Publicity rights

[mark schilling]

As Aaron noted:

>Frankly, many people are scared to use anything for fear of being charged
with
> copyright violation.

How true! Read the following 0letter Peter Goodman sent to Stone Bridge
Press
authors announcing the sale of his company to Yohan. Here's the nut graf:

....I thought there were some clouds on the horizon. We have carved
out a niche for ourselves in the "information about Japanese pop
culture" section of the bookstore. As you can imagine, that had
always been a somewhat dark and lonely corner. But with the
mainstreaming of manga and anime, I could sense that suddenly what we
had had mostly to ourselves was going to get rather competitive.
Already Japanese studios were demanding more money. And some material
was now just unavailable, as rights got either bought up and
optioned, or tied up in nasty litigations between greedy, warring
parties. How long could we continue to play in this arena? I wondered.

The answer -- find a bigger, stronger, Japanese partner, who has the clout
to deal
with Toho, Toei and the other rapacious rights holders out there, while
avoiding
legal minefields. A smart business decision, no doubt -- and one based on
painful experience.

Mark Schilling
schill at gol.com


Dear Stone Bridge Author:

I am happy to draw your attention to the attached press release,
which announces the acquisition of Stone Bridge Press by Japan's
largest distributor of Western books, Yohan Inc.

I decided to sell Stone Bridge Press for several reasons.
Financially, well, publishing is always a bumpy road, but we were
doing just fine. We kept expenses down, the books sold reasonably
well, and there was very little debt.

But the company had grown, from a single title in 1994 to closing in
on ninety today. With that, managing the company had become a lot
more complex. It wasn't fun for me to fuss with all the
administrative details, and over the past few years I had regularly
contemplated bringing in a business partner so that I could be free
to work more on the editorial and creative side.

Plus, I thought there were some clouds on the horizon. We have carved
out a niche for ourselves in the "information about Japanese pop
culture" section of the bookstore. As you can imagine, that had
always been a somewhat dark and lonely corner. But with the
mainstreaming of manga and anime, I could sense that suddenly what we
had had mostly to ourselves was going to get rather competitive.
Already Japanese studios were demanding more money. And some material
was now just unavailable, as rights got either bought up and
optioned, or tied up in nasty litigations between greedy, warring
parties. How long could we continue to play in this arena? I wondered.

The idea of joining up with a Japanese company had never occurred to
me. But we have been doing business with Yohan for years, and when
they asked us about the possibility of acquisition it made perfect
sense. Yohan is not just a distributor. It owns several bookstores in
Japan, including the popular Aoyama Book Center (now opening new
branches around the country). And it has its own publishing house,
IBC Publishing, which publishes some books in English for the tourist
trade but is primarily focused on books in Japanese and English for
English learners in Japan.

Needless to say, I am staying on at Stone Bridge Press. It is still
fair to think of us as an independent press, however, because we are
still outside the mainstream and can continue to publish books we like.

But now we can be stronger. Through IBC we can share some bicultural
editorial acumen to find and develop exciting new books for both
readers of Japanese and English. Already in spring 2006 we will be
launching several IBC titles in the US. Yohan gives us additional
visibility in Japan at bookshops throughout Japan. And the larger
organization makes it easier for me to increase staff and direct my
attention to developing projects and working with authors.

So all in all, it's a very happy announcement for all of us here at
Stone Bridge Press. We're looking forward to an exciting future full
of great books  and awesome reviews. We hope you'll  come along with us!

Please feel free to write me if you have any questions or concerns.


Peter


Japanese book distributor buys American publishing company

August 2005 (Berkeley, CA) -- Stone Bridge Press, LLC, of Berkeley,
California, has been purchased by Yohan, Inc. of Tokyo, Japan.

Stone Bridge Press is an English-language publisher specializing in
books about Japan and Asia. Founded in 1989 by publisher and
editor-in-chief Peter Goodman, the company has over 85 titles in
print and has received numerous awards for publishing excellence,
including two Benjamin Franklin Awards. Among its authors are Donald
Richie (The Inland Sea, The Japan Journals) and Leonard Koren
(Wabi-Sabi). Stone Bridge's books about anime, manga, and film have
established the press as a leading source of information about
Japanese popular culture.

"This is great timing. Interest in Japan is growing and changing,"
says Goodman, "and as part of the Yohan family we'll have access to
new, cutting-edge projects and authors. This will boost us
editorially both in Japan and the US, as we increase our staff and
pursue new markets."

Yohan, Inc., established in 1953 and now headed by President and CEO
Hiroshi Kagawa, has 120 employees and is the largest distributor of
general foreign books and magazines in Asia. It owns several retail
bookshops in Japan, including the well-known Aoyama Book Center in
Tokyo, as well as the publisher IBC Books.

"We've known and done business with Peter and Stone Bridge for years,
so this is a very comfortable match, with big potential for both of
us," says CEO Kagawa.

Goodman will remain as chief executive at Stone Bridge's offices in
Berkeley. The company plans to expand its output, especially in the
area of Japanese and Asian popular culture. Stone Bridge and IBC will
also exchange editorial expertise to promote new title development in
their respective markets.

Stone Bridge Press will continue to be distributed to the book trade
in North America by its long-time distributor, Consortium Book Sales
and Distribution.

Pictured: Yohan CEO Hiroshi Kagawa and Stone Bridge Press Publisher
Peter Goodman in Tokyo. On the table is Stone Bridge Press's most
recent title, "Jrock, Ink." which is about Japanese rock music's
growing popularity in North America.

See the photo at:
http://photos1.blogger.com/img/116/3660/320/Kagawa%20and%20Goodman.jpg
or email sbppromo at stonebridge.com for a larger image.

http://www.stonebridge.com and http://www.yohan.co.jp