I noticed in early November that Tokyopop was selling print-on-demand volumes, at which point an editor from that company said “there will actually be a major announcement of this program when we’re ready to officially announce it.” Now appears to be that time — Tokyopop sent out the following press release. TOKYOPOP, the country’s leading independent manga media company, Baker & Taylor Inc., the world’s largest distributor of physical and digital books and entertainment products, and e-commerce solution leader MashON, […]

Tokyopop now has available at their online store a number of print-on-demand volumes, following up on their plans from August 2009. They’re priced at $15.99, a significant increase over the typical $10 or $11 price point, but the company has been experimenting with cover prices for a while now. The rule seems to be, the more specialized the audience, the higher price they’re expected to pay. (Previously, yaoi was the most expensive Tokyopop release.) I couldn’t find a comprehensive list […]

Tokyopop has announced (via Facebook) that, while the anticipated Hetaila: Axis Powers series will be available in print on September 21, you can buy it digitally through digital download partner Zinio right now. For its 148 pages, the digital price is $5.99 US; in print, it’s $12.99. That illustrates Tokyopop’s variable pricing — why it’s not the now-standard price of $10.99, I don’t know. Either they expect it to sell worse than other titles, and need to profit more on […]

Late yesterday, Tokyopop sent out an announcement that they had made “more than fifty volumes of manga available immediately for digital download” through Zinio. Most of the books are from Tokyopop’s OEL arm, works created in English, not translated from Japan; Tokyopop likely doesn’t have the rights to upload any licensed properties, only those they own. Titles announced include Bizenghast, Dramacon, and Princess Ai, the book written by Tokyopop’s CEO Stuart Levy. Don’t look to buy any of those specific […]

Tokyopop has advertised a unique internship — they’re looking for students to spend the summer, from the end of May to Labor Day, traveling with them “to promote TOKYOPOP, our stories, and our characters.” They’re looking for those who can plug the company using “social media tools”; setup, host, and take down events at conventions and bookstores; and “plan, shoot, edit, and upload video for a web-based “reality show”-styled grassroots marketing endeavor”. The company has already set up a promotional […]

I’m attending the Tokyopop online press conference and sharing my notes with you. (I previously attended a similar presentation in July.) Lillian Diaz-Przybyl again moderated — good to see a friendly face. They opened with this Deadman Wonderland manga trailer. This new title was created by the team behind Eureka Seven, Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou. Volume 1 of 4 is on sale February 2, 2010. Hanako and the Teller of Allegory is an earlier series by Sakae Esuno (Future […]