Publishing & Reprint Projects
A series of reprint projects that combine crowdfunding and on-site sales to bring back out-of-print or hard-to-find books.
“Sony: The Secrets of Technology” Reprint (Readyfor)
- Period：Sep 14, 2016 – Nov 14, 2016
- Platform：Readyfor
- Overview：Crowdfunding to reprint “Sony: The Secrets of Technology” by Nobutoshi Kihara, father of our CEO, Tomomi Kihara. Achieved the target as our first reprint project, backed by readers who cherished the out-of-print book.
- Link：Readyfor “Reprint the out-of-print book ‘Sony: The Secrets of Technology’ by Nobutoshi Kihara”
“The Gakureki Muyoron” Reprint (A-port)
- Period：Aug 1, 2017 – Oct 3, 2017
- Platform：A-port (Asahi Shimbun)
- Overview：Reprint project for “The Gakureki Muyoron,” written by Sony founder Akio Morita. We obtained a publisher code and carried out a full-scale offset reprint; this project led to the founding of Field Archive Inc.
- Link：HUFFPOST “Sony founder Akio Morita’s out-of-print book ‘The Gakureki Muyoron’ to be revived”
“Passion & Spirit” Reprint (CAMPFIRE)
- Period：May 24, 2019 – Jun 24, 2019
- Platform：CAMPFIRE
- Overview：Reprint project for “Passion & Spirit,” supported by 136 backers raising ¥904,584—successfully reaching the goal.
- Link：CAMPFIRE “Reprint ‘Passion & Spirit,’ a story behind Toyota, Mizkan, and Pasco”
“New Meritocracy” Reprint (CAMPFIRE)
- Period：Aug 27, 2021 – Oct 15, 2021
- Platform：CAMPFIRE
- Overview：Reprint project for “New Meritocracy.” Supported by 120 backers, raising ¥1,608,000 and completing successfully.
- Link：CAMPFIRE “Share the legendary business book ‘New Meritocracy’ by Sony founder Akio Morita”
Linked Sales with Museums & Exhibitions
On-site Sales: “It’s a Sony” Exhibition
- Period：Nov 12, 2016 – Mar 31, 2017
- Venue：Sony Building, Ginza – “It’s a Sony” Exhibition
- Details：Sold the reprinted “Sony: The Secrets of Technology” on-site, reaching visitors interested in Sony’s history and technology.
- Link：Sony News Release “Countdown event before Sony Building reconstruction: ‘It’s a Sony’ Exhibition”
Special Exhibition “1000 Technologies that Changed Japan”
- Period：Oct 30, 2018 – Mar 3, 2019
- Venue：National Museum of Nature and Science (Ueno, Tokyo)
- Details：Sold reprinted books at the “Meiji 150th Anniversary: 1000 Technologies that Changed Japan” exhibition as related technology-history titles.
- Link：Special Exhibition “1000 Technologies that Changed Japan” (National Museum of Nature and Science)
Permanent Sales at Handa Red Brick Building
- Period：2019 – (ongoing)
- Place：Handa Red Brick Building (Handa, Aichi)
- Details：Ongoing sales of “Passion & Spirit—Sukei Gijuku and Chita Great People” at the site where Kabuto Beer production began, linking the building’s history with the book’s content; repeat orders continue.
- Link：Handa Red Brick Building “History / Facility”
Permanent Sales at Akio Morita Memorial / Facility-led Publishing
- Period：2023 – (ongoing)
- Place：Akio Morita Memorial (Tokoname, Aichi)
- Details：Three titles—“The Gakureki Muyoron,” “Passion & Spirit,” and “New Meritocracy”—are sold permanently on-site. We also supported the facility-led reprint “Omotenashi no Kokoro to Omotenashi wo Ukeru Kokoro” with design and production management.
- Link：TENGAI FOUNDATION “On the reprint of ‘Omotenashi no Kokoro to Omotenashi wo Ukeru Kokoro’”
Crowdfunding Summary
All four reprint projects via Readyfor, A-port, and CAMPFIRE achieved their funding goals. Based on these experiences, we design realistic publishing plans even for small-scale projects.