of social innovation and entrepreneurship are also selected into the Hub for readers to explore Hong Kong’s culture and creativity.

A ceremony to inaugurate the Hub was held on the first day of this year's Hong Kong Book Fair (19 July)., On the occasion, Pub3.0’s latest developments and future promotion plan were also introduced. Publishers and writers are encouraged  to participate in Pub3.0. In addition, an exhibition booth was set up at Hong Kong Book Fair from 19 to 25 July 2023, to introduce Pub3.0’s portal and facilitate publishers, writers and readers to experience the various functions of the portal, with a view to promoting digital publishing and e-reading culture in Hong Kong.

The inauguration ceremony was officiated by Mr. Kevin YEUNG, GBS, JP, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the HKSAR. Other guests included the Honourable Kenneth FOK, JP, Member of the Legislative Council (Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication) of the HKSAR; Dr. Elvin LEE, President of the HKPF and Chairman of the Pub3.0 Organising Committee; Mr. Victor TSANG, Head of CreateHK; Ir. Dr. Alan LAM, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the LSCM joined Mr. Kevin YEUNG to witness the inauguration together with Dr. Sharon WONG, Executive Chairlady (Administration)  and Mr. Ponch POON, Executive Chairman (Information Technology) of the Pub3.0 Organising Committee. 

Mr. Kevin YEUNG remarked that Pub3.0 could attract more publishers and writers from the Mainland and overseas to collaborate with Hong Kong publishers to produce Chinese and English e-books as well as audiobooks in Cantonese, Putonghua and English.This would help develop Hong Kong into a regional centre for e-book and audiobook copyright trading, taking an important step forward for industralisation of Hong Kong’s creative art and culture. 

Dr. Elvin LEE said that Pub 3.0 signified a key milestone in e-book and audiobook publishing, creating rooms for local industry to further develop. He called upon Hong Kong publishers  to attach more importance and provide greater support to this scheme and work together to enhance the Hub.

When introducing the features of the Hub, Dr. Sharon WONG  announced the future plans for Pub3.0. Coming activities include a showcase of the Hub inside the “Hong Kong Pavilion” at Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany in October this year to foster copyright trading. In addition, Pub3.0 will be promoted in various local events, such as InnoCarnival, Learning & Teaching Expo and sharing sessions for local publishers and students, in order to arouse the interests from the trade and the wider community in local e-books and audiobooks.