[...] Tokyopop reorganized in June of last year, word leaked out that they would not be printing any more of their OEL [...]

TP is just using specific terms like “manhwa” and “OEL” to honk their own horn even more (”Who would dare print innuendo and blatant lies about international rock diva Princess Ai? TOKYOPOP would!”)

Largely thanks to TP, I just use “comics” to describe everything. Even GN makes me cringe a little.

Both versions of their website are terrible. Hopefully someday, TP will have disappeared, as I consider it the Wal-Mart of manga. (Seriously, who stuffs more advertising into their products than TP?)

I think ADV manga was dissolved for a little bit but is having a comeback now. Nice post. :)

[...] Many questions result. Del Rey isn’t concerned — their licenses are proceeding as planned. Chris Butcher reports that Tokyopop cancelled Beck, a Kodansha title, but that might also be due to lower sales or Tokyopop’s own problems. [...]

[...] major point. He sums up the many mistakes Tokyopop has made, from their bad contracts to the abrupt reorganization and layoffs, as a way of pointing out the misguided focus many comic publishers have had, especially when it [...]

[...] 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, [...]

As for the staff cut, I thought it was more about 1/3 than half. Still, pretty drastic. I hope it was necessary. I totally agree with the original poster. This manga niche is just tiny bit of the graphic novel market. That in itself is just a smaller part of the publishing world. It’s high time TokyoPop realized that. Putting a Japanese name on your company or product doesn’t automatically make it special.

If times are really drastic, you’ll do what you think you have to. I work in a real estate-related business, and some of the companies in our field have cut 45% of the company since 2003. If your biggest expense is payroll, that’s what you have to do.

I know reorganisation and cutbacks are a standard business practise, but dumping that much of your staff is surely _not_ standard.

[...] Johanna Draper Carlson: But it remains to be seen how many of those books will be put out in future. Part of the announcement was that Tokyopop was cutting 39 positions from their publishing arm (out of how many? dunno) and radically reducing their release schedule, going from over 500 books a year to as few as 200. Says Stuart Levy, CEO, “Few releases will allow for less cannibalization at retail.” Which seems to imply that they think people aren’t buying TP book 1 because they’re buying TP book 2. I don’t think that’s right, based on my own experience: instead of buying TP book 1, I buy a Viz or a Del Rey or an Aurora (when it comes to josei) title. [...]

I thought OEL stood for Originally English Language. They’re not sticking the OEL label on manhwa and Gothic Sports now, are they?

Xenos Says: “Plus, yeah, their website is a hideously web 2.0 MySpace wannabe. Ick.”

Some of the author and series pages are fine, but I found those by Google instead of navigating within TokyoPop’s site. Meanwhile, the .de site’s front page is less of a mess than the .us and .uk versions (and I don’t even know German).

Ha! Brilliant. I was saying something similar in my blog using that joke about the area in heaven separated for the group that thinks they’re the only one there. I’ve been annoyed by the OEL Manga stamp for years. What’s wrong with publishing graphic novels like everyone else who is?

Plus, yeah, their website is a hideously web 2.0 MySpace wannabe. Ick.

And I should clarify: no one’s talked about Tokyopop in connection with Yotsuba&! Tokyopop has picked up other former ADV titles (such as Aria). ADV, assuming they still exist, plans to publish more Yotsuba&!

Very much agreed on the website. I used to go to Tokyopop.com all the time to check out release lists and preview pages. It’s since turned into a convoluted mess.

Also, didn’t know that about ADV Manga. I’m not sure I want to see a Tokyopop-published Yotsuba&!, as the printing quality of ADV’s books in general has been much better; part of me would rather wait through another hiatus.

[...] bad thing, if they pick strong books and give them the support they need. As Johanna Draper Carlson observes, Says Stuart Levy, CEO, “Few releases will allow for less cannibalization at retail.” Which [...]