The "hip Buddhism" trend is spreading to the publishing market. Interest in Buddhism has grown ahead of Buddha's Birthday on May 24, driving up sales of related books.
According to online bookstore Yes24 on Tuesday, sales of Buddhism-related books rose 21% year-on-year through May 14. Sales of introductory books on Buddhism surged 264% over the same period. "Living by the Buddha's Words," this year's top-selling Buddhist title, also ranked first in the self-help category. "Tak! A Conversation of Enlightenment," a book based on Venerable Pomnyun Sunim's impromptu Q&A sessions, also made the bestseller list.
The popularity of Buddhist books is extending to cookbooks. As temple food masters such as Venerable Seonjae and Venerable Jeongkwan have drawn attention, sales of temple food cookbooks have soared 801% year-on-year so far this year. "220 Natural Flavors: Venerable Seonjae's Temple Food" took the top spot in temple food book sales this year.
Interest in Buddhist-themed works also continues in the fiction category. Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha," published by Minumsa, has posted steady sales growth for three consecutive years, with this year's sales rising 138% year-on-year. Buyers in their 20s and 30s accounted for 40% of purchases, nearly double the 21% recorded in 2016.
Yes24 plans to roll out various events and special promotions to mark Buddha's Birthday.
