You Yeong-Gwang (یو یونگگوانگ) is a Korean author who, after ten years of having his works rejected by publishers, achieved global fame with his debut novel titled 'Rain Market'. This book attracted the attention of international publishers before its release in South Korea and is now published in over 20 countries.
A Story from the Heart of Life
The novel 'Rain Market' tells the story of a mysterious store that only opens when it rains. In this store, visitors can exchange their deep despair for a ticket to a new destiny. The story revolves around Serin, a hopeless girl who enters this magical market and finds a warm and comforting atmosphere.
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You stated: "In fact, Serin's story is my story. For a long time, I also thought about how great it would be if I could sell my despair and buy happiness with it." While writing the book, he faced many personal challenges and bore the financial burden of his family due to his mother's illness.
A Difficult Path to Success
You initially intended to publish his book independently and made efforts to fund it through crowdfunding. However, after failing to raise the capital, he spent all his savings and eventually printed 200 copies of the book. After a month, he sold only five copies and considered giving up.
At this point, due to eye surgery that came with complications, he could not see well and worked at a call center. Nevertheless, he continued to write during this time, using a note-taking app during his commutes to work to advance his story.
With success in the latest crowdfunding campaign, his novel was published by the well-known Korean publishing company, Clayhouse, and in the first month of its release, 30,000 copies were sold in all formats.
You is currently present at the Frankfurt Book Fair and expresses surprise and happiness at his book's success: "I still can’t believe all this has happened and that I am here."
Korean literature is currently recognized as a new soft power, and despite social challenges, stories of comfort featuring tired characters in search of peace are rapidly expanding globally.
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