But honestly, my small book talk & signing event at Tokyo Union Church yesterday was really fun!
I already released “The Reign of God” last month but I wanted to have a public launch as soon as I had received a bunch of copies from the printer. Fortunately, my home church allowed me to organize an event after the Sunday Service, and I had two brothers who helped me with sales and setting things up.
Everybody starts small, so I had an audience of about a dozen people. In my slideshow, I gave an introduction to the story and then talked about why and how I decided to make this comic book. One thing I wanted to highlight was the title and how important it was for Christians to pursue the meaning of Jesus’ favorite topic: the basileia (kingship, reign, realm, dominion, authority…) of God. As always, I talked for a bit too long (about 20 minutes) but then had some nice audience questions about the characters and my struggles and surprises during the writing process.
Signing books is something that I’m still getting used to. But I realize it’s a great time to get in touch with readers. I received so many warm words from church members yesterday (many of whom I’ve never talked with before), my spirit filled up with gratitude.
A Japanese edition?
Many people ask me about a Japanese version. I’d love to see this happening, but I’m not skilled enough to translate it to Japanese myself. After this public English launch I’m planning to approach Japanese publishers.
The English paperback edition is now out on Amazon Japan, but I still have copies left at home, so let me know if you want one!
PS: Forgot to mention it yesterday, but 10% of the sales revenue is going to be donated to Tokyo Union Church’s youth ministry.