Reading the future

Indeed, several titles released at the event are expected to sell well.

Ethnic Mongolian Gerileqimuge Heihe appeared in traditional Mongolian attire at his latest book series' launch, where he released three novels, five novellas and short-story collections, and five young readers' books - all part of his Heihe's Son of Nature series published by China Children's Press and Publishing Group.

Heihe raises large dogs on China's Hulunbuir's grasslands. He writes about animals and the prairies of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. His latest novel is about a rare dog breed, hunting and growing up.

A foreign title expected to make waves is the kids picture book If I Were A Book published in China by Zhejiang Juvenile and Children's Publishing House.

The book written by Jose Jorge Letria and illustrated by Andre Letria tells a story about being a book and books' role in society.

Another international release expected to do well is a translation of Serbian author Milorad Pavic's Last Love in Constantinople, which mixes Byzantine tarot cards with 22 chapters about two Serbian families from 1797-1813. Shanghai Translation Publishing House did the Chinese version.

Cao Yuanyong translated the book from English with cross-references to French, German and the original Serbian.

"This is a book that basically can't be finished. You can read it from beginning to end or obey the tarot - that is, to follow your 'fate', to read whichever chapter that's determined by the cards you pick - and you'll get new stories," Cao says.

Pavic is a sensation in China for his Dictionary of the Khazars, a novel written in the form of about 100,000 encylopedia words.

Its popularity perhaps - like the BBF itself - suggests that Chinese readers increasingly appreciate novel takes on novels - and other genres.