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My first book will be published on August 9th!
The title is …(quite long…inhaling….)
“How to meet who you want to be ー Messages from someone who jumped into the world ー ”
(Iwanami Books).
Since this is my first published book, let me briefly explain what this is about and my strong intention around the cover page (in Japanese version, I included some hidden stories).
What this book is about
Simply put, it is a book about the course of lifeーhow to live, how to work, and how to learn. Although the main audience is youth, there also have strong messages for adults who want to think and do something about own way of living, working and learning. Below are an overview and the table of contents (in Japanese).
Outline of the book
Introduction
Chapter 1. Do I have to find “what I want to do” and turn it into a job?
- Career plan starting from elementary and junior high school?
- “What I like” and “What I want to do”
- Will you be unable to reach the goal if you deviate from the rails?
- A choice made by a former middle school outlier
Chapter 2. My career surfing ──Various experiences lead to learning
- The path I walked without immediate “job hunting”
- What I learned as a chef in New York
- Reason for deciding to pursue international support
- Global work (United Nations, embassies, NGOs) and work styles and ways of thinking of foreigners
Chapter 3. Find your own way of living, working and learning
- Whether you want to do something or not, let’s do something for now
- Practice to know yourself without comparing yourself to others
- Know yourself and choose
- To find your own way of living, working and learning
Conclusion
Recommended book guide for those who want to take a step forward
Strong intention for the book cover
I wanted to put three things on the cover.
The first is the door. There are many doors in life, and it is up to you to open them (although sometimes they open on their own). It means that from the moment the reader picks up this book, he or she is preparing to take the first step by opening a door to meet who they want to be.
The second is the road. There are paths with footprints (paths paved by our predecessors) and the paths without footprints/fixed road
The third is mountain. I wanted to leave a nuance that life has peaks and valleys.
Below is the BEFORE (my draft) and AFTER (finished version).
【BEFORE_Suggested by author (me)】
【AFTER_Final version by Illustrator 】
The cover image can be widen up if you open the book.
The editor sent me a photo of the sample. When you pile several books, it shows an unintended picture of a connected zigzag path. It also serves as an afterthought message that “It’s okay to zigzag your life.”
While main target audience is youth, I put my messages for parents and adults as well, and it took a yeah and a half.
If you know someone who might be interested, please pass this info. I am grateful to all the people I met on my path so far.
Thanks and cheers!
The learning of this time
I learned a lot from the process of writing/finalizing a book that took a long time and effort, and it motivated me to continue writing in the future. If the contents of this book resonate with someone even a little, I think that there was a meaning that I was born.
Thank you for reading this article. Have a great learning!
As always, excellent work! Looking on the outer cover, the outline of the book, and this introduction, I am interested to buy it for my children, myself, and friends. When do you plan to publish the English version?
Dear Fitsum, my sincere apologies for the delay in reply (just noticed!)
Thank you so much for your kind words! As soon as I find publisher who wants to buy translation right in English, it’s done (if you know anyone, please do let me know, haha!)