The Shuppan Bunka Sha co., ltd.

In the twighlight of the publishing world the competitors that are moving in are not other publishing firms, they are mobile phones and video games, cinema and television, internet and other forms of media. We must consider the reality that we are competing with many changing competitors for the time and money of potential readers.

Within the framework of this problem there is the creeping fear that authors who turn their eyes to the publishing business will refuse book offers in favour of other forms of media, and as such, methods of reengaging these authors in the publishing world has been a point of serious contemplation. Commercial publishing as a medium presents the opportunity for authors to have their opinions, insights and information distributed to the national media system via bookstores accross the country and throughout the web conveniently and at low cost. We must probe the possibilities of publishing together with our authors

- Our challenge is to expand this way of thinking, and develop strong communication to build strong plans for progress.

We aim to be a general publisher. That said, our business will not die off in the climatic third stage. Our staff in Osaka, Tokyo and regional metropolitan centers are conducting countless interviews and planning sessions with our many authors. A plan which involves rapid and appropriate communication is, we believe, and attractive plan. We also ask our authors to be determined and driven, and though we often like the idea of publishing a book for its own sake we run a business, and if the target market of a product is too small then stepping in with both feet would be a mistake.

"Presently our firm is on the way to developing our correspondence skill set, and we are not yet able to respond adequately to the demands of our authors.
However in our continuing negotiations, we have found that we need to give our authors advice on the book market much as a consultancy would, and it is our responsibility to deepen our knowledge on this subject.

In this era of publishing especially, the number of authors with many high quality publications is increasing, and we hope that our own publishers can create books that sell well in overseas markets. Since 1998 our firm has advanced in China and the US with a subsidiary in the US and permanent employees stationed in China, and since then we've developed an interest in publishing Japanese authors in those markets. In any case, we are seeking to promote authors on both sides of the exchange and create growth within a global publication network."