The record sales have shown publishers that there is a thriving market for more representative manga and LGBTQ+ audiences.
The spike in manga sales over the past year has shown publishers that there is a thriving market for manga that appeals to LGBTQ+ audiences.
Like most forms of entertainment, manga has experienced a huge sales boom during the pandemic. During a panel at this year’s Comic-Con @Home, representatives from major North American comic book publishers explained how this current boom has gone beyond expected works like Jujutsu. Kaisen and Attack on Titan, and encouraged them to publish more titles in genres that were previously considered unreadable, such as the Boy Love or Yaoi genres, and to have more opportunities with titles featuring More diverse characters. “It looks like things are going well, there are a lot of genres that aren’t mainstream shonen hits that are doing quite well,” said Yen Press sales and marketing director Mark de Vera. “Two of our biggest releases this year are gay love titles… the boy love genre has always had its audience, but I’m talking about two of those titles. our bestsellers of the year. There are smaller categories that I would say have their audiences, but are now seeing the glory days of these genres.” VIZ Media also achieved success. similar work to Sublime, specializing in romantic manga for men. “It’s amazing that over the past year, we’ve seen an increase in BL sales … just surpassing everything,” said Kevin Hamric, VP of Sales, VIZ said, “some of our average shonen series. Sales are astounding worldwide.”
The sales boom also allows publishers to release works to target a wider audience and publish stories that don’t necessarily sell as well as the big titles, but still play a role. important role in expanding representation within the medium. “Boys Run the Riot, is a transgender male teen manga series created by a transgender male mangaka … not the kind of book I’ve ever published. [trước đây]. “Kodansha’s chief marketing officer, Ivan Salazar.” I can’t” I don’t have a prediction yet [doanh số bán hàng] or anything like that, I know we’re releasing a storybook that can reach audiences who want to see representation, want to see themselves, want to see stories about themselves… That’s the kind of book I’m most proud of that we’ve been able to publish at Kodansha. Those stories are important. “
Leyla Aker, publishing director at Penguin Random House, added that sales of manga titles featuring their LGBTQ+ characters are also growing. “Maybe people want to see more representation now, or maybe it’s simply that the overall market is a lot bigger… that’s a great development to see. Not just from a sales perspective. , but also from the perspective of a manga fan.”
