Asian Publishers Week
Participant
Yang Yahui
Country : Taiwan
Company : Mirror Fiction
Job Title : Deputy Chief Editor
E-mail : yahuiyang@mirrorfiction.com
Work Experience in Publishing
I have over twenty years of experience in Taiwan’s publishing industry. In the earlier years of my career, I worked as a magazine editor, reporter, and columnist. In more recent years, I have become a senior book editor. Over time, I’ve also taken on various roles, including marketing and project planning, eventually becoming a well-rounded publishing professional. In particular, I have been dedicated in recent years to introducing outstanding authors from around the world, with the hope of broadening the minds and horizons of Taiwanese readers.
Current Projects
In recent years, I have continued to actively introduce outstanding literary authors from around the world ranging from Europe to America and Asia. Translating exceptional works of both novels and short stories has remained a central focus of my work. More recently, I have also dedicated myself to nurturing talented Taiwanese writers, with the hope of publishing their works in multiple international editions in the future. I joined Mirror Fiction this September. It is a publishing house that focuses more on outstanding Taiwanese literary creations, and it will be the focus of my future work.
AI and digital transformation have profoundly impacted the publishing industry in recent years, with many Taiwanese publishers undergoing transformations. This requires significant investment and costs, most notably in the creation of audio-visual channels , attempting to extend profits from core content. However, this is currently clearly still in the investment and marketing phase. Artificial intelligence is an indispensable tool in work, greatly assisting in areas requiring mental effort, such as administration and marketing. Even in basic translation work, it surpasses human capabilities in many areas, which deserves attention. However, excellent talent remains the core.
Experience with Asian Publishing Business
In recent years, we have actively participated in international copyright conferences such as the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Seoul Book Fair, primarily to introduce outstanding European and American literary works, as well as Korean literature. Many excellent European and American publishing houses and Japanese publishers also choose to hold business meetings in Taiwan. We believe these copyright exchange activities are extremely important, helping us to gain early insights into future publishing works and plans from various countries.
Experience Related to This Year’s Topic
The most basic tasks of an editor are handling translation and text processing, especially in international copyright matters where extensive correspondence is required. Artificial intelligence has been a significant help in these basic paperwork tasks. While the editorial process still requires professional expertise, artificial intelligence is almost equivalent to an all-around assistant. It also excels in project discussions and material preparation for marketing and promotion.
Most Taiwanese publishing houses are small in scale with limited manpower. Therefore, the biggest change brought about by AI is not layoffs, but that one person can accomplish the workload of two or three people in the past. In recent years, some publishers have publicly shared their applications of AI in editing, proofreading, and typesetting processes, hoping to allocate limited manpower to higher-value publishing work. Market observations also show that declining new book releases and manpower bottlenecks are prompting small and medium-sized publishers to actively adopt AI collaboration. The capabilities required of publishers in the future will gradually shift from “being able to create content” to “being able to manage AI-generated content.” I believe the most competitive individuals are those who can do things that AI cannot, such as accurately judging which books are worth publishing. They should be proficient in using AI to significantly improve editing, translation, and marketing efficiency. They should possess cross-language and cross-market capabilities, enabling them to introduce international works to Taiwan and promote Taiwanese content overseas.
Currently, the use of AI in the Taiwanese publishing industry is more prone to controversy. For example, oversights in social media image and content proofreading can have a significant negative impact on editorial work.
What would you like to discuss related to this year’s topic?
I am also very curious about the use of AI in the publishing industry around the world, including development trends, major risks, and key opportunities. The Taiwanese publishing industry is naturally eager to embrace technology and hopes to understand more case studies.
Connection to Korean Publishing
I’ve become quite familiar with several colleagues through the Seoul Book Fair and subsequent copyright transactions. I recently met with some excellent people from several publishing houses at the end of July, and I’d be happy to continue our contact. Including MUNHAKDONGNE PUBLISHING, WISDOM HOUSE, GIANTBOOKS, Changbi Publishers, JAEUM&MOEUM PUBLISHING, May Agency. We also hosted a promotional event for author Park Sang-young in Taiwan last year, which left us with wonderful memories.
We would love to meet again with publishers with whom we have established relationships, and we also hope to get to know more people in the field.
Your reasons for applying to Asian Publishers Week 2026.
This year’s theme ‘Publishing in the Era of AI’ is quite important and engaging. AI is an unstoppable trend, and how the publishing industry, as a core content provider, should use artificial intelligence to move forward together is a topic that Taiwanese publishers are constantly facing and discussing. I believe that the opportunity to understand and exchange ideas about the global publishing industry through this event will be helpful to all participants. I also thank the organizers for designing this topic and providing an opportunity for mutual exchange.
Your Company Profile Mirror Fiction
Company / Organization Name: Mirror Fiction
Address: 7F., No. 365, Sec. 1, Tiding Blvd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City 114066, Taiwan
Number of Employees: 300
Specialty / Area of Focus: Literature, fiction , non-fiction
Mirror Fiction, founded in April 2017, Mirror Literature is part of the Mirror Media Group, a Taiwan-based fiction and screenplay platform with an international perspective.
We continue to explore excellent fictional novels and scripts, foster talents who are interested in literary creation, and aim to develop the full copyright of authors, so that more authors’ works can be officially published, licensed, and adapted into movies and TV shows, video games, comics, and derivative peripheral products.
We hope that we can develop diversified “intellectual properties” and become the most unique trading platform for film, television and literary copyrights in the Chinesespeaking world, as well as injecting new water into Taiwan’s publishing and film and television industries. In recent years, the company has also developed a roster of outstanding Taiwanese authors and works in the non-fiction genre, while simultaneously initiating the introduction of global literary classics and non-fiction titles.