Lena Atanassova has been promoted to editor-in-chief at Tokyopop after six years with the company. She will lead the editorial team at the publisher, overseeing acquisitions and managing production of all its titles across its lynchpin categories—manga, light novels, and graphic novels, including those with licensed IP from such partners as Disney and Ubisoft—and expanding Tokyopop’s editorial purview into the horror, manhwa, and webtoon categories.
“Lena’s passion for manga and storytelling makes her an asset to Tokyopop,” said Marc Visnick, Tokyopop COO and publisher, in a statement. “Her success in launching the LoveLove imprint, combined with her management skills and the way she resonates and connects with creators and fans makes, her perfectly suited to assume the role of editor0in-chief and help lead the company’s continued expansion and evolution.”
Atanassova was most recently brand editor of the LoveLove romance imprint, where, per a release, she “made diversity and inclusivity central themes with titles focusing on straight and LGBTQ+ stories that reflect the enduring popularity of the romance category.” She grew the imprint’s catalog to over 100 titles during her time as brand editor, including in the shojo, josei, girls love, and boys love spaces.
“I am honored and excited to expand my role at Tokyopop,” Atanassova said. “My passion for diverse stories that focus on the human experience is central to my perspective as an editor, manager and fan and I remain committed to working to provide a platform for creative expression and storytelling. Everyone deserves stories that speak to them, and I will make this a key focus of my new role.”
Founded in 1997 by Stu Levy, TokyoPop was a key player early in the development of the American manga market, and after several tough years in the mid-aughts, retooled its business in time to ride this decade’s manga boom, seeing sales soar and hitting the PW fast-growing independent publisher list in both 2022 and 2023. It moved its distribution to Penguin Random House earlier this year.
