Popularity of film, TV adaptations lead to surging book sales

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Lifestyle

Tue, October 3, 2023 | 05:28

Books

Popularity of film, TV adaptations lead to surging book sales

Posted : 2022-08-03 15:21

Updated : 2022-08-04 16:03

A scene from director Park Chan-wook's romance-mystery film "Decision to Leave" / Courtesy of CJ ENM

Script books of film "Decision to Leave" and series "Our Blues" top sales

By Lee Gyu-lee

Films and TV series that became hits are also taking the publishing industry by storm, leading to a surge in sales of related publications including script books and original novels.

The screenplay of the romance mystery film "Decision to Leave" has topped the bestsellers' list for two consecutive weeks on YES24, one of the country's leading online bookstores, even before its scheduled release on Aug. 5.

Director Park Chan-wook's latest film, which won him Best Director at this year's Cannes Film Festival, hit local theaters on June 29. The film kept steady ticket sales four weeks into its release, despite a blockbuster-packed box office with several new releases. It has racked up about 1.71 million ticket sales, grossing 17.66 billion won ($13.5 million).

The director's screenplay book, expected to give readers a more in-depth look into the film, kicked off pre-sales on July 17 and notched the top spot on the overall bestseller list on the platform in just one day.

A poster of tvN series "Our Blues" / Courtesy of tvN

The script book for tvN's recent star-studded series "Our Blues" has also been flying off the shelves since it was published on July 14. The two-part book, which offers an unedited version of the series and actors' action lines, topped the sales in the art and literature category at Kyobo Book Centre, the country's biggest bookstore chain, a week after its release.

The drama series, scripted by star writer Noh Hee-kyung who wrote the 2016 series "Dear My Friends," follows a group of people in a seaside town on Jeju Island going through ups and downs in their lives.

The series garnered popularity with its A-list stars, like Lee Byung-hun, Kim Hye-ja, Shin Min-a and Han Ji-min, and its heartfelt stories featuring different characters. It ended with a 14.6 percent viewership rating in June.

The original books these series are adapted from are also seeing huge sales following the success of the adaptations.

Author Min Jin Lee's novel "Pachinko," which was made into an Apple TV+ series, became the best-selling book in two of the major bookstores, Kyobo and Aladin, soon after its pre-sales started on July 11.

The eight-part series of the same name was released this March and generated buzz from global audiences with its compelling story, delivered through veteran actress Yoon Yuh-jung's magnetic performance and cinematic, subtle compositions of scenes.

Soon after the series' release in March, the original novel became the best-selling book in Korea about four years after the Korean edition was published. However, sales were put on hold when a local publishing company failed to renew the contract for the book. Another publisher won the contract for a new translation of the two-part book about three months later, publishing each book on July 27 and Aug. 2.

A scene from the Coupang Play series "Anna," left, and the cover of the original novel, "Intimate Stranger" / Courtesy of Coupang Play, YES24

Coupang Play's recent original series "Anna" has also been boosting sales of its source material, the novel "Intimate Stranger" by author Chung Han-ah, which was published in 2017.

The novel's sales surged 649 percent in July compared to the previous month, according to YES24, and made it on Kyobo Book Centre's top 10 best-sellers list soon after the series' premiere on June 24.

The six-part series revolves around a woman named Yu-mi (Bae Suzy). Dissatisfied with her life, she begins living in a series of lies as Anna, which eventually drags her into a pit of misery. The series has topped the streaming platform's most-watched list for three consecutive weeks.

gyulee@koreatimes.co.kr