A press conference was held for the unprecedented cross-publishing industry project “Book Fair Championship (BFC)”
Cross Media Group Co., Ltd. Press release: November 11, 2024 A press conference was held for the unprecedented cross-publishing industry project “Book Fair Championship (BFC)” Bookstores, publishers, and even authors came together to talk about their thoughts on the project The Book Fair Championship (hereinafter referred to as BFC) is an event in which bookstores and publishers collaborate and compete to plan the most interesting bookstore fair in Japan. We bring you details of the press conference that kicked off this project, held at Roppongi Tsutaya Bookstore on November 1st, “Book Day.”
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bookstores” • It was announced that Akutagawa Prize-winning author Yusei Takiguchi and others will be appointed as referees for BFC, and Hiroshi Tanahashi of New Japan Pro Wrestling will be on stage at the BFC’s first championship belt presentation ceremony. • Mr. Yasushi Chiguchi of Nippon Shimbun Pulp Shoji decided to sponsor the bookstore staff and expressed his strong expectations for BFC • Mr. Sho Takano of Rights Company, Mr. Yuto Nogami of NIC Retails, and Motoo Okada of Cross Media Publishing participated in a talk session with
representatives from supporting companies • Mr. Sekaikan Ozaki talks about his expectations for BFC and comments that competition among bookstore staff will increase motivation An unprecedented project across the publishing industry BFC, where booksellers from all over the country compete for the championship belt and the first title, will hold a press conference to commemorate the recruitment of bookstore fairs and the start of crowdfunding on November 1st (Friday) at Roppongi Tsutaya Bookstore (Minato, Tokyo). (BFC official website: https://book-fair-championship.com/ ). Along with members of the executive committee, distinguished guests took to the stage to convey the significance of this project from various perspectives. About Book Fair Championship (BFC): BFC is a cross-publishing industry project in which booksellers from all over the country compete to plan the most interesting bookstore fair in Japan, and the inaugural champion is awarded a belt and a prize of 300,000 yen. Participating bookstores include Tsutaya Shoten, Maruzen Junkudo Shoten, and Seiwado Shoten. The participating publishers are Rights Publishing, Cross Media Publishing, and Pi International, with support from many other publishers. The executive committee chairperson is Mr. Hiromitsu Kitada, who is the manager of “Umeda Tsutaya Bookstore” and is also active as the sole publisher “Shosi Kisui.” We launched this project with the idea that we can change the future of the publishing industry ourselves. BFC Executive Committee Nippon Paper and Pulp Corporation, BOOK MEETS NEXT Booksellers & Company We are looking for proposals for Japan’s most interesting bookstore fair! “We want to shine a spotlight on bookstore staff, and we also want to increase the number of customers who visit bookstores by one more person.” (MC Yuko Nakamura) At the beginning of the event, MC Yuko Nakamura introduced the significance and purpose of this project.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-00628377ae757cacde5bbec02fed291d-3900×2435.jpg MC Yuko Nakamura The unique concept of “competing to plan Japan’s most interesting bookstore fair for the championship belt and the first title” provides a place for bookstore employees from all over the country to bring their ideas to the table and demonstrate their creativity. At this pre-event, we invited various media personnel and emphasized that the purpose was to widely disseminate the thoughts and ideas of the executive committee. He expressed his desire to “put the spotlight on bookstore staff and encourage more customers to visit bookstores,” and called on participants to cooperate. Aiming for the publishing industry’s “M-1 Grand Prix” “As a bookseller, I want to implement this project first and change the future of our publishing industry.” (Hiromitsu Kitada, BFC Executive Committee Chairman) Next, BFC Executive Committee Chairman Hiromitsu Kitada took to the stage and spoke about his enthusiasm for the project and the importance of booksellers.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-7bb8c57fcc1fc6206b07ab2c331b7e67-3894×2342.jpg BFC Executive Committee Chairman Hiromitsu Kitada Regarding this project, Mr. Kitada said, “The focus is not on what kind of books you want to buy, but on who you want to buy books from. “There is,” he said. As background for implementing BFC, he mentioned the decrease in the number of bookstores, the decrease in the number of readers, and the recession in publishing. He touched on the current situation where it is difficult to attract young talent in an environment where there is so much negative news, and pointed out the danger of the entire industry becoming obsolete. Kitada also emphasized, “It’s important to shine a spotlight on the deep and fascinating work of being a bookstore clerk and spread the word about it.” “We want to make the bookstore section itself interesting and attract many customers,” he continued. Even if we attribute the decline in bookstore sales solely to the environment, we will not be able to overcome the current situation. Mr. Kitada strongly stated, “I want to change the future of our publishing industry by implementing this project first as a bookseller.” BFC has three main purposes. The first is to spread the word about the unique fairs held at bookstores across the country. Although we live in the age of social media, there is a problem in that booksellers’ messages only reach their followers. Therefore, by introducing fairs entered at BFC with photos on the official website, we will create a system to deliver information to more people and encourage them to visit our store. The second is to share information about the fair beyond the boundaries of bookstores. At present, we are only sharing knowledge within the company. He also said that his aim is to make this information available for sharing across the industry. Third, please visit bookstores that hold unique fairs. Entries will begin on November 1st, and the top ten will be announced in
mid-January after the first round of selection. The first champion was then decided by three judges. Furthermore, defense battles are held twice a year, and the first champion must come up with a new plan. BFC is unique in that it is a cross-sector publishing industry project supported by many bookstores and publishers. In addition, we have invited Akutagawa Prize-winning author Yuki Takiguchi, literary critic Kaho Miyake, and bookstore owner Ryota Hisare to serve as judges. He also revealed that he had received a message of encouragement from author Kamazo Kitakata, and also introduced the comment, “Unexpected effects may emerge.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-9a70ca621835efa6a904307dfc1c5b9b-3900×2757.jpg Champion belt presented to the champion Mr. Kitada then talked about the prospects for BFC. Using the M-1 Grand Prix, a manzai contest, as an example, he talked about the achievements of the Grand Prix, saying, “The number of manzai competitors increases → The quality of manzai increases → The number of fans of manzai increases, and the number of people aiming to become comedians increases.” In the same way as this trend, with the establishment of BFC, he hopes to create a system in which “the number of bookstores that enter will increase → the quality of fair planning will improve → more people will visit bookstores across the country, and the motivation of bookstore staff will increase.” I did. Furthermore, Mr. Kitada introduced the championship belt. The special presenter was Hiroshi Tanahashi, president and player of New Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd. “This time, I will be participating in the championship belt presentation ceremony for the first BFC champion.The nutrients you can get from books are unlike anything else.I would like to thank everyone who continues to spread the word about how wonderful it is.” I read it out loud. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-a1108d0ee2449d5a59add0913f694e04-1500×2000.jpg New Japan Pro Wrestling Co., Ltd. President and Player Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) New Japan Pro Wrestling Finally, he concluded by saying, “It is important that bookstore sales areas become more attractive, that more customers come to the store for the fair, that we increase the number of entries, and that we continue to hold the fair.” “Eventually, we want to grow it into a big project like the M-1 Grand Prix,” he emphasized, calling for cooperation in crowdfunding. Towards the development of paper culture. High expectations for paper specialty trading companies “The spread of the functions and value of paper was in line with the vision of the company, which is a trading company specializing in paper. I’m excited to see this heated battle unfold and I want to fully support them.” (Senior Executive Officer, Nippon Paper Pulp Trading Company, Newspaper)・Publishing Sales Headquarters General Manager Yasushi Chiguchi)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-72084894489c4d56aeb26340de6fbc35-3481×2695.jpg Yasushi Chikuguchi, Senior Executive Officer and General Manager of Newspaper and Publishing Sales Division, Nippon Paper and Pulp Shoji Next, Mr. Yasushi Chikuguchi of Nippon Paper and Pulp Shoji took the stage and gave a speech on behalf of the supporting companies. Congratulations on the successful start of the 1st Book Fair Championship. Mr. Chikuguchi cited the passion of Executive Committee Chairman Kitada as the reason he decided to sponsor the event. He also said that this was because spreading the functionality and value of paper was in line with the company’s vision as a trading company specializing in paper. He also talked about his desire to support booksellers in their efforts to deliver as many books as possible to readers through a fair that focuses on booksellers. In closing, he said, “We are looking forward to seeing many bookstore staff members participate.And we hope that we will continue to be excited and firmly support the exciting battle that will take place to aim for a worthy championship belt and become the first champion.” He expressed his expectations for BFC. I finished my speech by praying that the championship would continue to be a symbolic presence and that as many readers as possible would visit bookstores. What I want to convey to booksellers across the country: “Promote yourself, not just books!” “This is a project to make the value of bookstores known to the world. I want you to support bookstore staff.” (Yoshito Nogami, NIC Retails Co., Ltd.) “More than 90% of the bookstore staff responded favorably. We hope you enjoy it casually.” (Sho Takano, Rights Co., Ltd.) “Weekend bookstore staff have potential. It is important to expand the range of bookstore staff” (Motoo Okada, Cross Media Publishing Co., Ltd.) Next was a talk time with members of the executive committee. Regarding the purpose of BFC, which is sponsored by various
publishers, Mr. Kitada, Mr. Sho Takano of Rights Company, and NIC Retailers discussed the theme of “What can we do to promote this project beyond the boundaries of companies?” Mr. Yoshito Nogami of “Cross Media Publishing” and Motoo Okada of Cross Media Publishing talked.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-53fe873668513cbc43cb82aac0204d40-3900×2138.jpg From left: Mr. Yuto Nogami of NIC Retails, Mr. Sho Takano of Rights, and Motoo Okada of Cross Media Publishing Mr. Takano of Rights Publishing said that the most important thing is for more booksellers to participate. He appealed to bookstore staff to participate, saying, “We want you to feel free to enjoy it.” Mr. Kitada recognized that “it is difficult to build excitement for a project from the first time” and compared it with past events. Referring to the first M-1 Grand Prix, he said, “There weren’t that many entries.” Furthermore, he expressed hope that by having booksellers compete with each other, “If the appeal and fun of bookstores becomes more diverse, more people may decide to visit bookstores.” Regarding the role played by publisher sales, Mr. Okada of Cross Media Publishing talked about his own experience as a bookseller and said, “I feel like I want to work together with publisher sales people,” and said, emphasized the importance of Mr. Kitada asked Mr. Okada about the importance of raising funds through crowdfunding. Okada said, “I think crowdfunding is not a place to collect money, but a place to get involved.” By providing participants with the opportunity to be judged, “I think of crowdfunding as a place to get involved.” It is important that you do so.” Mr. Takano talked about approaching bookstore staff and reported, “At first I thought there would be a reluctant reaction, but I showed the book to bookstores all over the country and more than 90% of them responded favorably.” did. He said he especially felt the independent motivation of local bookstore staff. Mr. Kitada asked Mr. Nogami for his opinion on the diverse work of booksellers. From his own experience, Mr. Nogami said, “I was told to make all the shelves in a bookstore as if they were fair.” Even when bookstore staff make ordinary shelves that are not labeled as “fair,” they think that they are just like fair shelves. He pointed out that the ability to edit knowledge can be demonstrated. He also said that book fairs have a cross-border aspect, combining books from various genres. Okada said that in order for booksellers to become a coveted profession, it is necessary to digitize the industry and improve the profit structure, adding, “It is important to broaden the base of booksellers.” We believe that a new form of bookstore staff, such as the “weekend bookstore clerk,” has the potential to expand the appeal of bookstores. In his message to bookstore staff, Mr. Nogami emphasized the importance of “the value of a bookstore that cannot be reduced to the sum of the values of books,” and hoped that the Book Fair Championship would be an opportunity to make that value manifest. . He also touched on crowdfunding support and explained that “this is a project to make the value of bookstores known to the world.” Mr. Kitada expressed his gratitude to the participants and concluded the talk session on supporting companies. The sense of security at a bookstore that hasn’t changed since I was a child. I’m looking forward to adding “the fun of competing” “I think bookstore fairs move people. Competing against each other is motivating.” (Creep Hype vocalist, guitar/author Sekaikan Ozaki) In the second half of this presentation, we welcomed a special guest, Mr. Sekaikan Ozaki, who spoke about BFC’s initiatives, bookstores, and his passion for books. Mr. Ozaki gave his frank opinion to BFC, saying, “I thought it looked really
interesting,” and said that he was interested in books recommended by bookstores, as he himself has written a book. “I had no idea of doing it in a contest format,” he said, expressing his expectations for this new endeavor.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-89d1cffe132c426ad6c87c3d10a68827-3500×1911.jpg Mr. Ozaki Sekaikan talking with Mr. Kitada (left) Booksellers do not have the opportunity to be publicly evaluated. In response, Mr. Ozaki said that while he was motivated by competition, he cited the peaceful image that bookstores have and said, “I could feel the passion in that.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/80658/682/80658-682-03c957ab72b5c0bb5314d0d63fbb7f74-2969×2027.jpg Mr. Kitada (left), Mr. Ozaki (center), and Mr. Chikuchi (right) with the championship belt When I first heard about this project, I thought it looked very interesting. I’ve written and published a book myself, so I want my book to be placed in a prominent place, and I heard that the idea was to do it in a championship format. It’s important for everyone to work together, but I also think it’s important to compete with each other because it motivates us, and we don’t want to lose. I think it’s a great project to promote your favorite books with passion. For me, bookstores are always there. It is a place where you can feel sensitively whether you are feeling well or depressed. When I worked with a bookstore employee at a fair for the release of new books, I was able to get a glimpse of the other side of the sales floor that I normally don’t know about, and I realized that bookstores are both a familiar place and an unknown place at the same time. . This project will definitely continue, so I would like you to enter from the first time! As a writer, you have the opportunity to receive public recognition such as the Akutagawa Prize or the Naoki Prize, and the same goes for publishers. However, booksellers are not publicly evaluated. BFC is a competition in which booksellers from all over the country enter in a fair to determine the first champion. Many of the bookstore staff are reserved, but I hope everyone will continue to pay attention to who will be the champion. Mr. Yuki Takiguchi, who is on the selection committee that decides the champion, is also a novelist, and he is holding the fair jointly with a bookstore employee from Standard Bookstore. Similarly, Mr. Ozaki Sekaikan is holding a fair together with the bookstore staff at the Kinokuniya Bookstore Yokohama store. I am very happy to have someone like Mr. Ozaki on stage this time. This project will decide the first champion in late February. I can see booksellers across the country taking on new challenges with Mr. Ozaki’s words in mind. BFC, a cross-sectional project in the publishing industry, was launched to encourage booksellers to rediscover the charm of bookstores and promote reading culture by competing with each other to share their ideas. This press conference conveyed the significance of the project from various perspectives. Please see below for more information on BFC. ・November 1, 2024 (Friday): First entry begins (noon), crowdfunding begins ・December 22, 2024 (Sunday): 1st entry deadline ・Mid-January 2025: Top 10 announced (on BFC official website and BFC official X) ・March 3, 2025 (Monday): First champion announcement and presentation ceremony 1. Conditions for participation of booksellers ・Be a bookstore employee or bookstore owner working at a bookstore in Japan. ・Work history and employment status (employee, part-time job) are inquired 2. Fair project entry conditions ・A fair planned and executed by the applicant within the last 6 months. *However, only the first championship tournament will be considered a fair that was planned and implemented within the last three years. ・The fair theme, genre, location (flat table/shelf), and scale (size of space) are free. ・Entry is limited to one fair per season. Please refer to the “Entry Page” for the items required for entry. ・November 1, 2024 (Friday) noon to December 22, 2024 (Sunday) 23:59 ・1st entry page:
https://eventmanager-plus.jp/get/bdee3c7eb594abae59b15ff555b0e48892d66127eb9ccbff2c1f182e5128d1ed The championship belt will be defended twice a year. [Source of this press release] About Cross Media Group Cross Media Group is a business content and media company whose parent company is a publishing company that has been in business for 19 years. With the vision of
“conducting businesses that contribute to the growth of people and companies through all media and providing new value to society,” we are currently developing four businesses: publishing, marketing, design, and active health. [Company Profile] Company name: Cross Media Group Co., Ltd. Head office location: Toei Jingu Gaien Building, 4-20-3 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051 Representative Director: Koichiro Kobayakawa Business details: Publishing business, marketing support business, design business, active health business Established: October 2005 Official website: http://cm-group.jp ▼Link list (cross media group) Cross Media Group Co., Ltd. https://cm-group.jp Cross Media Publishing Co., Ltd. https://www.cm-publishing.co.jp/ Cross Media Marketing Co., Ltd. https://book.cm-marketing.jp/ Public relations site “Crossmedian” https://crossmedian.com/ [Inquiries from media] About Book Fair Championship (BFC) Public relations person: Shimoyakawa/Tada Email：info_bfc@ccc.co.jp About Cross Media Group Co., Ltd. Public relations person: Yuka Hamanaka Email:
hamanaka@cm-group.jp Tel: 03-5413-3140