Sunmark Publishing Rights Highlights
and NEWS Mail--December 2019 Issue
For those of you who don’t know me, I am Naoki Umeda, a member of the Rights Department in Sunmark Publishing.
Last October, we had a big annual event in Germany. Needless to say, that was the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF).
I looked forward to seeing a lot of foreign books and talking with people from other countries, because I’d been to Boston for 3 months to brush up on my English for the Fair.
At the same time, I had some other fun. That was……eating ramen! In Frankfurt, there are some ramen restaurants, and for me, the best one is “Muku”. In front of Muku, people are always standing in a long line. So, without a reservation, maybe you can’t get a seat. Of course, before the FBF, I’d booked and we went to Muku.
Ramen is Japanese food, but for me, Muku’s ramen is No. 1. The taste is indescribable— more than I could have imagined, to say the least! After that, I made a reservation for next year, so next October can’t come too soon!
You can absolutely experience the best times and tastes there, so if you’re interested, you should check it out (but don’t forget to make a reservation!).
If you have any questions or inquiries about this NEWS Mail, please contact Ms. Shino Kobayashi, Rights Manager (rights@sunmark.co.jp)
Latest Rights Guide
The link below will take you to the latest version of our Rights Guide in PDF. Usually we update the Guide for the major book fairs at Frankfurt and London.
ISBN978-4-7631-3790-6 C0093
223 pages / October 2019 / 1,200 yen (w/o tax)
A moving, illustrated story about the love between dog and its owner.
When your inevitable final day together actually arrives…
Kinako Oga’s well-received “Dog Diary” has now been published with 50 additional pages.
Okame was a female miniature dachshund. She was rescued from her life as a breeding dog at age four to become the author’s first dog. Then, a stray dog named Gi was added to the family when Okame was 10. It was now a family of four: two dogs, Oga, and her husband. But suddenly, Okame grew unable to eat.
I met Okame before her illness was discovered. Okame was small, but with a human-like intensity in her eyes. It seemed to me as if Okame was actually Oga’s bodyguard. I cried numerous times throughout the process of editing this book, both while working on it or simply when thinking about it. The story moved me deeply even though I myself have never owned a dog. I believe Okame’s strength helped us finish this book.
ISBN978-4-7631-3791-3 C0093
223 pages / October 2019 / 1,200 yen (w/o tax)
A moving story about winning the love of a dog.
Gi is a timid former stray whose love and trust her owner struggles to win.
Kinako Oga’s well-received “Dog Diary” has now been published with 40 additional pages.
Gi is a former stray from the mountains of Kumamoto Prefecture. Her large body was curled up into a tiny ball in a corner when Oga first saw her. Oga was told, “She was a stray and it could take years for her to warm up to you, but she is extremely cute.” That was all Oga needed to hear. Gi became their second dog.
Living in the mountains made Gi very muscular, but she was extremely timid. She was scared of loud voices, cars, the indoors, and people. Oga and Gi have been through a lot together since they first met.
This manga details the day-to-day occurrences as Gi gradually warmed up to her new life.
My image of dogs is wagging tails and running up to people in excitement. But not Gi. Curled up in a small corner of a room, Gi was terrified of humans. You can see in her face that she is slowly growing accustomed to her new life. I must confess, I fell madly in love with Gi after reading this manga. My work computer wallpaper is set to a picture of Gi! She is so cute! You won’t be able to help yourself!