Rivkah, author of Steady Beat, published by Tokyopop, comments on their recent announcement of changes.

Honestly, I’m happy this happened. I was expecting bankruptcy by November 2007. Instead, for perhaps the first time ever, Tokyopop has made the right move by cutting back on how much spagetti they throw at the wall to see what sticks. I don’t doubt the turmoil will take several months to settle down and many of us creators will be cut, but from a business perspective, this means that in the long run, they could potentially be better off. They cut back also by deciding not to exhibit at San Diego or Anime Expo which means less time spent going to conventions and more time focusing on actual creative material; it’s the little things that count, and when employees run up a thousand dollar tab just on drinks, that hurts not just the company but the creators as well.

That’s a unique perspective. “Firing people is better than calling it quits altogether.” True, true.

She’s happy that Stuart Levy is no longer in charge of book publishing, that she’ll get paid to finish Steady Beat 3 whether or not Tpop decides to publish it, and that she has a plan to release it online, if necessary. She’s also posted a penciled section of pages:

This chapter (and the one after it) is, to me, what the series is all about, and you can read it without spoiling the rest of the book. You’ve seen the story so far from Leah’s side, but what about Sarai, the gay sister? What’s it like when you’ve spent your whole life being what somebody else expects only to find that no matter what you do, you’ll only end up disappointing them?

It’s a beautiful section about coming out to oneself in the face of family and religious opposition. I can’t wait to see the last book, no matter how it comes.