Akadot: Why did Stone Bridge Press decide to publish Japanese related topics only? Do ever plan to expand with titles related to other Asian countries such as Korea or China?

PG: I think I explained the Japan connection previously. I went to Japan originally because I was interested in the culture and also because I knew there was a substantial English-language publishing industry in Tokyo, and I really wanted to get into book publishing. I really don't know much about other Asian nations, and my work with Japan has taught me that it's hard enough to do accurate books about one culture without trying to figure out the others. It's better for us to stay in our little niche than roam too broadly outside. But I must confess that I would be very interested to delve into the pop culture areas of Korea and China, as I see them strongly influencing and influenced by Japan, and part of an increasingly visible Asian role in world visual and graphic culture.

Akadot: Which Stone Bridge Press book is your favorite? Why?

PG: I like our Junzo Shono short story collection called Still Life, because it is beautifully written and provides the reader with an enormously satisfying experience of what you might say is at the heart of the Japanese family. I also like our John Haylock book One Hot Summer in Kyoto, a satiric look at gaijin mentality that any of us who have spent time living in Japan can relate to. Fred Schodt's Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga is exactly the sort of book I love to publish too: intelligent, informed, important.

Akadot: In your catalog, you feature something called the "Anime Starter Kit". Can you explain to the Akadot readers what this is? What does it include?

PG: I'm so happy you asked! The Anime Starter Kit is a promotional campaign that we are offering through our book distributor, Consortium Book Sales of St. Paul, MN. If stores agree to take 2 each of 5 different anime-related titles (Anime Encyclopedia, Hayao Miyazaki, Anime Companion, Anime Essentials, and Fred Schodt's Dreamland Japan) they earn a special discount (and our undying gratitude).

Certainly one goal is to boost sales. But over the long-term, the goal is to boost awareness of the anime genre among booksellers. The campaign primarily targets independent booksellers, not chains. This is because indie booksellers seem particularly unwilling to provide anime the shelf space it deserves and instead continue to relegate it to the "humor" section with Garfield or the Sci-fi section with Star Trek. Or just dumped on the bottom shelf somewhere. This makes me crazy! This is partly the result of fear and ignorance, so what we're offering is an easy way that booksellers can get into the anime scene with time-tested, strong-selling, well-reviewed, display-'em-with-pride titles. Yes, there are other books out there, but if you just want to jump in, jump in with the Starter Kit from Stone Bridge. Use it as a core collection and build around it. Your customers will thank you!

Want to read more?! Then check out Part II of Akadot's interview with Peter Goodman, editor of Stone Bridge Press.

From Guide to Encyclopedia: A review of Helen McCarthy and Jonathan Clements' recent publication. Luis Reyes polishes off The Anime Encyclopedia