THE Bournemouth-based publisher behind the title How It Works has expanded to reach Chinese-speaking readers in Asia.

Imagine Publishing is bringing How It Works (HIW) to Taiwan, taking the number of countries in which it is published to 13.

It says 2.4m people worldwide have bought HIW to read online, on mobile devices or in print.

The company identified a demand for a title serving Taiwan’s middle class. Parents there spend 19 per cent of their household income on their children’s education – the most among the nations of the Asia-Pacific region.

Imagine intends to use Taiwan as a test bed from which to consider launching editions in mainland China and Asia.

Damian Butt, pictured, group managing director of the Richmond Hill-based publisher, said: “In the last five years we have seen a growing need amongst parents, both in the UK and abroad, to provide their children with additional educational stimulus; stimulus that meets the need for a child to be entertained as well as informed.

“Asian parents are particularly active in safeguarding their children’s academic potential. It has been reported that East Asian families are spending more and more of their disposable income on securing their children the best possible education, which is why I am extremely pleased to with this new Taiwanese licence and proud to see the cover of How It Works in Chinese.

“At the same time, translating the magazine into this dialogue creates the perfect springboard to future launch into mainland China.”

Mr Butt believes the surge in consumer demand is partly in response a drive for adult self-improvement and partly due to parents searching for an alternative to the internet.

He said: “Magazines like How It Works equip parents with the means to answer their own and their children’s questions without having to wade through pages of text or Google. We’ve noticed a growing parental concern that the internet is becoming increasingly unsafe for children and unreliable as a research tool.”

Imagine’s ‘knowledge’ portfolio also includes the titles All About History, All About Space, World of Animals and History of War.