Sunmark Publishing Rights Highlights
and NEWS Mail--October 2019 Issue
Hello, I’m Shizue, a member of the Rights team at Sunmark.
Recently, I went to see the Furin (Wind bell or Wind chime) Festival with my family at Hikawa Shrine in Kawagoe, which is held there every summer. A furin is a traditional item for summertime in Japan. It rings as the wind blows, and this sound of the furin makes us feel cool in hot weather. There are some people, though, who think the sound is noisy, so nowadays we can’t hang it under the eaves or by a window as easily as we once used to be.
The festival was so crowded! Families, couples, friends—a lot of people!—came to the shrine. There was a very long line to walk up “Furin Road”.
We gave up waiting in line, because my daughters were so tired.
The entrance roof of the shrine was decorated with a lot of furin. They were so beautiful and the sound of those furins ringing was very nice.
The day that we went to Kawagoe was on a weekend and they were planning a fireworks festival.
If you want to go this Furin Festival, I recommend going on a weekday and first checking to see whether there are other events scheduled then.
If you have any questions or inquiries about this NEWS Mail, please contact Ms. Shino Kobayashi, Rights Manager (rights@sunmark.co.jp).
Sunmark Publishing is attending the Frankfurt International Book Fair in October
This year again, we will attend the upcoming Frankfurt International Book Fair, which will be held from October 16th to 20th. As is our tradition, we’ll share a stand with our friend, an American publisher named Beyond Words, at Hall 6.0 B120. If any of you are coming to the Fair and are interested in meeting with us, please do let us know. We’d be happy to see you there.
ISBN978-4-7631-3750-0 C8771
32 pages / July 2019 / 1,200 yen (w/o tax)
What do children decide before they are born?
Relieve all your worries about childbirth and child-rearing.
“Choose what life you want before you are born” —
Far, far up in the sky, children consult with God before choosing to be born.
How long do you want to live?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Would you rather be rich or popular?
What would you most like others to say about you?
Each child chooses the kind of life they want before going to their mother’s womb.
And there is a reason why each baby chooses their mother.
What could that be?
This picture book is based on the stories of 100 children who have prenatal memories.
This is a continuation of the bestseller entitled Mom, I Choose You!
【An excerpt from the Afterword】
100 children with prenatal memories were interviewed for this book. All children receive a certain talent from God before birth. However, they won’t be able to realize that talent without being paired with parents who can help them discover it. Trusting in a child’s strength to grow on their own is key, along with letting them learn right from wrong without too many commands. Since a child looks up to its mother, receiving praise makes them stronger, and fosters their ability. Furthermore, if the mother does things she enjoys, the child will see that it is okay to act independently, making it easier for them to discover their own God-given talent.
Mom, I Choose You! became a bestseller in the blink of an eye upon its release in the summer of 2017. Two years later, Nobumi has created a new book based on the stories of real mothers and children, as well as those provided by obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Akira Ikegawa. We cannot know on a profound level the mechanisms of birth or life itself, but this picture book provides a lovely hint. Nobumi recounts the stories of children in a way only he can, making sure to stay true to their stories. This is a must-read for both current and future parents.
ISBN978-4-7631-3763-0 C0030
129 pages / July 2019 / 1,300 yen (w/o tax)
Many have shed tears!
The long-awaited third installment of a best-selling series.
This is the third book of the best-selling Mysterious Pictures series which sold more than 100,000 copies.
The theme this time is the power of gold, symbolizing wealth.
Author FUMITO was born into a Shinto shrine family, is a qualified Shinto priest, and Japan’s leading space designer. With this book, FUMITO hopes to express that wealth of the mind is the greatest form of wealth.
Even those who claimed to have been satisfied with their spiritual wealth prior to taking a look at this book have reported being overwhelmed by warm, satisfying emotions that brought them to tears.
The theme of FUMITO’s pictures this time is “wealth of the mind.” His beautiful pictures depict the spirits of the deceased, invisible energy, and divine lights. Relax and enjoy flipping through them.
※ Each book comes with one Mysterious Pictures Message Card.
(There are 4 different cards. Who knows which one you’ll get!)
◎ What is extreme wealth?
◎ The sun shines in gold
◎ Natural wealth inherited from ancient times
◎ The rainbows and dragon clouds in the sky
◎ Life cultivated in the earth — flowers and plants
◎ The miracles brought about by gratitude
◎ The moon and stars illuminate the quiet night
◎ We are all bound in the depths of our souls
The third installment of this book series has finally arrived. Readers who were moved to tears by the first ones will now be guided to obtaining spiritual wealth. With spiritual wealth, your actions will change, attracting other forms of wealth into your life including even material wealth. However, this book focuses more on the wonders of spiritual wealth, and the goal of obtaining such wealth. By the way, a few readers have said they won the lottery after experiencing this book. Spiritual satisfaction does indeed attract such fortune.