Understanding the SG Publishing Scene with Ms Christine Chong

On 17 September 2021, ReadNUS had the opportunity to interview Ms Christine Chong, an expert in the Singapore publishing scene. With over a decade of experience from academic to technological innovations, Christine shares with us her thoughts and advice regarding her career, Singapore’s publishing industry and landing a role in this competitive industry.

ReadNUS: Could you share your career journey with us and what you think the most interesting job was?

Christine Chong: I started as an editor at NUS Press for 5 years before moving to the National Arts Council (NAC) for around 2 and a half years. Around 2 years ago, I joined Tusitala as the head. I think that each job is interesting and has its own challenges. 

ReadNUS: I see that you have transitioned from an academic editor towards a more managerial role. Is there a reason why you decided to shift from a more writing and book centered position to a more human centered role?

Christine Chong: My ideal job was actually a fiction editor, so I had always wanted to work with more literary material. My time at NUS Press allowed me to interact with the NAC. I was familiar with NAC also since they were the ones who gave me the grant for the NYU overseas study and work attachment program. There wasn’t a specific plan, but conditions lined up and opportunity appeared, so it felt natural to move over. 

ReadNUS: Tusitala’s work of intersecting technology with art is something that is currently a niche in the Singapore publishing scene. Can you share about the specifics of your role in the company?

Christine Chong: The company started as an e-book company and then we ventured into developing some reading apps. The company itself is around 10 years old. As the demand for e-books and reading apps decreased, the company began to pivot. Now we do digital storytelling and online reading experiences, and other interactive media projects.  

I’m the head, so I make decisions about things such as what project we take on, pitching the projects, then work with the team – just 4 people – to deliver our services. [My job scope ranges] from meeting the stakeholders and even interviewing the interns. I also liaise and work with my colleagues internally because Tusitala is part of a bigger company called Potato Productions. There are many different teams in Potato Productions, so we explore collaborations together and meet potential customers together. 

ReadNUS: Are there any projects, in Tusitala or otherwise, that you are particularly proud of accomplishing? 

Christine Chong: I really like “local flavors” projects we conducted for the Singapore Heritage Festival 2021 which brings together food, poetry, and illustration. However, each project is unique. A lot of our learning is cumulative so many things that we can do for our latest project is due to what we learnt from our previous projects. We are also working on a mental health story that comes out next year so that would be an interesting way to expand our portfolio. 

ReadNUS: Having been in the publishing industry for approximately a decade, what is your favourite part of being in publishing?

Christine Chong: I think that my favorite part is working with the creatives and being able to shape content. I want to support them so that their ideas take the best form of expression and the best potential audience. As an editor, [it was] about editing the book well, seeing it make an impact, win awards, and help the author’s academic career. When I was at NAC, it was about supporting the different artists that we work with with different opportunities. At Tusitala, the creatives have the idea but may not have the team to produce it so we come in to support their artistic vision. I have always been interested in a “support role”. I am happy to support the brilliant and talented people I work with. 

ReadNUS: Is there something that you didn’t expect when you first entered the publishing industry?

Christine Chong: The need for highly developed social skills was something that I really didn’t expect. I didn’t anticipate that the social aspect of the job, such as managing people and hearing what people want, would be so important. When you think of an editor, perhaps an introvert hidden behind a computer pouring over a draft comes to mind. However, there are many other factors involved.  For example, you need to gain the author’s trust, understand their perspectives and deal with the public during book launches. The need for social skills was something that I really didn’t expect.  

ReadNUS: How did you gain confidence as a new editor?

Christine Cheong: I was lucky to receive a grant from the NAC to attend the NYU Summer Publishing Programme, which gave me some initial confidence. Then I also took up a three-day editing workshop organised by the Singapore Book Publishers Association. My bosses at my first company were also very supportive and truly helped me to find my footing when I first started. Maybe something that contributed was also the fact that I worked at a variety of different and random part-time jobs as a student, which made me quite adaptable.

ReadNUS:What are some trends that you observe currently and how do you think these would change in the future?

Christine Cheong: I’ve observed a move towards faster, more accessible forms of fiction such as the rise of the web novel in China, which is a trend that has led Chinese companies to try and replicate its success in the Singapore and Indonesian market as well.  I personally am not as fond of the fast-paced nature of such mediums, although I recognize the allure of such creations in our digitally driven world today. 

ReadNUS:What are some myths or stereotypes about your job or the industry that you want to dispel?

In this section, we included a set of questions pertaining to myths and stereotypes about the industry for Ms Chong to comment on. 

Do we need more diverse publishing houses in Singapore? 

Christine Cheong: We definitely need more Chinese, Malay and Tamil publishers in the Singapore scene. 

Are editors bad at interacting with others? 

Christine Chong: I once read a book about editing that said that “ an (acquisitions) editor should be able to talk about anything for 5 minutes, and nothing for 15 minutes” I think that this is a rather important skill for editors and a skill that most generalists need to have. A big part of working with people is connecting with others, and communicating with them effectively. 

Is publishing a boring job? 

Christine Chong: In publishing, there is a wide variety of roles to play, and each stage of the process has its own set of demands. For instance, if I were to be involved in the logistics management side of publishing, I would personally find it quite boring. However, it all boils down to personal fulfilment and enjoyment as well!

Is publishing a dying trade? 

Christine Chong: It is generally accepted that the traditional publishing house definitely needs to adapt to the technological disruption brought about in the 21st century, and cannot operate as it did in the past. However, the reality is that the number of job opportunities as a book editor are few, compared to faster moving media forms like social media, so opportunities to “move up the ladder” are also limited.

What about the typical stereotypes of Editors? 

Christening Chong: Most of them are quite true! I believe that Editors are generally quiet, honest, purpose driven and rather old-school. They also tend to be good at heart, are not very sales-y (which can be both good and bad) and truly care about their authors! 

ReadNUS:You mentioned that the SG publishing scene needs to change, In what ways do you think it should change to adapt to the demands of the future? 

Christine Chong: I think change is necessary for most people and most industries. 

Definitely in terms of technology, exploring ebooks and other business models is something that has become necessary, and has been occurring (perhaps it should be happening at a faster rate). 

Then again, I believe that most traditional industries have had to adapt to technological changes after being given a metaphorical “kick in the behind” by technological disruption. 

Even large US publishing houses have struggled to adapt, even after hiring “innovation experts” to help them. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a blanket, prescriptive solution to the issue, it is up to each sector and publishing house to adapt to the changes in the industry. 

ReadNUS:What do you hope for the future of the publishing scene? What can we (singaporeans/students) do to move towards that?

Christine Chong: Personally, I don’t need to be acknowledged for my work. In general, creatives also tend to go under acknowledged here in Singapore. At an individual level, that’s fine, but at a cultural level, if we don’t value these things, then what does this reflect about our society? I’m not sure. 

I do think that publishers in Singapore do also have to push for their work to be better appreciated by society. Without the support of the public and acknowledgement by society, no matter how much effort and resources are pumped into the industry, it will not be able to survive. It would also definitely help if people spent more money on books!

As students, perhaps one should reflect on what would happen from a systemic point of view if the publishing industry dies out. What implications would that have on our cultural landscape?

About Ms Christine Chong:

Christine Chong is the Publisher at Tusitala Books, a digital storytelling studio that reimagines the future of reading, and previously worked in academic publishing and arts management. She graduated with a BA and MA in English Literature from the National University of Singapore, and was part of the University Scholars Programme. As part of her professional development, she received a Certificate in Editing from the Graham School at the University of Chicago, and attended the Summer Publishing Institute at New York University. She is currently in the executive committee of the Singapore Book Publishers Association, and volunteers as an editor for an online mental health publication.

On behalf of ReadNUS, Aishah and Elizabeth would like to thank Ms Chong for taking the time to answer our questions, giving all our readers greater insights into the publishing industry in Singapore.