By Kang Hyun-kyung

Bae Su-hyun, the founder of the independent publisher Round Ground based in Gyeonggi Province, has signed publishing contracts for "Finger Play," a picture book for children, with French, Chinese and Taiwanese publishers.

Another deal is underway between Round Ground and Penguin Random House of Spain and, according to her, the two sides are expected to ink a contract very soon.

Bae, also the author of "Finger Play," expects more publishing contracts with other foreign publishers will come in the years to come as several others have expressed their intent to sign contracts with her publishing house.

For Bae, her book gaining international attention is more than luck.

"Finger Play," which shows various shapes and emotions through finger play with play stickers to recreate emotions or shapes in vivid graphic and short texts, is the brainchild of her years-long effort to publish a children's book.

She first conceived the idea of creating content for children in 2012 when she worked as a brand designer for the childcare center Space. Kids, surrounded with the breathtaking landscape of Jeju Island.

Bae, now 35, had gone to the southern scenic island on week-long business trips once or twice per month for two years for the project. There, she spent most of her time by herself. While in solitude, Bae was able to immerse herself into the natural wonders of the scenic island.

"One day I saw a tree shaken as the wind was blowing. The scene just reminded me of a tree smiling and saying hello to me," she said. "I drew what I saw as I was thinking of publishing children's books."

After her Jeju project ended, Bae was determined to found a publishing startup to release her children's books. After "Finger Play" was published in 2017, another picture book, "Face Play," was released this year.

At home, she said her books are steady sellers. "It was not like an overnight success but since the first book was published, demand for "Finger Play" has been consistent," she said.

But overseas publishers' reactions to her book have been enthusiastic since it was showcased at the 2017 Bologna Children's Book Fair.

There, "Finger Play" drew attention from some European publishers, including Penguin Random House of Spain. Bae first signed a publishing contract with Eastern Publishing of Taiwan months after the release of the book, which was followed by contracts with French publishing house Gallimad Jeunesse and Beijing Publishing Group of China.

Bae said the flurry of contracts and growing interest from overseas publishers are very encouraging.

"I heard that it usually takes at least three years or so for a book to gain attention from overseas publishers and get a publishing contract signed," she said. "But for Finger Play, the entire process took only a year or so."

Her two books won the bronze award at the Junior Design Awards 2018 in Best Designed/Illustrated Book for Children presented by Junior Magazine.

Michelle Kennedy, one of the selection committee members, commented she "hasn't seen anything like this, always want to find fun creative play."

Asked about the secret to the popularity of her book, Bae said "Finger Play" is easy to follow and sparks children's imaginations.

"The book cherishes values such as family and diversity as it features people with various skin colors. I tried to embrace diversity in the book and I think racial diversity also seems to help my book appeal to overseas publishers," she said.