Behind the scenes: making the book ODO YAKUZA TOKYO
So here are the first details of the book ODO YAKUZA TOKYO to see the light of day. I promised some insight into how I went about all this, and here it is. Although the finished product will look “easier” than the magazine layout, actually a lot more work went into this one… Thinking about creating a good “package” was crucial.
That package meaning everything from images to paper to size to aspect ratio to typography, binding, number of pages, all had to match up perfectly. To get started, here is the cover, front and back, folded open all the way (see the blue dotted lines for folds):
The image of a door I can barely see through, Yakuza members in a meeting and a bodyguard at the door, the mystery that surrounds them, is as always present, yet enough is revealed to be able to take a peek into their world; it felt like an image that sums up the story well.
The title, ODO YAKUZA TOKYO, hopefully speaks for itself, ODO (or 桜道 – which is translated as “the way of the cherry blossom”) being the official sign of the Yakuza family in Tokyo that I have been following for more than two years now. Also notice that the title of the book appears on the backcover. I though long and hard about this one, and in the end I believed it wouldn’t do me any damage. At the same time it’s a tribute to Japanese books, which due to the language, usually start “at the back” and make their way to the front.
Oh, and of course it’s gonna be a softcover… with flaps on the cover folded inside… so much more real, like a book…
I could never have designed the cover without first knowing the entire package; and that took a long time to figure out. Especially because I had nothing to hold in my hands to compare to, to feel, to pick up, to leaf through. It’s always so different to actually hold a book in your hands, compared to looking at a design on the screen. So I started collecting many different books that were interesting in some way or another, and I finally found a book that was almost completely a perfect package like I wanted to create: softcover, portrait (so the opened book can be as accompanying as possible for double page pictures), folded flaps, ±220 pages, a version of lay flat binding, thick paper with a personality, laced with thin tracing paper per chapter, and a size of 8.89 x 11″ (225.9 x 279.4 mm)…This was going to be it.
Double page pictures… I wanted this to be possible but I needed to be sure about the binding, so I could be confident the book could lay flat without breaking. here’s a sample pic, and it works beautifully. I’ve had this particular book for about 5 years now, and the binding still doesn’t show any signs of wear:
Once I knew that was possible, I could start to look at the double page spread as a canvas by itself, and I could start thinking about giving each individual image the whitespace (or bleed) it needed in my eyes. It turned out that all of my images coped extremely well with the double page layout, and I was very happy to see that many images even gained strength because of the depth the fold created in the middle. This was my biggest hurdle and my greatest fear, but now that I look back at it, that decision was a very good one to be made.
On to typography… I wanted to use a favorite and very old typeface Plantin, but because I used that for the logo and design of BURN Magazine, I decided not to got the same route for this book. I moved on to a digital font, with a slightly lighter reading impact on the eye for longer text: Arno by Robert Slimbach. All text in the book is set in versions of the Caption, Italic, Regular, SmText, or Italic SmText, depending on the situation.
The number of pages for a book using this binding and this aspect ratio/size, would ideally be around 200-220… so that’s what I aimed for. A total of 92 images will grace the pages of this book, and reproductions of 12 works of Japanese calligraphy by Ginryu (Taka’s artist name).
After a long search and many print tests, the final paper choice ended up between Fedrigoni’s Symbol Tatami or Périgord’s Condat Mat… at 175 or 150 gr. I went for the Tatami, which has more personality to the touch. Also, the ever so slight ivory colour perfectly matches the yellow cast which seems to be present throughout the images of the Yakuza story. And the beautiful tracing paper between every chapter, accomodating the calligraphy, hopefully give the book that “little extra”.
—
I’m genuinely happy. I feel I’m creating a book that is completely what I envision it to be. The story I want to tell in exactly the way I would love it to be told. To me, this package perfectly fits the bill: paper choice, size, aspect ratio, binding, top quality printing… it all adds up and the different parts seem to complement each other nicely.
Mind you, this all adds up to quite a printing bill…. One which I cannot pay. But I firmly believe in this package, in the way I want to present the YAKUZA story. And rather than sacrificing quality to accomodate limited budget, I’m going to be seeking support from you guys so I can pull this one off…. details on this, and on my thoughts on distribution, very very soon… please stay tuned. I’m gonna need all of you.
peace
a
Robert
April 27, 2011 at 19:13 //
I bought the magazine, and was very happy with it; I’ll happily pre-order (and pre-pay) the book, if that helps to get it out there. You’re not skimping on quality, and the result should be amazing. Looking forward to it!
anton
April 28, 2011 at 08:25 //
Hey Robert,
thanks for the comment… unfortunately as a european I can’t use kickstarter (as far as i know)… but maybe that’ll change soon!
cheers, a
Robert
April 27, 2011 at 19:14 //
I forgot to add: did you consider using http://www.kickstarter.com/ ?
eva
April 27, 2011 at 19:40 //
Anton, it looks fabulous.. so much care, so many details taken care of.. besides the photography.. preordering as well!
anton
April 28, 2011 at 08:26 //
Eva,
will post info on preordering/supporting soon… stay tuned…
hugs, a
Sam Harris
April 28, 2011 at 02:28 //
Anton…
very exciting, cover looks great, the mystery within… strong graphics… so glad you cracked the double page spreads, (i know how tricky they can be).
‘laced with thin tracing paper per chapter’ – very nice touch, especially as the Japanese are so meticulous with paper…
a book to caress and cherish no doubt. you can put me down for a copy.
i’d love for you to one day help me with my postcards from home book ; ))
anton
April 28, 2011 at 08:32 //
Hey Sam,
I sure will put you down for a copy! I’m gonna be posting details soon, I want to make everything that surrounds buying the book an experience by itself… All depends on the tech stuff and if I can get it down or not :-/
working hard…
a
PS I’d totally love to help you out on designing your book or giving input/thoughts wherever I can… my schedule is extremely hectic up until end of june, but after that, let’s talk….
Sam Harris
April 29, 2011 at 07:46 //
Anton,
looking forward to ‘that’ buying experience… keep working hard, it’s gonna be killer!
after june… yeah lets talk…
flying to sydney tomorrow morning… into it>>>
best, Sam
Mike R
April 28, 2011 at 15:59 //
Anton,
The layout above looks really good and the calligraphy by Taka-san is amazing! It not only says jump: it looks jump! Reading your thought process and the decisions that you have made only reinforce how much work you have put into your book. To be able to see a landmark work come to life has been a privilege. Thanks Anton and yes, I want the book! Looking forward to reading your plans for funding.
Mike.
anton
April 28, 2011 at 23:14 //
Hey Mike,
It really does doesn’t it? i think so too, even though I can’t read much japanese. Many of the characters have this kind thing going for them, which makes it so interesting…
I’ll post more details on preordering and all that stuff soon… glad you’re down for one!
cheers,a
eva
April 29, 2011 at 08:54 //
Anton.. have you scanned Taka-san’s .. I want to write designs, even though I know it is calligraphy.. or have you photographed the sheets?
anton
April 29, 2011 at 08:59 //
Hey Eva,
I photographed the sheets because I felt it a better reproduction of the work , the texture of the paper, light, shadow etc…. scanning just looked too “flat” and lifeless…
a
eva
April 29, 2011 at 09:32 //
Yep, was thinking the same :)
Charles Peterson
April 29, 2011 at 22:06 //
Hi Anton,
Well you know you can put me down for one! Looks great and I like the back cover title ala Japanese books. Bruce Gilden did a similar thing with his book “GO” though actually running the whole thing front to back. Quite a hard book to find though I grabbed a copy the last time I was in Tokyo at that great photo book store in Aoyama (name escapes me).
Anyway, I’m actually currently designing my next book (more music/portrait archives) in a landscape mode to see how that works out, though I prefer portrait books more. May go back to that style, it’s just that a larger proportion of my images seem to be landscape and therefore trying to keep the overall length of the book down. But I’ve been told that portrait books do better sales wise – I think it’s because psychologically it fits more into our definition of a book.
Best of luck and can’t wait!
Carlo
May 4, 2011 at 18:22 //
The process and making of the book is as interesting and engaging as the subject matter you are documenting. I’m truly fascinated by both stories.
I also admire your patience….I don’t know if I will be able to wait so long to see the fruits of my labor…..but you are doing it and that itself must be rewarding.
Please put me down for a pre-order copy!
Can’t wait to read more on the next update.
anton
May 10, 2011 at 07:57 //
Hey Carlo,
I will do! More info will follow soon… and then if you pre-order you will be guaranteed a copy…
And yes, patience is THE thing… excruciating at times, but well worth it if you hang in there
cheers, a
Guillaume Groen
May 19, 2011 at 23:23 //
This is really cool! Will this be the only book? or is there more to come if this one is successful.
i am definitely buying one!
what you can do is go to the fonds bkvb in the Netherlands they provide money to photographers with a good project.
about crowd funding in europe and the Netherlands it is indeed not possible because the dutch and probably belgium government sees crowdfunding sites as banks.
See this blog post http://www.getstarted.nl/index.php?pageID=7&messageID=790&themeID=16791
good luck and i hope the finances add up and you can bring this on the market.
Guillaume
anton
May 21, 2011 at 03:00 //
Hey Guillaume,
Yeah, probably same problems here in Belgium as in the Netherlands… thanks for the tip. Interesting read…
I hope to be able successfully fund and I also hope to be able to continue this project… who knows what it will bring… maybe, in many years time we’ll all look back on this moment as “the first of many books”… or maybe as ” the only one”. I sure hope it’ll be the former!
Thanks for stopping by, always appreciated…
a
DaidoDread
May 27, 2011 at 22:21 //
Hello,
I like your work !
Tell me when your ODO book are ready to by !
It is possible to pre order ?
Thanks and have a good day
anton
May 31, 2011 at 16:11 //
Daido…. soon! keep an eye open here and you will miss nothing….
Jonathan
June 20, 2011 at 15:59 //
brilliant! congratulations and おつかれさまでした!
can’t wait to buy it!
anton
June 21, 2011 at 04:41 //
thanks for the words jonathan… i’m sure you’lll love the book…
cheers, a
Martin
July 11, 2011 at 09:30 //
Anton, got the book from you last week – very nicely done and an unusual project that I am happy to support. You have certainly managed to capture, through your well defined style of photography, a certain atmosphere that is present in the entire book – I find this the most interesting aspect. Where do you plan to go next from here?
anton
July 11, 2011 at 11:20 //
Dear Martin,
I am glad you like the book and the images… The next plans, in the fall, are to start shooting a documentary film together with my brother Malik, for which we are now anew seeking permission and negotiating. Both my brother and I hope that this book will make them trust us enough to allow this…. keeping my fingers crossed! And of course at the same time I will keep on following and trying to gain more insight into the Yakuza through photographs.
cheers, a