A Research of Consuming behavior of Picture Books for Adults in Taiwan

• Main Author: 陳詠絮
• Other Authors: Bin I
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/28329945792626361043

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 設計研究所 === 95 === Art has inherent commercial value. However, this value can only be realized with proper marketing and promotion. Without these elements, the art in question just becomes a designer commodity in fancy packaging. Recently, “culture creative” industries have witnessed increasing market demand, while the varieties and complexity of these industries, has continued to grow. For the time being, we should attempt to not focus on a particular product’s value, but rather, discern it’s market appeal, and find out how to best exploit that angle. (best find new business opportunities). For this research, the research adopted to use adult picture books as a case study, with an aim to find out what’s hot, and what the current market trends are. The research will seek to answer three topic questions; 1. what are the differences between adults’ and children’s picture books, 2. find out what are the current and future problems confronting the adult picture book market, and 3. what are consumers expecting from adult picture books.The results from the research are as follows： 1. The formatting and word size of the adult picture books was smaller than that of the children’s books. As well, phonetic notation was not used in the adults’ books. 2. Regarding content, there were many emotional themes that are generally considered to be out of children’s understanding, or beyond their maturity level; such as love, loneliness, isolation, hopelessness in the face of reality, etc… This went so far as even the inclusion of the author’s personal point of view. 3. Picture arrangement. It seems highly likely that the author also plays the role of illustrator in Taiwanese adult picture books. Therefore, expression via imagery is very prevalent, telling not only the story, but also symbolizing abstract concepts well out of the average child’s scope. Problems with adult picture books in Taiwan： 1. There is still no standardized sales model for adult picture books in Taiwan, and additionally, there is no relation between expenditure and selling price. 2. Absence of creator and creations： the adult picture book industry is considered a “sunrise” industry in Taiwan, with lots of room for potential growth. Without a healthy influx of creators and creation, whether the market can grow remains to be seen. 3. Subjectivity and ego are readily apparent in the books written for adults, full of abstract philosophy and personal attitudes to life. Also lacking in the adult books, is a clear relationship between the pictures and the content, giving one a sense of incompleteness. This is in marked contrast to the broad manner, yet much more clear-cut tone of the books written for children. 4. The style of adults’ books in Taiwan, always focuses on sweet stories, fairy tales, and comic book themes. Obviously, this market is not very diverse. 5. Professionalism is also lacking in the quality of adult picture books in Taiwan. This is because many of the main writers of the these books have backgrounds in advertisement or graphic art. Ultimately, this adversely affects the development of the publishing industry in Taiwan. Expectations from adult picture books： Research shows： 1. buyers of adult picture books can be classified as; those adults that are likely to buy and those that have already bought. Both of these fall into the impulse buyer category. 2. The majority of these readers were also very likely to buy anything the market had to offer, regardless of price, if the quality could pique their interest. 3. Most readers were also not likely to reject picture books out of hand, but expressed that they themselves knew very little about this market. Therefore. It is evident that the market for adult picture books is ripe for capitalization.Recently, the picture book industry has grown at an astonishing rate.Still, the children’s sector dominates this market. Thus, I suggest the following：1. Give newcomers to the industry greater opportunity to develop further the rest of this promising market. 2. Hold more exhibitions promoting adult picture books. 3. Provide more and better training. 4. Improve and strengthen adult picture book marketing.