Sunmark Publishing Rights Highlights
and NEWS Mail--June 2017 Issue
Hello, my name is Kanako Kurokawa.
I’m an editor and a member of the Rights Department at Sunmark.
In April this year, I went to Italy on a study trip with some of my colleagues.
That was the first time I had visited Italy and I had such a wonderful time there! The main purpose of our trip was to visit the Bologna children’s book fair. It was very refreshing to see that there were so many books that were specially for children. I found two picture books with cute illustrations that looked good for Japanese children.
We also went to Milan, Verona, Florence, and Venice.
My best memories of this trip were the beautiful scenes of Venice,
the most moving views I had ever seen when I was abroad.
I made up my mind to go there again in the near future.
I feel so refreshed after this trip, so I will do my absolute best to get back to work again!
If you have any questions or inquiries about this NEWS Mail, please contact Ms. Shino Kobayashi, Rights Manager (rights@sunmark.co.jp).
Our Next Bestseller will be a book on sleeping methods
The Stanford Method for Ultimate Sound Sleep is off to a really good launch. It has already reached 50,000 copies since it was published in March.
The Stanford Method for Ultimate Sound Sleep by Seiji Nishino has the potential to become our next big title. Sales are close to 50,000 copies a month after its publication. The author is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. The book shows readers how to develop their sleeping skills and what the best way to have a “good sleep” is.
Starting this month, we’re introducing our editorial members.
I’m fond of having a drink.
Though I like working out, I prefer a couple of bottles of beer afterward.
These days some drinking easily causes me to lose my memory!
My job is editing books (mainly foreign books) and handing foreign rights for Sunmark books. I like drinking native wine and beer in the evening at overseas book fairs.
The Divine Code of Life by Kazuo Murakami
Answers from the Other World by Kokusai Un
How to Live and Study after 50 by Fuyuji Domon
I’m an editor who’s crazy about reading books, listening to music, and eating rice.
I was born in Boston, grew up in Osaka, and now am a resident of Tokyo.
Since I was born on World Book Day, there was no choice but to become a member of the world of making books. Currently, what I’m especially into is a low carb diet.
Why Successful Business People Use Big Wallets by Junichiro Kameda
How Toyota Taught Me to Consolidate Information into a Single Page by Suguru Asada
Words to Wake Up To by Kotaro Hisui
ISBN978-4-7631-3566-7 C0030
271 pages / March 2017 / 1,400 yen (w/o tax)
There is no correct way to live life. After three-and-a-half years of not attending school, author Kentaro Yoshifuji earned an accolade at the world’s top science contest, jump-starting his career in robotics research. This book is about his fight to eliminate loneliness.
From 11 to 14 years old, he was a social recluse tormented by loneliness, keeping him from being able to attend school. During the summer of what was supposed to be his first year of junior high school, he participated in a robotics contest on a whim and miraculously won first prize.
After meeting a teacher who would become an important mentor for Yoshifuji, he enrolled in high school. At this time, he invented a groundbreaking wheelchair design that earned him praise at a world-renowned high school science contest called Intel ISEF. However, despite his great achievements, and with his dark past still lingering over him, he felt uneasy and unsure of what his purpose in life was.
This is the first book telling the true story of the robot communicator in a black coat, an internationally renowned researcher of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient communication who invented the “OriHime” robot.
Kentaro Yoshifuji is making a breakthrough and challenging common knowledge with his methods, studying robotics using “sense” rather than “theory.” He shares his thought processes that have opened doors to the possibilities of human achievement.
– Avatar robot “OriHime”
– Things that can be done alone are best done alone
– What I learned from just getting my feet moving
– Why are my working clothes black?
– My childhood when I couldn’t get along with others
– Nobody will complain to you if you’re at the top
– Escape from social withdrawal
– Go to school when you want to
– Becoming a teacher’s apprentice
– Compensate for a lack of social skills with other skills
– Challenging myself to enter Japan’s top science contest
– Meeting high school students from around the world in an international competition
– Facing the problem of loneliness
– What is the cure for loneliness?
– Outdoor activities taught me important lessons
– Why do we sometimes anthropomorphize things?
– I couldn’t find a laboratory I wanted to join, so I made my own
– Developing a robot by myself
– Eliminate loneliness in ALS patients
– As days go by, strong supporters reveal themselves
– Challenging myself
And more…
Kentaro “Ory” Yoshifuji’s fascinating research and career have gained him respect and support from people in various fields, such as doctors, presidents of brokerage firms, CEOs of venture companies, researchers, authors and engineers. He researches diligently into how to eliminate human loneliness, something that any one of us could fall victim to. This book on how to eliminate loneliness took two years to write, and I truly hope it finds those who need it most.
ISBN978-4-7631-3508-7 C0030
214 pages / January 2017 / 1,300 yen (w/o tax)
There is a way to avoid constant poor health and sudden serious illness!
Well-known author Motoo Nakajo, who has appeared on Japanese TV programs such as Honmadekka!? TV and Sono Genin, X Ni Ari!, explains how to easily analyze your own blood condition, body fluid flow and autonomic nervous system balance as well as how to avoid illness. He explains how certain odors, voice and face peculiarities can show signs of illness, and clearly illustrates how problems occur within our bodies without our knowledge. This information is key to staying healthy and successfully avoiding serious illness.
Chapter 1: Anybody can know what’s happening in their body.
Chapter 2: 70% of one’s constitution and personality is seen on the face.
Chapter 3: Signs of serious illness can be seen in the mouth.
Chapter 4: An improved physical constitution will keep illness away.
This could be my age talking, but I hear about people coming down with serious illnesses a lot recently. People feel their illness comes on suddenly, but the author insists there are many cases where “the signs of illness have long been clearly visible on the face”. Since hearing this, I tend to look more closely at the people around me with the knowledge gained from this book in mind. I now feel I can get a fairly decent idea of a person’s constitution and personality by analyzing their face. This information is useful in knowing more about yourself, too, and is also useful in the workplace. I don’t really like staring at my own face, but I’ve learned how to better understand what’s going on inside my body by simply analyzing the appearance of my tongue.