Japanmanship DX, the ultimate guide to working in video games in Japan [submitted]

Discussion in 'iOS Apps' started by James Kay, Oct 11, 2012.

  1. James Kay

    James Kay Well-Known Member

    #1 James Kay, Oct 11, 2012
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2012
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    For the last, say, year and a bit orso, I've been writing up a guidebook for people who want to work in video game development in Japan, based off of my old blog "Japanmanship". Today, finally, I have submitted the iPad version to Apple for approval. Fingers crossed!

    The book is slated for print-on-demand and other ebook services too, but inspired by the excellent "Final Hours Of..." series I really wanted to make the iPad version the definitive one, hence the "Deluxe" addition to the title.

    The book offers insights into your motivations for working in Japan, writing resumes, finding jobs, salaries, working conditions and more. It has a chapter of editorials, interviews with other foreign developers in Japan, useful links and a huge company database of over 250 entries listing Japanese game development companies all over Japan to help you get started (with URLs, addresses, contact details, etc.).

    This Deluxe edition has a few interactive elements, and if you have internet connectivity, polls and live feedback. URL links in the company database and elsewhere are all live links sending you to your iPad's browser. Also, to make this edition truly special, there is a special bonus chapter on "gamesmanship in Japan" for fun.

    I really hope the submission goes through without a hitch. It took me a long time to write and long too to create this Deluxe edition (using, eventually, Adobe Publishing Suite and InDesign). The blog was, I've been informed, helpful and insightful to many, some people even having made the jump, and I sincerely hope this guidebook will do the same, especially in these times of negative press for the Japanese industry. I do think it is a time of change right now in Japanese game development but that this offers up exciting opportunities as well, so it's not all doom and gloom!

    Wish me luck! I'll update this topic if it gets approved and we release it.
     
  2. James Kay

    James Kay Well-Known Member

    Well, sorry people. This Deluxe edition isn't happening, Apple rejected it.
    I either take out some of the interactive features currently not supported by ibookstore so it can be submitted as a boring old ebook, or somehow make it not a book. I appealed and the result was the same. "It's basically a book, so submit it to the ibookstore", which means gimping it, so it'd be pointless to call it a Deluxe edition.

    So after months of hard work, I scrapped it. I'm very disappointed ebooks can only be exactly what Apple wants them to be, and no better.

    For people still interested in the guidebook, a print-on-demand version will be available through Lulu.com and an ebook version through Amazon. Probably not Apple.

    - J
     

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