“The rising costs of arranging lectures have reduced the profits from more than HK$10 million before the year 2005 to HK$1 million in 2006. But we will stick with it,” Cheung said.

More than 300,000 Chinese books are published each year, of which 250,000 are published on the mainland, 50,000 in Taiwan and only 10,000 in Hong Kong. However, Hong Kong has the advantage of being a convenient platform for book and copyright trading.

David Pechoux, a Spanish book exporter, attended the Hong Kong Book Fair last year and is looking forward to opening an office in Hong Kong.

“The timing is good. As the new school semester opens in September, I often see contracts piling up at the book fair,” he said.

In fact, about 90 percent of Hong Kong publishers will market their new books in July and take them to the book fair.

One in eight Hong Kong residents has been to the fair.

“There’s little room for growth here and we look to the inland for more visitors, especially those from the Pearl River Delta area,” Cheung said. The TDC launched a roadshow for the fair in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taipei in May this year as well as signing agreements with travel agencies in Guangdong and Taiwan to promote “tours to the HK Book Fair.” The lowest price for a package tour leaving the Pearl River Delta is only 98 yuan.

“The inland is no doubt our biggest market,” Cheung said. Last year, more than 7,000 mainlanders registered at the book fair. He thought the figure could have been larger, as some went along with friends in Hong Kong.

(Li Dan)

Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Hours:

July 23:10 a.m.-10 p.m.

July 24 and 25: 10 a.m.-12 midnight

July 26 and 27: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Jyly 28: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Morning admission ticket: HK$10 (For entry at or before 1 p.m.)

Adult ticket: HK$25