Disruptive innovation in the Chinese ebook industry

In this chapter, I will review disruptive innovation in the ebook industry and their cultural impacts in both the production and consumption sides of publishing in China. I will explore the complex interplay between disruptive innovation and contextual factors through examining three case studies in the ebook field: Qidian (Qidian zhongwen wang 起点中文 网; Starting point) the literary self-publishing site,1 China Mobile Reading Base (Zhongguo yidong yuedu jidi 中国移动阅读基地), the ebook distributor for mobile phone reading, and Duokan (Duokan yuedu 多看阅读), an ebook startup with user-oriented and user-driven innovation. They are conducting ebook business differently from traditional publishers as well as from many ebook vendors. Their innovative praxis and challenges could be viewed as a snapshot of the digital transformations occurring in the Chinese publishing system, which reflect the key contextual factors that shape the innovators there.