Talking Taiwan: Michael Cannings of Camphor Press: Publisher Rescues Notable Books About Taiwan and East Asia

February 10, 2022 Felicia Lin

Michael Cannings is the Publisher at Camphor Press, a British-Taiwanese publishing house focused on notable books about Taiwan and East Asia, that he co-founded with John Grant Ross and Mark Swofford, in 2014. Profit was not the motive for setting up Camphor Press, but promoting books, especially those about Taiwan was. Michael spoke with me about how they weathered the challenging, early years of Camphor Press, and shared some insights about the publishing industry. Camphor Press has been responsible for rescuing notable books such as Formosa Betrayed and A Pail of Oysters– among the must-read books for those wishing to understand Taiwan.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

What brought Michael to Taiwan
Michael’s time in Taiwan
How Michael met is Camphor Press co-founders
What motivated him personally to start Camphor Press and why he saw the need for a publishing company that focused on books about Taiwan
How he witnessed the re-election of Chen Shui-bian as President of Taiwan and the Sunflower Movement during the time he lived in Taiwan
The Red Shirts Movement after the re-election of Chen Shui-bian in 2006
The book that led to the idea to start a publishing company
How they choose the name of the publishing company
Michael’s co-founders John Grant Ross, Mark Swofford and how they work together
Advice on how to work with your friends on a business
The initial challenges after setting up Camphor Press in 2014
How Michael has been working on Camphor Press full-time since the beginning of the pandemic
How the pandemic has affected Camphor Press
How Camphor went from publishing e-books to also publishing print books
How Camphor Press acquiredEastBridge Books and the rights to several previously out-of-print books about Taiwan including Formosa Betrayed
The oldest book in Camphor Press’ catalog
How Michael and his co-founders were able to persist with Camphor Press during the most challenging first years
Michael’s book recommendations for people interested in learning more about Taiwan
Joe Henley’s book Migrante
The new Taiwan-related books that Camphor Press will be publishing
Discount code: talktw for Talking Taiwan listeners to get 15% off any online purchase from Camphor Press: https://camphorpress.com/
Tin Gate, the hybrid publishing company that Michael is starting and how it is different from Camphor Press
Michael’s advice for authors wanting to get their books published
The changing stigma of self-published books
The podcast Formosa Files that John Ross co-hosts with Eryk Michael Smith
Mark Swofford’s website: http://pinyin.info/and his work with the Sino-Platonic Papers

LISTEN to Episode 169: Michael Cannings of Camphor Press: Publisher Rescues Notable Books About Taiwan and East Asia HERE

LISTEN to Talking Taiwan on your preferred podcasting platform!

Apple Podcasts: Click HERE to Listen

Audible: Click HERE to Listen

Spotify: Click HERE to Listen

Stitcher: Click HERE to Listen

Google Podcasts: Click HERE to Listen

iHeartRADIO: Click HERE to Listen

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

LISTEN to Episode 169: Michael Cannings of Camphor Press: Publisher Rescues Notable Books About Taiwan and East Asia HERE