Newsletter No. 380

12 No. 380, 19.6.2011 甘琦女士 中文大學出版社社長 Ms. Gan Qi Director of The Chinese University Press 1 民營純人文學術書店、策劃暢銷書、發行圖書─以 往的經驗跟中大出版社的工作有何相關？ How have your past experiences as a bookshop owner, acquisition editor and book distributor helped you in your work at the Chinese University Press (CUP)? 今年剛好是我入行書業的第二十個年頭。第一個十年一直在 創業，從圖書零售、到發行、到出版，仗着年輕，一路把書業的 上中下游走了個全程。第二個十年除了讀書，主要是做管理， 從綜合傳媒集團的出版管理、到獨立出版社的管理，人也從北 京搬到紐約，又搬來香港。每段職業經歷都是挑戰，例如從中 文出版業跳到英文出版業，那真是刺激的挑戰。也有令人沮喪 的挑戰，例如在集團公司管理商業出版。出版本是「愛智慧」 的行業，一旦變成「愛利潤」的行業，意思就沒有了。我於是確 定了獨立出版的生涯選擇。好在這個決定早在來中大出版社 之前，否則到了香港，看到這麼小的圖書市場，豈不絕望？ This year marks the 20th anniversary of my career in the book industry. During the first 10 years when I was young, I ran my own business. From retailing, distributing to publishing, I gained experience in different sectors of the industry. During the second 10 years, I mainly worked as a manager, from managing the publication arm of a media conglomerate to managing an independent publisher. I moved from Beijing to New York and then Hong Kong. Every position was a challenge. There were exciting challenges, such as moving from Chinese-language publishing to English-language publishing. And there were frustrating ones, such as working in commercial publishing for a conglomerate. The book industry should be the one devoted to the pursuit of wisdom. It’s meaningless when it is dedicated to the pursuit of profit. So, I determined to make a career in independent publishing. It’s good that I made this decision before I came to Hong Kong to join the CUP. Otherwise, I might have been disheartened by the small market here. 2 中文大學出版社由你出掌之後，風格跟以前有甚麽 分別？ How is the CUP under your directorship different from its past? 中大出版社立社宗旨不變—「弘揚中西文化，傳播古今知 識」，即在「東西古今」四個板塊中游走。建社三四十年間，世 界雖然發生劇變，這一框架並未發生結構性變化。 近年來出版社在人才戰略上最下功夫。出版業屬創意產業， 對人才的要求遠遠高於一般行業。遺憾學術出版人才儲備極 端匱乏。編輯部要能跟學術界進行有機的對話，但學術人才一 般首選教職。學術編輯須具備的素質往往更為複雜，待遇卻 普遍偏低。雖有種種不利因素，但我們相信出版業的魅力，相 信中大出版社能令我們吸引到「愛智慧」的同道。 For the past 30 to 40 years, the CUP has stayed true to its missions of advancing, conserving and disseminating knowledge, as well as promoting scholastic interchange between the Chinese and other cultures. In recent years, the CUP has put in a great deal of effort to recruit talent. The publishing industry belongs to the creative industry, to which talented employees are the single most decisive factor for success. It’s a shame that there is a dearth of talent in academic publishing. We need editors with their finger on the pulse of academia. But academics tend to look for teaching jobs. Good academic editors should possess more sophisticated qualities than teachers, yet they are lowly paid. Despite these adverse factors, we believe in the charm of the publishing industry and believe that the CUP can attract people who are in pursuit of wisdom. 3 可以講一下出版社團隊近年的變化嗎？ What changes have the CUP undergone in terms of its staff composition? 市場部和製作部發展穩健，並支撐了編輯部改組，在出版社 整體人才轉型中功不可沒。目前出版社已擁有人才多樣化的 編輯部，文化更具創造力和包容性。編輯部第一次有了美國同 事。現任編輯部主任林穎博士放棄助理教授職位、成功轉行， 更是傳為香港出版界佳話。 With the support of stable marketing and production teams, we’ve successfully revamped our editorial team, which now comprises members with different expertise and backgrounds. This diversity contributes to our creativity and cultural inclusiveness. For the first time, our editorial team has a member from the US. Our current managing editor Dr. Lin Ying gave up her job as an assistant professor to join us. This is the envy of many publishing houses. 4 大學出版社怎樣看商業跟學術的平衡？ Howdoes the CUP balance profit with scholarship? 理念上無可妥協，大學出版社就是應該追求知識的原創性和 觀念的先導性，在出版生態中不被市場左右。大學制度支持 它，讓它可以扮演這個角色。但弔詭的現象是，在大學制度長 期餵養之後，這類出版社容易自廢武功，經營活力很難與商業 出版社較量。這是為甚麼八九十年代，不少大學出版社出現 危機，一度面臨關門的威脅。 中大出版社的狀態相對合理，大學補貼一部分，另一部分靠自 負盈虧，有商業壓力，又沒有壓到向市場投降的地步，但也沒 有舒服到可以不考慮市場壓力。 A university press should focus on publishing works that are intellectually pioneering and have high-quality content. It shouldn’t allow itself to be swayed by the market. With a university at its back, it can play this role well. What is ironic is that a university press would easily lose its ability to compete with its commercial counterparts because of financial support from its university. In the 1980s and 1990s, many university presses were faced with crises and on the brink of folding. The funding model of the CUP is relatively sensible. Half of its budget comes from the University and the other half is self-funded. Market pressure is something we can’t afford to ignore, but it’s not so big that we have to totally bow to it. 5 有明知虧本還是要做的生意嗎? Have you carried out any publishing projects that stand to make losses? 太多了！常常是賠錢比賺錢還有成就感。去年出版的《新定九 宮大成南北詞宮譜譯註》，全世界才五百套。作者王正來先生 在艱苦年代，默默整理修輯，做完就去世了。那手稿是他一筆 一畫寫成，保存了好幾百年的文化資訊。 Numerous! Usually, unprofitable projects give me a bigger sense of accomplishment than profitable ones. One example is An Anthology of Annotated North and South Ci Music in Nine Modes: A Critical Edition with Commentary we published last year. We only published 500 sets. Its author Mr. Wang Zhenglai passed away after painstakingly penning the manuscripts. The tome contains a culture of several hundred years. 6 當社長接近四年，有哪些覺得比較得意的項目？ Are there any projects that you are especially proud of during these few years as director of the CUP? 我這個人是做甚麼自己都不滿意的。但我以我的團隊為榮：做 編輯的比我有學問，做市場的比我會賣書，做設計的書做得 比我期待的漂亮，還是很滿足。 I’m the kind of person who likes to find fault with what I do. What I’m most proud of is my team—the editors who are more knowledgeable than I am, the marketers who can sell more than I do, and the production team who produce better book designs than I expect. 7 出版社在7月的香港書展將有何參與？ What will the CUP present in the coming book fair in July? 出版社一直參加香港書展。作為大學出版品的分銷門戶，我們 不只發行出版社的出版品，大學各機構的出版品基本都由我 們代理，甚至有些教授在其他出版社出版的著作，我們也代 為展示。今年我們多預訂了攤位，共有八個，以期展出更多大 學機構的出版品。有需要的同事，歡迎與我們聯絡。 The CUP has always taken part in the Hong Kong Book Fair. As a publication arm of the University, we not only distribute our own publications, but also act as an agent for other CUHK units and display works published elsewhere by some of our professors. This year we will have eight booths at the book fair to display as many books by CUHK units as possible. We welcome colleagues from other units to contact us if they need help in this regard. 8 你有裝幀書本的興趣，現在還有做這個玩藝兒嗎？ 究竟樂趣在哪？ Do you still do bookbinding? How do you enjoy it? 沒有時間了，這可是香港呢！裝訂書本講的是手工時代的樂 趣，當代生活的工具性太強了，人被專業分割，單向度化。做手 工的時候你會感到身體、四肢、頭腦、神經是整體地活着，會 享受到活着的完整質感。 I don’t have time for it anymore. It’s Hong Kong, remember? Bookbinding belongs to a time when craftsmanship mattered. The life of modern people is professionally compartmentalized and becomes one-dimensional. When practising crafts, you feel that your body, limbs, mind, and nerves work as a whole and enjoy the completeness of life. 9 最近在看甚麽書─認真的和消閒的？ What books have you read recently? 哈佛大學出版社今年9月將出版 Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China ，是美國當代重要的中國問題專家 傅高義用八年寫成的研究性傳記，哈佛編輯剛傳來編輯版 本，我忍不住先睹為快。中大出版社將在11月出版簡繁體中譯 本。消閒的書有時會看書法，看帖，比如弘一法師的手跡，既 享受，又能得到領悟，像他說：「處逆境心須用開拓法，處順 境心須用收斂法。」 This September, the Harvard University Press is going to publish Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China by Ezra F. Vogel, a leading China expert in contemporary America. It took him eight years to finish this biography. The CUP will publish its Chinese version in November. Harvard’s editor has just sent us the proofs. I couldn’t resist the temptation to read them first. I also enjoy reading calligraphy works, such as the ones by the Venerable Hong Yi. They’re both enjoyable and enlightening to read. For example, he said, ‘Aim high when in adversity, rein yourself in when in prosperity.’ 10 中大出版社的假想敵是甚麽？ What is the CUP’s biggest opponent? 是自己。 Ourselves.