Chinese publishers greenlight adverts on covers

Chinese publishers have begun printing advertisements on book covers to generate extra income.

The book, "My Son, Yo-Yo" written by the mother of renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and released in March, was the first book to carry an advertisement, said Li Baozhong, deputy director of the Publishers' Association of China.

On the back cover, beneath a sentence describing the love between a mother and her children, is the logo of a well-known Chinese textile manufacturer.

Li's association signed a deal in 2011 with Jinghua Aobo, a Beijing-based advertising agency, to promote products and services on book covers.

Jinghua Aobo has signed agreements with more than 100 publishers across the country, and plans to place more book-cover ads. For every copy of a book with an advertisement sold, Jinghua Aobo pays the publisher the equivalent of a couple of cents.

An industry insider told the China Daily that some publishers have found it difficult to survive due to falling profits.

Initial guidelines for the adverts suggest they should be related to the theme of a book. Commercial enterprises can only display company logos and not products or prices.