Q: How did your career start?
A: I think many English literature majors might have had a similar experience. In 2001, my last year at university, I saw a campus poster put up by a publisher looking for a translator for an English-language book. I competed against seven candidates and finally got the job. It took more than a month of hard work and turned out to be a book of 200,000 characters but I made 12,000 yuan. That was big bucks for a student.
After finishing my bachelor's degree, I studied for a master's in mass communications. I chose to continue studying because I was not quite sure what I wanted to do. I kept translating books in my spare time and many of the books were by renowned overseas authors about life experiences and innovative thinking. I was thoroughly absorbed by them and began to realise that it is more rewarding to build a career doing something your heart desires rather than the simple pursuit of money.
In 2003, I went to Silicon Valley in the United States on an exchange programme. I roamed the area's book stores and admired antique volumes that had a refined appearance and witty illustrations. Their appeal was in their unique outlook and content. I didn't know if China had such attractive books in terms of both content and appearance.
It was not until then that I decided to do something related to books. Half a year later, I went back to Beijing.
What was your first job like?
I joined a domestic publishing house. My diligence and ability to communicate in English gave me an advantage and so my boss allowed me to participate in every part of the publishing process: selecting books, contacting foreign copyright owners, business negotiations, translation, design and packaging and market promotion. I earned between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan a month, but the work made me feel fulfilled. But the business was in the doldrums in 2004. Many colleagues resigned. I was feeling low too. I quit and spent three months not doing much. Then a Taiwan publisher with whom my former employer had a business relationship asked me if a particular book was worth introducing to Taiwan. I designed the volume and it sold pretty well in Taiwan. It was the first time that I had created a gold mine for a client. Months later, the Taiwanese publisher and I set up the Beijing Red Ants Literary Agency.
