Introducing the Judges! Who are the writers and what kind of works is Fumio Kamei from Diamond, Inc. looking for in the #CreativeAward2022?

The "note Creative Award" is a submission contest open to all genres. Since the call for entries began on November 15, 2021, nearly 7,500 works have already been submitted.

Many of you reading this right now might be thinking, "I'll spend the year-end and New Year holidays working on my creation and submit it!"

Therefore, at note, we decided to introduce the judges from each company in sequence over three consecutive days—December 26, 27, and 28—in the hope that it will provide hints for your creative activities.

The first to appear is Fumio Kamei, a book editor at Diamond, Inc.

While Diamond, Inc. is often associated with business books, they also handle a wide range of genres, including children's books and practical guides. Mr. Kamei particularly enjoys discovering new talent. We asked him about the kind of works he wants to encounter now and the writers he is looking for.

I love discovering and nurturing new talent

Mr. Kamei: It has been over ten years since I started working in book editing. I signed a professional contract with Diamond, Inc. in 2018, and I currently mainly produce business books.

Book editors generally fall into two types. First, there is the type who finds an author and works with them to create a book, and second, the type who has a theme in mind and searches for a writer who fits that theme.

I am the former, and I especially love discovering new talent. I produced five books in the past year, and four of them were by new authors. Rather than working with big-name authors who have already produced hits, I find the real thrill in discovering and nurturing new talent. In baseball terms, it feels like being a scout, a coach, and a manager all at once.

Diamond, Inc. welcomes new talent

Mr. Kamei: Publishing a book by a new author who has never published before is a high hurdle for a publisher. It's great if it's a hit, but there's also a high possibility it might miss. However, Diamond, Inc. is relatively welcoming to new talent. If an editor falls in love with a new author and insists, "I will make this kind of book," it often gets approved. In fact, it's almost more appreciated if you bring in new talent.

To discover new talent, I am constantly checking television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet. If I find someone who catches my interest, I immediately look up their background. If I find out the person has never published a book before, I get excited and take action to try and contact them. Conversely, if they have already published a book, I might think, "Well, that's fine" (laughs).

The emergence of the Web has expanded the range for both writers and publishers

Mr. Kamei: In the past, the number of people who could write books was truly limited, but now everyone has the chance to publish their work on the Web. Since things like page views make it immediately visible, publishers can also grasp the reputation of a work in advance. I feel it has become a very good era where the range has expanded for both writers and publishers.

When pitching a book project, if you present concrete numbers like "it went viral on the Web and got tens of thousands of page views," it is sometimes recognized that a certain level of sales can be expected.

Of course, it's not that anything is fine as long as it goes viral, but it is true that things that are going viral have a higher probability of naturally catching an editor's eye. I also research the internet, but since I can't see everything, there are times when I look at what is going viral or what is being talked about and judge whether it is interesting based on that.

I am drawn to works that have the power to stir emotions

Mr. Kamei: In recent years, more business owners have been writing on note, so I have been paying attention to the platform. As an editor, if I read a note article, I can generally tell how capable that person is. It is very convenient because I can use note articles as material to decide whether to publish a book.

Since this Creative Awards is a non-genre competition, I am looking forward to encountering new talent. Diamond, Inc. mainly focuses on business books, but recently we have also been handling self-help books, etiquette books, children's books, and practical books on health and cooking. Since our range is quite broad, I think there are many possibilities.

Personally, I want to encounter works that have the power to stir my emotions. I am drawn to stories that the writer possesses that are dramatic.

The author of the book I am currently working on, 'I Can't Find My Place.,' Saki Kawashiro, is someone who had been writing articles for a long time in a section called 'WEB Tenro-in Bookstore' titled 'Kawashiro Notes.' I happened to come across those articles and once I started reading, I couldn't stop; before I knew it, I was sobbing. I thought, 'This absolutely has to be made into a book!' Works that stir emotions in this way clearly have that much power.

If you keep writing, it will accumulate and become an asset.

Mr. Kamei: My advice to all creators is to 'polish your own strengths above all else.' This might contradict what I said earlier, but I don't think it's right to just think about going viral and pandering in a strange way. If you keep polishing your strengths, and if what you have is truly good, you will eventually meet an editor who understands that. Please cherish those connections.

I think it is extremely important to keep writing. If it is a good work, fans will follow. If you keep writing, it will eventually accumulate and become your asset.

| Fumio Kamei, Fourth Editorial Department, Book Editorial Bureau, Diamond, Inc.

After working at Gakken and Kadokawa Shoten, he signed a professional contract with Diamond, Inc. in 2018. Books he has worked on include 'Shall We Talk About the Times When It Was Painful?' (by Takeshi Morioka), 'Investing as Liberal Arts' (by Kazunari Okuno), and 'Super Language Techniques to Capture Hearts' (by Kotaro Abe), among others.

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We have also interviewed Taku Matsumoto from TV Tokyo and Michiyo Fujita from Gentosha Comics. Please be sure to read those as well!