Yesterday I wrote about Shinsuke Yoshitake's It Might Be an Apple (the 2015 UK translation of the 2013 original Japanese text), and today I want to show you the Japanese original, and something very cool I haven't seen in bookstores outside of Japan. I've pictured this book below with all of the paper ephemera that are included, tucked into the pages of the book. This is the way most Japanese books come - loaded with extra PR materials that can be discarded or provide useful ways for the reader to interact with the book.
 PR materials included by the publisher with Japanese books |  Book obi, "Ringo kamoshirenai" (Yoshitake, 2013, Bronze) |
Take a look at the gold/bronze strip of paper that wraps itself around the book cover front and back. This is called the book obi, named for its resemblance to the obi (silk fabric belt/wrapper) worn around the kimono. The book obi typically contains PR information you might otherwise write on the back cover, in this case a list of prizes the book won on the front, and a slogan on the back, translated loosely as "Philosophy? Delusion? Imagination? If you've got a brain to think with, the world is infinitely fascinating. Shinsuke Yoshitake's new concept book". The obi says this without having to interrupt the design of the book, as it can be removed and discarded. In the bookstore buyers can be attracted by the prizes on one side, can know what the book is about before opening it, but still be able to see the book design. Are you fascinated to know what those other pieces of paper are? OK, here they are, and I am saving the best for last:
 | This long strip of paper is folded in half and placed over one of the inner pages of the book. It's called the "sales card" and in the days before computers was removed from the book by the salesperson before the book was sold. In this way presumably bookstores would have a record of which books were sold on any given day. When I buy a book in Japan these days, this strip of paper is still left inside folded over one of the pages. The title of the book, author, publisher (including contact details), price and ISBN of the book are all printed on both sides of the bifold with a simple illustration from the book. It can be taken out and discarded, kept as a record of purchase, or given to someone else as a book recommendation. While it's not really an eco-friendly way of doing things, it is pretty book friendly. You can imagine these things passing between people in book clubs, playgroups and after school activities. |
 | This self-returning postcard is designed so the buyer can give feedback directly to the publisher. On the side that you can't see is the publisher's address, a place to write your own name, address and other demographic information (age, profession or school name). On this side you can see here is a place to write the name of the book you just bought, plus a short questionnaire covering how you heard about the book, what kinds of media you read, why you decided to buy this book and in the biggest section, any feedback you might have about the book, messages to the author, pictures you might like to draw from the book. The postcard invites readers, both adults and children to participate in the book review process. There is also the suggestion that your messages might be passed along to the author, a kind of built-in fan mail. Asking children and adults to provide opinions about what they read encourages them to be more active in their own reading process. The publisher doesn't want to sell you just one book - they want you to be a reader for life. The last piece of ephemera included in this book was important in this aspect so I included the PDF of both sides below. |
This folded insert encourages readers themselves to come up with different things that the apple might be. On the flip side of the insert is the basic apple outline, and the words "This apple might be a .......". There is a place to write your name, and your age. Readers are supposed to draw their own versions of the apple, then send them by mail, e-mail or via Facebook to the publisher. It's not a competition, and there is no prize, but the different ideas are then uploaded onto the book's Facebook page. When I looked, there were angels, devils, teapots, apples that ran away when you try to eat them, and one in particular that I loved where the apple might be "invisible" (the artist had gone over the black outline in white crayon to make it disappear).
To tell you the truth, when my kids were growing up I didn't pay these inserts much attention. Writing this blog, I am SO sad I didn't have my kids do all of this. What an amazing way to bring kids into the conversation of how books are created and published. Some amazing ideas for you if you live in Japan, or ever if you don't....
* If you're like me, you're slowly growing a collection of picture books. Make it a habit to send that postcard feedback to the publisher - you might be able to influence what the publisher will do next.
* If you're not in Japan - send feedback to the publisher anyway. What a great way to get your opinion on things like #weneeddiversebooks heard.
* Check first thing for interactive activities inside your book. Having your children or students participate in some kind of campaign like the one outlined above is the quickest way of hooking them in to the book's concept and literacy in general.
* Check again - there might be Facebook pages and Twitter hashtags that relate to the book you just purchased. Join the crowd!
* Make it a point to keep your itemized book receipts if you don't live in a country that gives you these paper inserts. You never know when you will need to pull a book recommendation out of your purse. Make the world a better place by filling it will all your favorite books.
* Some book obi or other book ephemera (you might get a lot of this if you are a teacher, for example) can be used in art projects. Create Christmas trees filled with joyous picture book characters. Cover notebooks. Decorate mirrors. The art will brighten your spirits and remind you to take time out to do the most joyous activity of all - read to your kids. :)
To tell you the truth, when my kids were growing up I didn't pay these inserts much attention. Writing this blog, I am SO sad I didn't have my kids do all of this. What an amazing way to bring kids into the conversation of how books are created and published. Some amazing ideas for you if you live in Japan, or ever if you don't....
* If you're like me, you're slowly growing a collection of picture books. Make it a habit to send that postcard feedback to the publisher - you might be able to influence what the publisher will do next.
* If you're not in Japan - send feedback to the publisher anyway. What a great way to get your opinion on things like #weneeddiversebooks heard.
* Check first thing for interactive activities inside your book. Having your children or students participate in some kind of campaign like the one outlined above is the quickest way of hooking them in to the book's concept and literacy in general.
* Check again - there might be Facebook pages and Twitter hashtags that relate to the book you just purchased. Join the crowd!
* Make it a point to keep your itemized book receipts if you don't live in a country that gives you these paper inserts. You never know when you will need to pull a book recommendation out of your purse. Make the world a better place by filling it will all your favorite books.
* Some book obi or other book ephemera (you might get a lot of this if you are a teacher, for example) can be used in art projects. Create Christmas trees filled with joyous picture book characters. Cover notebooks. Decorate mirrors. The art will brighten your spirits and remind you to take time out to do the most joyous activity of all - read to your kids. :)
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