Surprise! For those of you who ordered the second edition of YAKUZA, I present you with the new cover image. I hope you like it…

The inside of this second edition is the same as the sold out limited edition… but the last image, binding, chapter paper and cover are different. Read more about that here.

Exciting… In about ten days the second edition will be stitched and bound, the cover attached, and all the books will be individually shrinkwrapped, ready to be packed and shipped.

And so the distribution begins… I’m really really looking forward to it, and at the same time I’m a little scared of this first massive shipment of books I’m going to fulfill during the first week of November. Am I logistically even going to be able to handle it?

Fingers crossed.

Looking forward to the smell of books filling up my house again.

Have a great day today,

a

PS. Oh, and if you haven’t bought a book yet, now is really the time to do so… just click the green button here to your left… I need your support… I promise, you’ll not be disappointed!

I’ve literally received more than a thousand emails after the limited edition sold out, asking if there were plans for a second (general) edition of ODO YAKUZA TOKYO. At the time, I’ve always responded with neither “yes” or “no”, mainly because I needed a break in August to think things over… find new projects, do some research, get everything in order, rest my weary mind, take a little nap, etc…

And then came the press attention… attention and support which, without fault, has been super professional and incredibly heartwarming… GEO, GEO Epoche, The Sunday Times, El Pais, BBC, BBC Radio 4, BBC Mundo, Dagens Næringsliv, Blurb, The Japan Times, Chasseur D’Images, Rencontres d’Arles,… so many, and there’s still more to come (stay tuned!).

I’m genuinely happy and excited… And I realize all the above is giving me an opportunity to reach more people with a book than ever before, tell my story to a wider audience… participate.

So here’s the plan:
I literally just called the printer five minutes ago.
Said it felt like it was time for a second edition.

He agreed and started preparing rightaway. He guaranteed that all books will be ready to ship October 30th, 2011. Wow…. just perfect… What else could I wish for…

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Since this is not the limited first edition, there will be significant changes in the book: no Japanese transparent paper between chapters, not numbered as part of an edition, a cover change, and a different binding. The image edit will be exactly the same as the first edition though, except for the very last image, which is unique to the limited edition… Yes, for the 500 lucky ones who have supported me in buying the limited edition two months ago, rest assured: your copy is now more valuable than ever… it is a unique object, never to reproduced. Your support has made everything possible in the first place…

The price of this second edition? Also exactly the same. I want the first edition buyers to know that they have something special, but that they did not have to pay a premium price for this. That “extra” in the first edition is my token of appreciation for the trust they gave me.

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Back to the second edition: I want to offer a token of trust for people buying this second edition… to me, as an independent artist publishing work, it’s the thing that makes everything worthwile, that personal connection to you, buying the book…

So I’m offering the first 250 people who order a book
a signed copy, and I will add an original YAKUZA print as well.
(UPDATE: on september 12 2011, the first 250 orders were reached)

Again… thank you so much for the hundreds of supportive emails… and asking for a second edition. I heed your call.

And touch wood for me please…

And while you’re at it, buy your copy here below NOW :-)

      
If your country is not on the list, please drop me a note and I will accommodate.
If you buy more than 3 books, shipping is not automatically calculated.
I will then manually look for the best option and follow up with you personally.
Pickup is possible, but from Hasselt (Belgium) only.

ciao ciao,
anton