Press
Interview with Huang Yikun
1. What have you been busy with lately?
Building a business system based on Jianshu’s platform that serves writing. We currently provide services such as print publishing, and video adaptation mandates, and are now working on further developments with regards to paid reading, audio, writing courses and other services.
2. Please tell us about Jianshu. How does it differ from other online literary platforms?
Jianshu is the largest writing platform in China. When I say “largest”, this is primarily in terms of the number of writers, the number of articles produced, and the number of users. Jianshu is currently offering in-depth and valuable services to young writers. From a certain perspective, it is China’s Wattpad. Unlike traditional online literary platforms, the scope of the works of Jianshu’s authors is broader, and includes genre literature in the form of traditional online literature, as well as business, science and technology, education and other non-fiction content.
3. Who is Jianshu’s target group? What are the key features of the current user community?
Jianshu’s target group is young writers in China. At this time, users comprise young people with vast interests from across the country. They are very highly motivated and have a strong thirst for knowledge.
4. You have extensive practical experience in media and publishing. What do you think is media’s biggest crisis at this time? What are the publishing industry’s greatest crises?
There is no longer a need to consider crisis for traditional media. As an institution, it has already collapsed. The publishing industry’s greatest crises are that it is too far removed from the author, and lacks core competitiveness.
5. What are the key duties of Jianshu Copyright Center? What are your thoughts on overseas copyright?
Our key duties are to discover and nurture local authors, and help develop their work. Jianshu is the agent for the overseas copyright of all authors. We hope to promote China’s stories and China’s experience abroad.
6. What are your thoughts on the rapid rise of the audio market in recent years? Does it constitute competition to online literature?
Audio is a brand new form of media, but it is also a form of publishing. Mobile Internet has enriched the usage scenario of audio. The paid knowledge fervor has also resulted in rapid market growth. Audio could help cultivate the habit for reading literature. Therefore, product and business format while complementary, also compete with one another. That’s because they face the same constraint, i.e., users’ time.
Huang Yikun will be speaking at the StoryDrive conference in Beijing (28 May - 1 June 2018).
