Chaos in the book market at the beginning of the new school year
(Baonghean) - On the eve of the new school year, the demand for textbooks and reference books has increased dramatically. This is also the time when private bookstores can easily mix in books of unknown origin, pirated, poor quality, "puzzling" consumers.
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With two children about to enter grades 4 and 1, Ms. Huyen (Quan Bau ward, Vinh city) looked to buy some books to supplement the missing books for her children at a bookstore on Le Duan street. But when she got home to review the books, she noticed that the book Learning Fine Arts for Grade 1 had printing errors on the cover, the images were not sharp, she was not satisfied so she looked to buy this book again at a product distribution facility of the Education Publishing House.
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| Two Fine Arts 1 books bought by Ms. Huyen (Quan Bau Ward, Vinh City) from two different bookstores have different sizes, cover colors... Photo: Nguyet Minh |
Ms. Huyen said: “When comparing two first grade art books I bought at a bookstore on Le Duan Street and another address, I found some differences; the cover color is darker, the size is about 1/4 cm larger, there are some spelling mistakes, the photo color is darker and some places are not sharp. Otherwise, the two books are basically the same, both have labels, so I really can't tell which is the standard version.”
If only looking at the surface, it is very difficult for buyers to distinguish between genuine and pirated books. Because nowadays, the technology of counterfeiting and pirated books is very sophisticated. Meanwhile, most book publishers do not have any distinctive signs to identify genuine books, making consumers confused.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Truong Thi Ward shared: “In addition to textbooks, there are many reference books on the market, from many different publishers. Besides books from the Education Publishing House with anti-counterfeit stamps, it is easy to recognize, but other publishers are very difficult to identify.”
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| Demand for textbooks and reference books has increased dramatically ahead of the new school year. Photo: Nguyet Minh |
There is still a situation in the market where real books and books of unknown origin are sold mixed together in private bookstores. According to Mr. Chinh, Manager of a bookstore on Nguyen Phong Sac Street, Vinh City, because some books are expensive but the publishers give low discounts, some small bookstores have illegally printed books. Most readers find it difficult to distinguish between real and pirated books, but sellers often identify them by their senses. Pirated books often have unclear text, blurred colors, and poor quality paper...
According to a survey, pirated and counterfeit books from reputable publishers are sold widely in districts and towns and are often sold at prices lower than the cover price and are chosen by many people.
Difficult to distinguish between real and fake
The market is still in a chaotic state between genuine books, books of unknown origin, and pirated books, while the difficulty in identifying them not only makes it difficult for consumers but also for authorities.
From May to September 2018, the provincial anti-piracy interdisciplinary team, with the Department of Information and Communications as the permanent unit, inspected 31 bookstores in 10 districts (Vinh City, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, Quynh Luu, Hoang Mai, Tan Ky, Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Quy Hop, Thai Hoa Town). Thereby, the team handled 9 establishments with a total administrative fine of 27 million VND; confiscated 356 publications, mainly English books.
According to Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Chief Inspector of Nghe An Department of Information and Communications, in the recent inspection, the number of fines this year was higher than in previous years. The main faults of bookstore owners were storing and distributing publications without invoices and documents, and not being able to prove their origin. In reality, it is very difficult to identify signs of pirated and fake books because, apart from books from the Education Publishing House with anti-counterfeit stamps, other publishers do not have any specific identifying signs.
The chaotic book market and the difficulty in identifying pirated and fake books not only affect the rights of authors and publishers, causing loss of state budget revenue, but also directly affect the quality of teaching and learning. When the quality of illegal books is not tested and guaranteed…
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| The Market Management Department inspects a bookstore on Nguyen Van Cu Street, Vinh City. Photo: Quang An |
Although every year, the Interdisciplinary Team for Anti-Illegal Printing and the Provincial Department of Information and Communications organize training courses for publishing and distribution units, and at the same time increase inspections and checks.
However, in reality, management and inspection work has only done the "tip" of the problem and it is very difficult to solve the root cause because it is difficult to identify pirated books and the printers and publishers are not located in the management area.
Therefore, consumers should choose reputable companies and book agents to buy in order to minimize the risk of buying books that do not guarantee quality, affecting the health and learning quality of their children.