With the influx of foreign movies and video games imported from Western markets into China, foreign media consumption in China is at an all-time high. With that in mind, more and more foreign authors are exporting their works to cater to a Chinese audience.

However, as with a lot of content in China, there are many subjects that Chinese authorities consider too taboo or contrarian to release into the public market. Yibada says that in order to release their books into China, they most often deal with a myriad of censors that publishers put in place to make the books fit for approval for the authorities. 

According to the National Copyright Administration in China, the amount of foreign books in China has been increasing, with over 16,000 books imported to the country in 2013. However, certain authors have found it difficult to cope with the authorities strict regulations regarding political and social content.

Books released in China are often translated into Chinese by their publishers. For most Chinese audiences who do not have a full grasp of the English language, waiting for the full translation from local publishers is the only way to have access to the content.

As more foreign books find their way into China, authors react to the censors put in place by mainland Chinese publishers differently.

The book "Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China" written by Evan Osnos was not published in mainland China after publishers edited out portions of the book that involved activist activity in the country. In the New York Times, he remarked that the way that the book was edited portrayed China in a completely different way than he intended.

However, not all authors find that much fault in the changes that are being asked. Many remark that, even with a few amounts of content in their books removed, the fact that works that have informative and ideologically diverse content are being released there, even with some parts taken out, are healthy for the country and its citizens.

Ezra Vogel, who wrote "Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China" had his book published in China in 2013. He says that the publisher, Sanlian Publishing House, did a good job at editing certain items which the authorities may deem to be taboo while retaining the fundamental idea of the text. The released version was able to explore multiple issues in the country - without triggering action from authorities.