In a ceremony at the 2013 Beijing International Book Fair, Guinness World Records (GWR) and China’s Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing (FLTRP) signed an agreement for the publication of the 2014 Chinese-language edition of the Guinness World Records annual book. This marks the start of a series of GWR/FLTRP publishing, e-publishing and live event initiatives.
Alistair Richards, president of GWR, said, “FLTRP is a leader in China’s educational publishing market and, as a business and as an authority on record-breaking achievement, this is one of our most exciting new partnerships as we share FLTRP’s founding dedication to ‘recording human civilization and bridging different cultures’. I thank FLTRP president for encouraging our teams to explore and embrace synergies that go far beyond the traditional publishing model.”
FLTRP, said its president Cai Jianfeng, is proud to publish the official Chinese edition of the famous yearbook, which has been published for nearly 60 years. “In honor of this new partnership, FLTRP will attempt a Guinness World Records title for the "most people to write a story" as a part of our forthcoming Beijing Reading Season that runs from August 29 to September 7. The chance to feature in the book itself is an exciting proposition. Going forward, such nation-wide record attempt will be a key method in engaging with our market,” said Jianfeng.
FLTRP publishes in over 30 languages, with the majority of publications in English and an increasing number of works in Chinese. It has established relationships with over 100 overseas publishers and has licensed or copublished more than 3,000 titles. GWR, which has already transformed a lot of its content into educational products especially for ELT (English Language Teaching), will be exploring new educational materials with FLTRP.
This new partnership will be managed for GWR by its new wholly owned subsidiary in Beijing. Greater China president Rowan Simons estimates that the region will average nearly two official adjudications a week this year. “Greater China is one of the fastest growing record-breaking regions and hundreds more records will be eligible for inclusion in this edition as our Beijing team extends its research in Chinese.” This first deal is just one part of a long-term strategy that will see GWR introduce full Chinese-language products and services across its business lines.
The 2014 Chinese language edition of the yearbook, scheduled for launch ahead of the Lunar New Year in January, will contain a special section on records achieved by and in China. An app that enables readers to view 3D animations (and share photos taken with the animated characters through social media) will be launched sometime towards the end of September for the English edition and made available for the forthcoming Chinese edition. This digital element is part of GWR/FLTRP’s plan to get tech-savvy children interested in reading and enjoying print books.
