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

Hi. I’m Taku Hirasawa, a staff member in the editorial department. 

In Japan this summer, we had record hot weather compared to the average year. At last, cool days have come in October and I’m now enjoying the days without the necessity of full-time air-conditioning. 

I’m not sure if it’s a human instinct or not, but the cooler it gets, the more appetite I feel. We Japanese call it “autumn appetite.” Strangely enough, I never become full no matter how much I eat during this season. 

It’s a horrible thing because I recently am spending little time getting any exercise. This lifestyle probably will have some effect on my body-.  I know I’m not the only one who worries about this, so please take good care of yourself while relishing the taste of autumn.

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

Zero Training is selling well in the Japanese Market.

Zero Training, our latest book about exercise for losing weight and achieving a fit body, is selling very well. The method is based on yoga, including abdominal breathing. It’s a method that combines exercises and breathing which takes only 5 minutes to follow. The book became a bestseller as soon as it went on the market in May, and from the beginning, it was picked up by the media including popular TV programs and articles in magazines. After 5 months, the book has now sold more than 700,000 copies, and we’re receiving many positive comments from readers. The rights have been sold to Korea and Taiwan so far, and we hope people will be interested in it in other countries and territories, too.

Hot Titles

The Final “Seven Days” My Wife Wished For

by Eiji Miyamoto

ISBN978-4-7631-3710-4 C0095

126 pages / August 2018 / 1,200 yen (w/o tax)

The moving poem about a married couple that was shared 190,000 times after being published in a newspaper column.

Description

This moving, true story about the love of a married couple was also featured on Nippon TV’s “Sukkiri” and Fuji TV’s “Mr. Sunday”.

 

“It reminded me of what’s most important.”

“My wife’s smile looks more lovely to me now.”

“It made me want to speak to my family more.”

“This is everyone’s  story.”

“It taught me about the bond between spouses.”

“Every day is filled with really important things.”

“I will place more importance in things I take for granted.”

 

Such sympathetic responses have been flooding in from all over the country.

 

Yoko Miyamoto passed away at the age of 70 due to cancer on January 19, 2018, and left behind a piece of writing called “Seven Days.” It detailed the many things she would have wanted to do if the gods had granted her 7 healthy days, including the many things we take for granted such as cooking, sewing, cleaning, taking a drive, family birthday parties, time with friends, and quiet time alone with her husband.

 

What made her write this?

 

“Our Story” was written by a couple who met at 18 and remained married for 45 years, and it’s a story only such a couple could write. The story provides a backdrop for what “Seven Days” is all about. This book includes “Seven Days,” and details Yoko and Eiji’s journey through life together.

 

Who would you want to share this story with?

From the table of contents

・Seven Days – A Poem

・The days leading up to the completion of “Seven Days”

・Our Story

・About the couple

・The Last Reply

From the editor "Naoki"

When I first heard about “Seven Days,” I couldn’t help but contact the newspaper that was published the article.  I told them, “I want to meet the author.” As I have had a similar experience, I knew that many other people would also be moved by Eiji and Yoko’s story. As we have all experienced loss, I wanted to share with everyone a story that teaches us what’s most important. I hope this book finds those who are struggling at a crossroads in life, those who wish to live their days in earnest, and of course those who have had a similar experience to Eiji’s.

 

Author:

Eiji Miyamoto

Eiji Miyamoto was born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, in 1947. After graduating from the Waseda University School of Education’s Department of Japanese Language and Literature, he began working for a major bread company. In 1972, he married Yoko, whom he had known since his days as a student. They had two children together. On January 19, 2018, Eiji lost his wife of 45 years to cancer. He published a poem his wife had written called “Seven Days” in a newspaper column, and it received a massive response from readers. He is currently living with their beloved pet dog, Koharu, in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The World's funniest secrets of Penguins

If a Baby Penguin Kept an Illustrated Diary

by Kazuoki Ueda

ISBN978-4-7631-3707-4 C8045

157 pages / July 2018 / 1,100 yen (w/o tax)

Everything you need to know about TV’s favorite emperor penguin!

Description

Full-color illustrations on every page!

An illustrated diary of an emperor penguin’s life from birth to adulthood!

Also enjoyable for children who don’t  like to read!

 

Naturally grow to love science!

Leading penguin researcher Kazuoki Ueda provides clear and entertaining commentary! Kids who don’t like science are actually eating this book up!

 

A great book for a research project!

Simply taking notes on parts of the book you like will make your research project easy!

 

Includes an appearance by Instagram-famous Penta.

The cute and lovable character Penta, who has become famous on Instagram, shares penguin secrets!

From the table of contents

◎Raising an emperor penguin starts with daddy

◎Emperor penguins never eat fish from the tail end!

◎The male penguin gives milk to the baby??

◎ They throw their poop 2 meters!

◎All penguins have a good sense of direction

◎Why do penguins walk in a line?

From the editor "Ruriko"

The story of a penguin’s life is really quite moving and also very entertaining. This book is a pleasure to read, with its wonderfully cute illustrations. I’ve heard that our staff members’ children are having a hard time putting it down. Read it to find out why!

 

Author:

Kazuoki Ueda

Kazuoki Ueda is a Japanese penguin expert, born in Tokyo in 1954. He graduated from Kokugakuin University’s Department of History and became a penguin researcher as well as a teacher at Meguro-Gakuin Senior and Junior High School.

 

He started his penguin research in 1970 and in 1987 became involved in penguin preservation and relief work. He was the only Asian participant in the 1st International Penguin Conference, held in 1988. He has visited the South Pole three times for research purposes and has been a member of the Penguin Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2016. He has authored numerous books including The World of Penguins (Iwanami Shoten).

Penguin Airplane Factory

We create stories that relate to changing inconvenient circumstances into happy ones. We also produce baby penguin toys related to Penta, with his trademark bedhead hair, and the cute pink ribbon-clad character Koharu. Also, the “Penstagram” page that details the daily lives of Penta and Koharu is a popular Instagram account known to soothe its followers. Penta was featured in March of the Penguins 2, the sequel to the 2005 Oscar-winning feature-length documentary March of the Penguins.