University students in Osaka embark on unique publishing project

A truly unique publishing project has been doing the rounds recently in Osaka. University students have assumed complete responsibility throughout the whole process from the proposal stage to sales.

"Can You Eat a Doughnut While Keeping the Hole?" This seems to be somewhat of a silly joke, but it is actually the title of an upcoming book contributed by the Osaka University faculty members. This is probably the first book publishing project in Japan initiated and conducted throughout the whole process solely by university students in collaboration with faculty members and the Osaka University Press. It is definitely something you won’t read about every day.

In the fall of 2011, Professor Terumasa Matsuyuki of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Education at Osaka University hit upon a great idea that the Center should publish a series of textbooks based on lectures given at the University. He consulted with his colleagues and they came up with a better idea: providing students with the opportunity of taking the initiative of organizing these books for publication.

With this nebulous framework, one course titled “Making Books” started in April 2012, and about 30 students registered for this course. Editors, journalists, bookstore clerks and some others who were related to the book industry in some way, gave lectures on the process of publishing books and how attractive their jobs were. These students were attracted to the course and gradually reached the conclusion that they would like to assume responsibility for all the bookmaking process including the contents of a book. This major decision made by the students would later show how fruitful this venture would be. Professor Masaki Nakamura of the Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences at Osaka University who was responsible for this course said, “The students’ imagination became even bigger and broader week after week as the bookmaking process continued, and finally went some way beyond what we faculty members had thought appropriate at the time.”

The students were divided into four groups. Each group wrote a book proposal and made a 10-minute presentation to show the ideas that they had come up with in November 2012. Two groups were chosen and went to the finals. Finally, these two groups made formal presentations to the Publishing Committee of the Osaka University Press in December. This committee consisted of Osaka University professors. These professors are normally very critical about book proposals to ensure they keep a high quality and standard of books published by the Osaka University Press. Even faculty members have difficulty in convincing the Publishing Committee that their book proposals are appropriate enough. So the students may have had what seemed a bit of an uphill struggle in convincing the Publishing Committee.

With a series of changes, some advice from faculty members and editors of the Osaka University Press, in March 2013, the Committee finally approved the book proposal entitled “Can You Eat a Doughnut While Keeping the Hole?” Amazing! Did professors of a prestigious national university actually approve a book proposal initiated and made by undergraduate students? Well, yes, they did. Were the university students able to complete this project? They actually did and the book is scheduled to be published this month. I had a chance of interviewing the students of this project as well as the faculty members and Osaka University Press editors who helped these students. It makes for quite interesting reading.

Q: Did you actually believe that you would complete the project and that your book would be published?

Student A: Oh, I thought some kind of book would be published, but I never imagined that this project would become such a major one that involved TV and radio programs, major bookstores like Kinokuniya, and the possible ideas of collaboration with major corporations. I am quite surprised really.

Professor Matsuyuki: If we faculty members provided an environment in which students could enjoy their project, I was certain that this project would come true. In reality, the students went far beyond our expectations. I never thought that this project would attract so much media attention.

Q: What was the biggest difference between what you expected when you were making a book proposal and what you actually encountered when you carried out the project?

Student A: I optimistically thought that it would work out. I was proved to be dead wrong. I had to spend a much longer time and put in more effort than I had originally expected.

Ms Kawakami (editor): Schedule management was the most difficult task. The students had different class schedules and the only time many of us could get together was at night after the last class.

Q: What is the most important achievement to come out of this project?

Student A: Through numerous collaborations, I got acquainted with a large number of people, became inspired by other people’s knowledge and experiences, and was able to broaden my own perspectives.

Professor Matsuyuki: Completing this project, the students became more mature. They accumulated many valuable experiences through collaborations with many different walks of life.

Q: Even professional editors often have difficulties with communicating with authors especially university professors. In this project, the students assumed responsibility for communicating with the professors via email. What was the most difficult point in communicating with the authors?

Student B: Emails! I had to be very careful in not offending or using inappropriate expressions to professors whom I had never met. I read each email four or five times before sending them.

Student C: I tried my best to get the authors attracted toward this project.

Student D: When I had to ask the professors to make a large amount of revisions, I had to be very careful in not offending them. I tried to make constructive suggestions where possible.

Q: What were the negative aspects of carrying out this project?

Student E: Deadline! I had great difficulty in accomplishing so many tasks at such short notice.

Student B: This project was so interesting and attractive that I sometimes forgot to attend classes. Oh, no, I might start to get much lower points now!?

Student C: Oh, there were no negative aspects at all. It is true that I sometimes felt overwhelmed by the task that I had to finish, but I expected it from the very beginning.

Student D: Too much work! It was extremely difficult to manage my schedule.

Q: How about a second proposal? Would you like to do it again?

Student E: First, I would need a rest. Then, from a completely different approach, I would love to make a second proposal.

Student A: It depends on the subject.

Student D: I am a freshman now and I would love to do it!!

Q: Any message to the readers?

Student E: This is a very good book for university students to broaden their knowledge beyond their major field. This is a good opportunity to touch upon different academic disciplines.

Student A: You can also learn that you have many different perspectives available to deal with the same problem.

Student C: Many men, many minds. It is an exciting experience to realize that different people think in different ways. This book will give you exactly that feeling.

Student D: Publishing resembles raising children. I edited manuscripts to make them better just like parents discipline their children to make their future better.

I also spoke to the editors of the Osaka University Press.

Q: What did you think when you first received this proposal?

Mr Tsuchihashi: Because this is the kind of project I have long wanted to try, I thought this was a good opportunity.

Ms Kawakami: It was an interesting theme, but… I had to think a lot.

Q: Your boss or the Publishing Committee might say, “Are you nuts? This is some kind of joke, right? Get back to your work.” Didn’t you think that this might happen?

Mr Tsuchihashi: Oh, no. This is an interesting theme and it would definitely be in the news.

Ms Kawakami: I prepared myself for the probability that the Publishing Committee might say so. At the same time, I expected that the Committee would severely point out defects from the proposal. In that case, as a professional editor, I intended to do whatever I could to help the students improve their proposal.

Q: What were the positive and negative aspects in carrying out this project?

Mr Tsuchihashi: The most important positive aspect was that this project gave me an opportunity of making a book from a completely new approach. I felt no negative aspects at all.

Ms Kawakami: I have reconfirmed the significance of my job as an editor and the students’ sensibility stimulated my interest. If I have to point out a negative aspect, it was schedule management.

Kinokuniya book store will hold a series of activities to commemorate the launch of the book on Sat Feb 15, Sun Feb 23 and Sat March 2 at Kinokuniya Grand-Front Osaka Store. For more information, click on the links below.

http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/ja/news/seminar/2014/02/5948 http://www.celas.osaka-u.ac.jp/ourwork/shosekika https://www.facebook.com/shosekika
https://twitter.com/shosekikahandai

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