Are you a fan of manga? Are you someone who would rather scroll through Webtoon than your Instagram feed? Are you a webcomic creator with a dream to publish? You’re in luck because in recent years, there’s been a growth of imprints tailored towards manga, manhwas, manhua, webcomics, graphic novels, and light novels. Fans are eager for content and publishers are on the lookout for the next bestseller. Some of these imprints are Yen Press (Hachette) and Inklore (Penguin Random House).
Print adaptations of popular webcomics are also on the rise, providing many opportunities for aspiring authors to make a name for themselves in the publishing industry. Today, it’s becoming increasingly common for publishers to search for talented creators on platforms like Webtoon and Manta rather than creators seeking out publishers (Shaenon K. Garrity).
To begin, Yen Press is an imprint of Hachette Book Group and shareholder KADOKAWA, an entertainment company that specializes in gaming, animation, and publishing. This partnership was forged in 2016, and helped strengthen and broaden Yen Press’s global outreach to readers. According to their official website, Yen Press’s central goal is to increase “the availability, awareness, and appreciation of the comics medium and a love of storytelling” (Yen Press). Since 2006, Yen Press has accumulated a large catalog (over three thousand titles) ranging from manga, manhwa, light novels, and graphic novels in a multitude of art styles. There’s something for everyone to enjoy (Yen Press).
Their expansion didn’t stop there. In 2014, Yen Press celebrated the launch of Yen On, their first English-language light novel imprint (Yen On). Some popular titles include, Sword Art Online (Reki Kawahara), My Happy Marriage (Akumi Agitogi), and Re:ZERO (Tappei Nagatsuki). Three years later in 2017, Yen Press formed another imprint called JY, which targets middle grade readers (JY). In 2021, Yen Press made an advantageous decision to enter the realm of audiobooks. In collaboration with Hachette Audio, Yen Press debuted their audiobook publishing imprint called Yen Audio. These full-length audiobooks are separated into various genres and subgenres ranging from fantasy to slice-of-life to horror (Yen Audio). The company’s latest imprint, Ize Press, launched in 2022. This imprint is exclusively dedicated to publishing Korean titles like See You In My 19th Life by Lee Hye, The Uncanny Counter by Jang E, and Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint by singNsong (Ize Press). With the rising popularity of manga and comics, other publishers are following in Yen Press’s footsteps and investing in imprints of their own.
One such publisher is Penguin Random House and their launching of Inklore in 2023. As noted on PRH’s official website, Inklore is dedicated to providing readers a curated selection of “pop comics” that touch on the latest tropes and trends from around the globe (PRH News). The Inklore team emphasizes their mission is finding stories that contain “vibrant, transportive visual storytelling that is emotionally intelligent and indulgent” (Inklore). Inklore’s titles range from manga to webcomics to graphic novels in “romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and slice-of-life genres” (Inklore). Some popular and newly released titles include Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe, Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim, and Cherry Blossoms After Winter by Bamwoo (Inklore series). This imprint is fairly new, so their catalog is still quite sparse. An interesting thing to note is that many of their titles were once digitally uploaded onto webcomic platforms like Webtoon and Manta before being acquired for print. Lore Olympus was the number one webcomic on Webtoon, while Under the Oak Tree was the number one webcomic on Manta. This trend is becoming more common, which opens the door for webcomic creators to enter the publishing sphere and earn sustainable profits for their intellectual property. This is one avenue creators can venture into in order to nurture, expand, and perfect their unique stories through a more tangible means of publication and distribution. Who wouldn’t want their work published and in the hands of their fans? I’m excited to see what the future holds for these new imprints and what webcomics will be adapted next.
Sources:
- https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/96454-webcomics-fans-turn-book-buyers.html
- https://yenpress.com/about
- https://yenpress.com/imprint/yen-on
- https://yenpress.com/imprint/jy
- https://yenpress.com/imprint/yen-audio
- https://yenpress.com/imprint/ize
- https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/introducing-inklore-a-new-global-pop-comics-imprint/
- https://inklorebooks.com/
- https://inklorebooks.com/series/