Ask John: Why Do American Bookstores Have Such Large Manga Sections?

Question:
Last year, at Anime Expo 2006, Tokyopop revealed that only 2% of translated manga sells more than 10,000 copies. Why, then, does it have such a large section in the national chain bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble? And do you think we can expect to see manga scaled back in those stores if they hit a plateau in sales?

Answer:
Manga is not my area of expertise, and furthermore, I imagine that only executive employees of major chain booksellers and employees of domestic manga publishing companies really know how well manga sells, why major retailers carry manga, and the point at which retailers may begin refusing manga. I can only offer some speculation, which I hope will be acceptable.

I have no doubt of the truthfulness that only a tiny minority of all Japanese manga released in America reaches bestseller status. For every Naruto or Fruits Basket manga series that becomes tremendously successful and popular there are a dozen or more other translated titles that under perform or outright fail. Countless domestic manga series have been canceled or incompletely released, probably due to disappointing sales. But despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of English translated manga series don’t become bestsellers, there are still an ever increasing number of Japanese manga titles being licensed for English language release.

Manga are being licensed at a rapid pace because acquiring manga is significantly more affordable than licensing animation, and publishing manga in America is much less expensive than translating and distributing anime. Anime licensing costs typically run in the hundreds of thousands and can easily top a million dollars. Manga translation and distribution rights can cost as little as hundreds of dollars. And translation and print publishing is far less costly than the cost of dubbing and DVD manufacturing. Depending on licensing expenses, a small American publisher can still earn a profit from a translated manga series that doesn’t set any sales records. Of course, distributing manga does have risks including competition from an increasingly saturated market with a limited consumer base, and the threat of having to provide refunds to retailers that return or even destroy unsold books.

Despite the fact that most translated manga released in America don’t rack up phenomenal sales figures, there’s undeniably interest in manga among American consumers. Manga are trendy now, and unlike conventional American comic books, manga are popular with average female readers. Managers and purchasing executives for major American bookstore chains are doubtlessly aware of these trends. The shelf space devoted to manga in major bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble is worth more to the store than the sales of manga themselves generate. Large selections of manga attract potential customers. When youngsters come in to bookstores to look at manga, they bring their siblings and parents with them. By simple percentage basis, the more people that walk into stores, the more sales the store gets. Large manga sections are a carrot held in front of a horse, bringing potential customers into stores to browse. The size of manga sections in large bookstores will grow until they reach the point at which their intangible value balances their cost in actual merchandise value and in the amount of space they consume. But the impact of increasing competition in the manga field has already begun to have a detrimental impact on the American manga distribution industry. Ironcat and Gutsoon have closed permanently. Central Park Media has practically closed its publishing branch. AD Vision has drastically reigned in its manga distribution. Smaller anime licensors including Right Stuf and AN Entertainment have so far avoided even trying to enter the manga distribution field.

As TOKYOPOP’s statistic reveals, the vast majority of Japanese manga published in America does not sell particularly well. The large selection of manga available at major bookstores is misleading because these manga sections create the impression that translated manga is a bottomless gold mine for American publishers. Some manga do indeed sell very well, and many manga sell well enough to sustain themselves. But it’s quite possible that the large manga selections offered by major American bookstores are intended to create and sustain the impression that manga is a hot commodity as much as actually sell manga.