Los Angeles manga publisher Digital Manga Publishing has entered into an unusual co-labeling contract with three Japanese publishers—Shinshokan, Oakla Shuppan and Taiyo Tosho—under which all titles licensed by DMP from these publishers will carry the original Japanese publisher's logo as well as the DMP logo.
The three companies are known primarily for their boys’ love, or yaoi, titles. DMP expects to publish 10 books under this co-labeling agreement this year, with many more planned for 2008. The first book will be published this month: Kashinfu by boys’ love mangaka (writer/artist) Makoto Tateno will feature both the DMP company logo, along with the Japanese publisher’s logo on the spine, back cover and inside of the book.
While manga has grown in popularity in the U.S., the Japanese publisher is usually cited only in the copyright notice while the book bears the brand of its American publisher. Japanese publisher names sometimes show up in ads for forthcoming U.S. titles. However, Del Rey Manga does co-brand its licensed manga which comes exclusively from Kodansha, one of the largest manga publishers in Japan. Nevertheless, DMP CEO Hikaru Sasahara noted that U.S. licensees rarely brand the name of Japanese publishers, “and that's not good for [U.S. manga publishing] in the long run.”
At this past summer’s San Diego Comic-Con, the Japanese entertainment company Square Enix, publisher of the bestselling manga series Full Metal Alchemist (published in the U.S. by Viz) and other popular series, was aggressively branding itself and its licensees at its large interactive booth. The company gave away free manga samplers and even sponsored a treasure hunt that sent fans around the floor to its various licensees, such as Yen Press. Sasahara said that Japanese publishers are becoming more interested in branding themselves in America. But he also explained that most midsize publishers in Japan don't have U.S. offices., which makes merchandising and exhibiting at big book and comics conventions difficult.
Through the co-labeling agreement, DMP will provide space at its own booth at venues like Anime Expo, at both the San Diego and New York comics conventions and at the Frankfurt Book Fair for these Japanese publishers to promote their own titles. DMP will also advertise its co-labeled titles in manga and anime magazines like NewType USA and Shojo Beat, as well as the back pages of its other books.
In addition to carrying the Japanese logos on its books, DMP has gained the rights to present Shinshokan, Oakla Shuppan and Taiyo Tosho manga online. DMP is in the process of setting up a new Web site for the manga and plans to launch the site in the summer of 2008. And next month, Sasahara will begin negotiating with Japanese cellphone companies to offer English-language manga to Japanese consumers who wish to read their favorite titles on their phones in English.
The co-labeling contract also allows DMP to represent properties from the three Japanese companies to Hollywood movie studios or to create merchandise related to titles. "We've gotten three or four inquiries to make Antique Bakery into a live-action movie or television drama,” Sasahara said. (Antique Bakery is a popular boys’ love title by Fumi Yoshinaga that combines two favored themes among women: cake and beautiful men.)
DMP is also in talks with other Japanese publishers who are interested in entering into a co-labeling agreement, and Sasahara said he is in talks with at least two more publishers. Sasahara believes the new deal will help change the way Japanese publishers enter the U.S. market: “We're revolutionizing the system.”
