Question about possible publishing

gambit924

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Hello all!! Never been to this section of the forum before, so something new!! Anyway, I am thinking of possible publishing of something I wrote, a paper on Loyalty and Justice in Samurai Film that cover eight films, several from Kurosawa, more recent films like The Last Samurai, The Twilight Samurai and Gohatto, and some unconventional films like Bunraku and Princess Mononoke. So it is all done, and the citations are all good and everything and I am seriously thinking about publishing. Here are the issues though. After writing it, it turns out that it's only about 15,000 or a few more, words long. I know this is dreadfully short, and you have talked about this before, but I am really interested in doing this, and I would rather not self-publish. Will publishers take a book of this length, or is it perhaps better to try and publish in a magazine or something (then again, what mag would take a 15,000 word long article)? I am certainly not one of those who goes back and adds random information just for the sake of word count. The thing is as done as it's going to get at this point and I am happy with it. So the question is, would any publisher go for this length? Second question is, do you think there's a market out there for something like this? Would anyone be interested in reading about samurai films? I know that I certainly was, but will anybody else find this interesting? Personally I am enamored with the romanticism of the samurai, and the sadness of their demise, which is in fact very much a part of this project, as some of the films butt right up against the Meiji Restoration. Is it worth my time to try and get this thing published? I would really like to, but if no one will take it for what it is, and if no one buys it, where does that leave me? With nothing... Which is basically what I have right now anyway, but you know, it would be nice to publish something. Anyway, any thoughts or advice would be most welcome. Thank you very much for reading this. I look forward to reading what you have to say. Cheers and merry Christmas, or happy holidays, as some of you may not celebrate Christmas.
 

veinglory

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It sound like it is probaby more of an academic work? If you wanted to go more mainstream the change in style would probaby add length as would illustrations.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sounds academic, or at least scholarly, to me too. Could you make it a book about every samurai film you can lay your hands and eyes on? Make it more of a guide? That might be an easier sell. (But I'm no expert on the subject, so salt to taste.)

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

gambit924

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Thank you very much for your input. It could be that it is all together too academic. However, it is almost a guide of these films, so it is possible it might work. I will put some pages in SYW and see what people think. Cheers!!
 

nealraisman

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Could it be published on Smashwords? Or an academic journal on media?
 

gambit924

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It's possible I suppose. I didn't want to go academic journal, as only a certain audience would see it, and I want to get it to a wider audience. I have not heard of Smashwords. Link?
 

WeaselFire

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What film journals have you researched for publication?

Jeff
 

wallfull

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I agree with veinglory that this sounds like an academic book--an interesting one. The focus seems to be on ideas and knowledge for the sake of knowledge. If you want to go that route, check the books on your shelf and in your reference list to find an initial list of possible publishers, then go to their websites to see submission instructions. To publish an academic book, you will need academic credentials or a coauthor who has them.

If you want to make this for a lay audience, you'll have to change the tone and slant so it ties to modern life. Answer the intelligent novice reader's question, "Why should I care about this?" For example, wasn't there a best-selling business book called something like "The Way of the Samurai"? (Answer: "You should care because knowing this stuff will help you be more successful in your career.") Another possible direction involves the answer: "You should care about this because the way we Westerners understand/misunderstand Samurai affects modern US-Japanese relations." Once you know the "answer" you want to offer, I think you'll know the direction you could take with a lay audience book.

Still another possible direction is to target screenwriters.

You may want to write out a description of your ideal reader. What are his/her circumstances, challenges, worries, interests, pleasures...? I find this very useful for deciding what does/doesn't go into my books.

Good luck!
 

veinglory

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I think samurai films have enough of a cult following that a film guide with a semi-scholarly introduction could do well.
 

boblamoreaux

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Two comments -- and these are simply MHO, without anything to back my opinion up -- First, I suspect the subject is too limited for most publishers. (Not meaning to rain on your parade. . .) Probably because the cult film buff might be spending their money on films (dvds, tapes, whatever) rather than on books. Second, you might want to (if you have not done so) do something original with the western-turned-samurai-turned western film -- like Yojimbu (?) Not sure what unique angle you could give it, but it might be worth a try (maybe comparing the historical facts of time period with how those facts are -- usually -- ignored in western-cum-samurai films.) That MIGHT broaden the market.