Dōjunkai Apartments

Dear all, This is the update I have been waiting to write for a long time. I am delighted to let you know that the manuscript - the book - has found a home! A contract has just been signed with the prestigious publisher Brill (https://brill.com/). The book will be published in Brill’s Japanese Studies Library. I will come back with further updates, in the meantime thank you all again for your trust and support. Best wishes, Marco

Dear supporters,

Please excuse me for making you wait so long for an update on the project. Frankly, I was waiting for some better news to share. However, since the publishers are keeping me in suspense, I thought I would post a new update in the meantime. The manuscript is in the hands of a famous European publisher who asked for an exclusive (first) option until the end of February, but then recently asked for an extension until mid-April. While I am nervous waiting for the outcome of the review, I am also thinking about possible alternatives in case of negative feedback. All in all, it is proving rather difficult to conclude a deal with a publisher. Another famous publisher was interested in reviewing the manuscript, but I had to decline because I was offered terms that were not entirely acceptable, such as significantly reducing the number of images and printing the images only in black and white. As always, I will keep you informed on the progress of the project, hoping to be able to share some more concrete results next time. All the best, Marco

ar all,

The journey is long, but we will get there! The road is not always easy.

I have good news to share first. The manuscript was edited over the entire summer. I am indebted to the very capable editor Amy Newland, whose painstaking and patient work greatly improved the text. I worked closely with Amy, rewriting sections of the book when necessary. I am also grateful to the contributors for their feedback and for being helpfully engaged in the process. The manuscript is now ready for review by editors and referees.

I regret to inform you that… The University of Hawai’i Press declined my book proposal, which was a surprise. The publisher’s comments about the volume’s complexity, the number of illustrations, and the specialized nature of the book (architectural history) make it clear that they do not feel confident in publishing such a book. They have moved away from the fields of architecture and urban history in recent years, which is why this book is not a good fit for them. I was shocked when I was informed of this, especially since I have been in contact with this publisher for three years and they did not discuss their policy change with me in a timely manner.

I have already sent the manuscript to other publishers who have expressed interest in the book. Two of these publishers are located in the Netherlands and one is in Zurich. I am confident that I will find a good publisher for the book, and I encourage all of you to keep your fingers crossed. I will provide further updates soon.

Thank you for your positive energy…

All the best, Marco

Hello everyone,

I have been looking forward to writing this message! The manuscript has been completed and is now with the copy-editor. It is a volume of about 90’000 words (many publishers require an academic volume to be between 80’000 and 120’000 words).

Copy-editing will take a maximum of two months, after which I will submit the revised manuscript to the publisher who has expressed interest in reading it. As one of my colleagues said, this publisher (University of Hawai’i Press - yes, I know it sounds a bit exotic, but it is a really good academic publisher, especially for works on Asia and the Pacific) would be ’the best home’ for our book. Of course, I have prepared a plan B in case it does not work out with this particular publisher.

Since this is an academic project, it will have to be peer-reviewed by experts to see if it is suitable for publication. This may be a rather slow process and the reviewer might require changes to the manuscript. I will keep you informed as the project progresses.

My best wishes, Marco

Hi Everyone, We’re approaching the end of the year and here I am with a new update on the Public Housing in Japan project. Despite some bumps encountered along the road, the content of the book is approaching completion: The chapters have been written, the interviews have been translated and edited. Introductory texts are in writing (introductions, aknowledgments, and forward by reknown architect Yamamoto Riken). I will work on the editing of the volume until end of February, when the manuscript will be delivered to the copy-editor. After copy-editing, the manuscript will be submitted to the Publisher. It’s a long journey…! I take the oportunity to wish you all a happy festive season. Sincerely, Marco

Hi everyone! Summer is in full swing, but despite the holiday mood we continue making progress with the book’s «construction site». At the moment we are striving to meet the draft chapters deadline. Some of the chapters have been already submitted and I am looking forward to seeing the draft of the manuscript gradually enfolding. Some more good news regarding financing. I was able to secure a grant from The Metropolitan Centre for Far Eastern Art (Packard Foundation). Together with your contributions this will help cover the costs for the completion of the manuscript (translations and copyediting) as well as paying copyright fees (images acquired from third parties). I wish you a relaxed and not too hot summer! Sincerely yours, Marco.

After the February update… The mailing of rewards has been completed for some time. It is good to know that you now have something that I personally made, whether it is an e-card, a drawing or a larger black and white photograph. Translations of the interviews have been completed and all the authors are at work on their chapters. You probably remember that the first chapter of the second part of the book was still waiting for an author. I am very happy to let you know that Ken Tadashi Oshima, an American scholar and well-known specialist in Japanese architecture, has agreed to join the Dōjunkai Book Project. Professor Ōtsuki Toshio and I, on the other hand, have decided to co-author the first chapter of the book, originally assigned to a colleague who withdrew from the project. In this long journey I presume some bumps in the road are inevitable. It is obvious that these changes have led to a delay in chapter submission deadlines. I hope to be able to catch up on time in the editing and copy-editing stages. That is all for now. Sincerely yours, Mark (m.pompili@mpastudio.ch)

First of all the rewards have been sent to my backers! An exception are the prints of the large size black and white photos, which need weeks to be completed. I haven’t forgotten to send them, it’s only taking a little longer than everyone’s expected. I am glad to let you know that the work on the content of the book is progressing. The translation into English of the Japanese texts with interviews to professors Fujimori, Satō and Jinnai is underway and almost completed. A big thank you goes to Chiaki Ajioka, the art historian and professional translator, with whom I have worked during the past few weeks. All chapter authors are at work and the book body should take an initial shape by beginning of spring. Best Regards, Marco (m.pompili@mpastudio.ch)

We made it! Thank you for your support. I will be in touch regarding the rewards you have chosen. These will be sent out as soon as possible.

Your contribution has given substantial fuel for the book project to move on. The authors are currently working on the texts making the body of the book. These will be collected during the coming 6 months. Through the finances gathered so far a substantial part of the costs of text post production (translation and editing) will be covered.

I will keep you informed of the progresses that the project will make. Best Wishes, Marco (m.pompili@mpastudio.ch)