Making a Book out of a Popular Blog: Shinchosha's "Restructured Now!"

"Tanukichi" (age 45), previously employed by a large anonymous publishing company, created a blog from April to June of this year called �gRestructured Now!", where he wrote in great detail of his personal restructuring experience and the various problems that arose within his company. He developed his topic in the space of a few short days, extending to 185 pages over a two-month period. His popular blog will be published as a book titled "Restructure Now!" by Shinchosha, and will go on sale July 30.

Tanukichi's company announced �gearly retirement with preferential treatment" around the middle of March. The author explained that since he earned over 10 million yen a year, a retirement package with preferential treatment would mean he �gcould buy a Ferrari." Tanukichi mulled it over for �gabout 20 minutes" before deciding to retire, a decision influenced by the fact that he had no dependants or mortgage.

In the beginning Tanukichi was concerned about what to write about in his blog, until one day he decided to concentrate solely on writing about being restructured. It is from this perspective that he makes statements such as �gsincerely, from my heart, I hope everyone involved in publishing will read this." He starts his first entry by shrewdly pointing out all the problems involved with the publishing industry when it comes to reprintings, electronic books and the like, drawing the reader in with his many forthright and powerful messages. However, he has been criticized for making public the internal affairs of the company, such as conflicts between himself and the editorial department, and details regarding pay cuts.

The author had approximately five book offers within his first week of blogging about restructuring. By the middle of April he had chosen a publisher, but the project was later cancelled when the publisher's plans fell through. At that point, he received a personal message from a Shinchosha editor, and immediately decided to publish there.

The editor in charge proposed that, along with communicating the actual experience of being restructured, Tanukichi could make the book more interesting by responding to comments made by online readers. As the editor explained, the charm of the blog lies in the way it forces people to consider fundamental questions such as, �gWhat would I do if I lost my company?" and �gWhat is a job?"

The author's real name, as well as that of his company, will remain anonymous even after the book is published.


♦ Some of the book titles are tentative translations.
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