- Chinese Name: 郭重興
- Born: 1950
- Birthplace: Taipei City (Northern Taiwan)
- Did You Know That …?
- Kuo once explained that "Civilizations” by British author Felipe Fernandez-Armesto has enlightened him in his company's management. The book inspired him to view and discover an employee's potential from a new perspective.
Kuo Chung-hsing is a senior publisher who founded the Book Republic Publishing Group (讀書共和國出版集團). Over the decades, he has fostered a new generation of editors and published outstanding original works from Taiwan. Kuo's role as a driving force behind Taiwan's publishing industry has garnered him special recognition from the 41st Golden Tripod Awards for Publications.
Kuo started his career in the publishing industry in 1986 with Newton Publisher. After working as a research editor for six years, Kuo founded the Owl Publisher. Five years later, Kuo's Owl Publisher joined other publishers such as the Rye Field Publishing Co. to form the Cite Publishing Ltd., which has expanded to become one of the largest publishers in Taiwan today.
Early on during his career, Kuo had repeatedly asked himself what the role of a publisher entails and how to achieve a publisher's ideals. He came to realize that a publisher should cultivate talented editors and allow them to develop and practice new ideas.
In 2002, he founded the Book Republic Publishing Group, which allows editors to act and develop independently while cooperating and sharing ideas with others to create a better environment within the company and boost the number of quality books published.
Since its establishment, the Book Republic has gradually expanded to having 39 publishing teams and one magazine company today. Instead of hiring senior editors, Kuo provides training for young and ambitious editors to discover their talents, allowing them to develop their own style, direction, and character in terms of book selection.
Under Kuo's leadership, the Book Republic publishes more than 800 quality books every year, encompassing literature and fiction, history, geography, science, business and management, arts, lifestyle, parenting, children's books, and health .
Kuo believes that it's important to recruit young talents to bridge the age gap between young readers and senior editors. His approach also helps to discover new authors and achieve better communication with readers.
In addition, Kuo has established a new publishing team this year to create a magazine focusing on the culture and literature of Southeast Asia. It is his hope that Taiwanese readers will pay more attention and gain a deeper understanding of Southeast Asia.
After dedicating over three decades to enhancing the publishing industry in Taiwan, Kuo is confident that the Book Republic's editor-in-chiefs will now cultivate their own teams that will continue to polish the editing and publishing finesse of Taiwan.