Sunmark Publishing Rights Highlights
and NEWS Mail--July 2018 Issue

Hello, my name is Kanako Kurokawa.

I’m a book editor and a member of the Rights Department at Sunmark Publishing.

 

One of my hobbies is basketball-watching and playing it.

We have  an in-house basketball team and every fall we compete in the publishing industry matches.

 

Since we lost in the first round last year, 

we started practicing the month-before-last so that we could advance to the next round of the tournament this year.  

 

It’s a great chance for us to work up a good sweat and take a breather from work. 

 

Do you have any favorite sports?

 

Summer is coming soon.

Why don’t you exercise and get in shape to stay healthy? 

If you have any questions or inquiries about this NEWS Mail, please contact Ms. Shino Kobayashi, Rights Manager (rights@sunmark.co.jp)

Topic of the Month

God is a 5th-Grader, a spirituality book written by a 5th-Grade girl, Sumire, is selling well in the market.

God is a 5th-Grader was first published this March, and soon after, we started receiving great responses from its readers. The outstanding feature of this book is that it’s written by an 10-year-old, 5th-grade girl named Sumire who has a memory of being in the womb as well as an ability to talk with the holy spirits. She talks about life, the reason for our living on earth, and the secrets to true happiness. Her words are simple, pure, and encouraging, which are widely supported by mothers with children, according to the messages we receive from readers. The sales numbers have gone up to 100,000 copies so far, and we believe they’ll reach 150,000 pretty soon. 

Rights are still open for all languages, so please feel free to let us know if you’re interested in this unique book.

Hot Titles

Feel Your Best With Pelvic Adjustment Yoga

by Yuki Takahashi

ISBN978-4-7631-3652-7 C2075

159 pages / April 2018 / 1,300 yen (w/o tax)

Loosening knots that occur deep in the body will eliminate ailments and pain.

Description

You get tired easily and don’t get good rest.

You can’t get out of bed during menstruation.

Your lower back and shoulders are stiff.

You have trouble getting up and out of bed.

You can’t lose weight no matter what you do.

You feel sluggish and lethargic.

You don’t think your yoga poses are good enough.

 

We all have troubles related to our mind and body that grow more difficult to resolve as we get older. This is likely due to knots that occur deep inside the body. Many people who are in poor condition have stubborn knots, making their body less limber, lowering organ functionality, and making the mind weak.

 

After suffering from a gynecological disorder and a herniated disk from the age of 10, the author developed pelvic adjustment yoga and alleviated the knots in her body, improving her physical health and vitality. Since then, she has helped some 20,000 people completely change their condition.

 

In this book, she introduces methods that even beginners can easily handle. Her methods are so effective that over 1,300 people within Japan and from abroad have come to her to learn about pelvic yoga and have themselves become instructors. You too can use her effective methods to regain a comfortable body.

From the table of contents

Chapter 1          People who struggle have knots

Chapter 2          The power of loosening stubborn knots

Chapter 3          Let’s begin: Here are the basics of pelvic yoga

Chapter 4          Pelvic yoga for improving your condition

Appendix           Special sequences for even bigger results

From the editor "Shin"

An interview for this book began with great pain. Author Yuki Takahashi began applying pressure to the back of my right knee to loosen it, producing agonizing pain I’d never experienced before. I was teary-eyed, and convinced that my tendons and muscles had been damaged from the experience, when she said, “The muscles behind your knee are very knotted up.”

Then, she had me lie down and bring my right knee up to my chest as she pressed down on my knee, sending massive pain signals to my brain. I was convinced that my hip was broken and that I’d never jump again, as she said, “Your hip joints and ankles are extremely knotted up.” It was so painful that I couldn’t even bring myself to complain. I just kept moving my body the way she told me to.

 

Once I stood up, I realized my right leg felt extremely light. The complexion of my right leg was better than that in my left one, and I could move it with ease. She said, “It’s more limber now.”

 

People these days develop knots easily, and even daily stretches and simple yoga poses don’t always fix the problem. Unraveling the knots first and foremost is what’s important. But this doesn’t really answer the question: Kneading works, but is it actually “yoga”?

When I asked the author directly, she told me that traditional yoga involved kneading out knots as a first step before beginning actual poses. Yoga classes that used to be 120 minutes long were shortened to 90 or even 70 minutes to better suit modern lifestyles.

 

I decided that this important information needed to be made into a book.

 

This book is all about how to loosen knots inside your own body, so it won’t be as effective unless you have someone else do it to you. You can do it, but people tend to go easy on themselves when using their own hands, so results may be mild compared to when I was in the author’s hands.

Author:

Yuki Takahashi

Yuki Takahashi is the CEO and program director of Baby Yoga Associates. She took up yoga at the age of 16 in order to successfully tackle various health issues from which she was suffering throughout her childhood, including endometriosis. She became a yoga instructor in 2000.

 

She has developed leading baby yoga programs in Japan such as Baby Yoga, Kids Yoga, and Rody Yoga, and developed programs aimed at women for later in life, including Self-Adjustment Pelvic Yoga, Maternity Yoga, and Senior Yoga. In collaboration with the mobile phone company SoftBank, she operates the online school Roots of Life and provides learning content related to yoga and lifestyle. She has successfully reared 1,300 yoga instructors from Japan and beyond, and she’s had more than 20,000 students.

God Is a 5th- Grader

by Sumire

ISBN978-4-7631-3682-4 C0036

160 pages / March 2018 / 1,200 yen (w/o tax)

A 10-year-old who remembers her life before birth has always known the secret to true happiness. Many readers are in tears within the first 13 pages.

Description

This is the first book from the elementary school student who made waves with her appearance in the film The Promise: Prenatal Memories of Children. Sumire is currently a 5th-grader. She loves pizza (particularly margherita pizza), doesn’t really like studying or exercise, and looks like any other young girl at first glance. However, she actually has a very special ability. She has prenatal memories, and her conversations with God continue to this day.

 

What is this “true happiness” that Sumire has known about since before her birth?

 

You are the only person like you in the world.

Nobody has the same voice as you,

and nobody has the same heart, right?

Each and every person is a treasure.

 

Just remember one thing.

You can make yourself happy.

Only you can make yourself happy.

 

You can be born again, but you can live this life only once.

 

Magnificent words of a 10-year-old that all adults should read.

 

Also includes a discussion with popular picture book author Nobumi.

From the table of contents

◆ This is what God is like!

◆ We all chose to be born as ourselves!

◆ Your own words are the best medicine

◆ A mother’s smile is a child’s nourishment

◆ The people who are important to you feel the same about you

◆ We can live and die only once

◆ Happiness is great!

From the editor "Kisshie"

 

Sumire is an exceptional elementary school student who travels the country giving advice about life to mothers and CEOs alike. Her words bring her listeners to tears and leave them feeling thankful to be alive.

Take it from me: Sumire’s words have the power to make you realize that no matter how harsh, sad, and painful life can be, it’s great to be alive.

Author:

Sumire

Sumire is a fifth-grader born in 2007. Since she was born, she has been able to speak with God and the other invisible beings that look after us. She remembers everything from before she entered the womb, and she can communicate with other babies still in the womb. Her appearance in the documentary film The Promise: Prenatal Memories of Children – made her a hot topic among mothers across Japan. She currently travels the country delivering happiness to mothers in need of advice on child rearing, as well as to elite businesspeople. She holds an irregular talk show, and people cry while listening to her profound words. This is her debut as an author. Her favorite food is pizza (especially margherita), and she doesn’t really like studying or exercising.