Post by Near on Oct 16, 2006 16:11:56 GMT -5
Not familiar with the term “light novel”? No worries, because in about 6 months time Seven Seas hopes that their new line of translated Japanese young adult fiction novels, called Light Novel, will successfully bring these new as well as familiar properities into the hands of each and everyone of you.
We already know how tightly couple manga and anime are with each other, but did you know that light novels also inspire manga and anime adaptations as well? In April 2007, Seven Seas will launch six new titles; three have anime properties associated with them and at least four have manga recognition, with two just beginning serialization. For some of these titles, you could be enjoying stories before they get animated.
For the US manga/anime fans, excitement should be in the air as the another piece falls into place for those who enjoy the “otaku” lifestyle. Here to talk about the upcoming Light Novel brand of books is Adam Arnold, the man of many talents and many hands over at Seven Seas. You’ll also get a sneak peek at the US cover for Ballad of a Shinigami, which is linked below. Enjoy and thank you Adam!!
Q) First off, I always try to kick things off on a personal vibe by just asking you to introduce yourself. Give us the abridged, too cool for school version of Adam Arnold.
Hi, I’m Adam Arnold. I’m 25 years old, I’m single, my blood type is AB, I’m an Aries and I’m talking to you in my boxers. Oh, wait…is that too personal?
But seriously, I’m the Senior Production Manager at Seven Seas. I do a bit of everything from setting translators up with projects to copy editing proofs. And somehow I find the time to also write my own manga series called Aoi House.
Q) Okay, so just to clear the air and get everyone off on the right foot, what are “light novels” and why should we all be excited that we are seeing these translated?
A novel that is, uh, not heavy…?
Just kidding!
Light novels are basically Japanese novels with manga-style illustrations scattered throughout that are targeted at teens and young adults. They tend to be around 200-300 pages and they tend to be sized smaller than your average manga. So they’re really compact and easy to take on the go.
The reason fans should get excited about these books is for the simple reason that light novels are the starting points for a number of anime and manga franchises such as Boogiepop, Shinigami no Ballad, Full Metal Panic and Haruhi Suzumiya. They also offer extensions to existing ones like Pita-Ten and so many others. They also happen to be all the rage in Japan, with literally hundreds of light novel series, and it’s time to show manga and anime fans what the fuss is all about.
Q) Many light novels actually end up adapted into manga or anime (Kino no Tabi, Scrapped Princess, Ballad of a Shinigami). So what excites me is that we might possibly be getting to read stories before they make it into animated or panelized form. Do you think there is a sort of “early bird” appeal to reading these titles?
Oh, definitely. In the case of Kanokon, for example, that series just recently started up in Japan as a manga series, but the light novels are already up to volume 4. So with some of our releases you’ll definitely be getting an “early bird special.”
Q) One thing I’ve learned this past year with regards to the manga industry is that branding is key. Create a strong brand, deliver the content, build the community, and they will come. How did you come up with the “Light Novel” brand and what do you hope to accomplish, outside of world domination of course, with this new brand?
I’m kind of shocked that no one else tried it before. I mean, why go for a flashy name that you have to explain to people when “Light Novel” is already a term that a large portion of fandom already knows and uses to describe certain series? So, we ran with “Light Novel” and we put together an instantly recognizable logo characterized by an iconic feather.
We also went a lot further than just the name, though. We’re doing the books in the authentic Japanese light novel dimensions of 10.5cm x 15cm (approx. 4.1″ x 5.9″), and we’re also giving them an affordable price point of $7.95.
As for what we’re hoping to accomplish with this new imprint…well, novels haven’t taken off for manga fans in a big way yet. Seven Seas wants to change all that. We want to give the industry an infusion of fresh content provided in a unique way.
Q) Why the decision to go with the Japanese trim size for the Light Novel releases, as opposed to the manga size that other publishers have gone with? Are there any other packaging aspects that will set off the Light Novel releases from the rest of the pack?
Well, there’s a bit of a stigma that exists in the manga section that only manga should be there. If you pick up a book that’s the same size as your average manga and flip through it only to find a page full of text, then your gut reaction is to just put it back on the shelf. By having “Light Novels” have their own unique trim size and attractive price point, then you can avoid that stigma that these books are trying to pretend they’re manga, when they’re actually part of the expanded manga experience.
As for the packaging, we’re still tweaking that presently, but we’re striving for something just as recognizable as the trim size. I will tell you that we are keeping the original cover artwork, though. [We are] going to be keeping the original cover artwork and placing the logo, author/artist names, light novel imprint logo and volume number on the cover.
Q) The interesting thing about light novels is that they usually feature great, eye-catching cover artwork that is geared towards the otaku crowd. With a book of mostly text, it’s hard to flip through a light novel like you would a manga to make your buying decision. So the covers are the first things that catch my eye.
What about the illustrations inside of the book?
ince the illustrations are an important part of what make light novels, well, light…we’ll be keeping all of those too, of course. We’re even keeping the color inserts that appear in the front of the books for added value!
Q) Where will these books be shelved in a bookstore?
They’ll be shelved in the manga section since manga fans are the intended audience. Light novels are just the natural next step in manga’s evolution.
Any retailer exclusives?
Not at present.
Will they also be made available to the local comic shop market via Diamond?
Yep!
We already know how tightly couple manga and anime are with each other, but did you know that light novels also inspire manga and anime adaptations as well? In April 2007, Seven Seas will launch six new titles; three have anime properties associated with them and at least four have manga recognition, with two just beginning serialization. For some of these titles, you could be enjoying stories before they get animated.
For the US manga/anime fans, excitement should be in the air as the another piece falls into place for those who enjoy the “otaku” lifestyle. Here to talk about the upcoming Light Novel brand of books is Adam Arnold, the man of many talents and many hands over at Seven Seas. You’ll also get a sneak peek at the US cover for Ballad of a Shinigami, which is linked below. Enjoy and thank you Adam!!
Q) First off, I always try to kick things off on a personal vibe by just asking you to introduce yourself. Give us the abridged, too cool for school version of Adam Arnold.
Hi, I’m Adam Arnold. I’m 25 years old, I’m single, my blood type is AB, I’m an Aries and I’m talking to you in my boxers. Oh, wait…is that too personal?
But seriously, I’m the Senior Production Manager at Seven Seas. I do a bit of everything from setting translators up with projects to copy editing proofs. And somehow I find the time to also write my own manga series called Aoi House.
Q) Okay, so just to clear the air and get everyone off on the right foot, what are “light novels” and why should we all be excited that we are seeing these translated?
A novel that is, uh, not heavy…?
Just kidding!
Light novels are basically Japanese novels with manga-style illustrations scattered throughout that are targeted at teens and young adults. They tend to be around 200-300 pages and they tend to be sized smaller than your average manga. So they’re really compact and easy to take on the go.
The reason fans should get excited about these books is for the simple reason that light novels are the starting points for a number of anime and manga franchises such as Boogiepop, Shinigami no Ballad, Full Metal Panic and Haruhi Suzumiya. They also offer extensions to existing ones like Pita-Ten and so many others. They also happen to be all the rage in Japan, with literally hundreds of light novel series, and it’s time to show manga and anime fans what the fuss is all about.
Q) Many light novels actually end up adapted into manga or anime (Kino no Tabi, Scrapped Princess, Ballad of a Shinigami). So what excites me is that we might possibly be getting to read stories before they make it into animated or panelized form. Do you think there is a sort of “early bird” appeal to reading these titles?
Oh, definitely. In the case of Kanokon, for example, that series just recently started up in Japan as a manga series, but the light novels are already up to volume 4. So with some of our releases you’ll definitely be getting an “early bird special.”
Q) One thing I’ve learned this past year with regards to the manga industry is that branding is key. Create a strong brand, deliver the content, build the community, and they will come. How did you come up with the “Light Novel” brand and what do you hope to accomplish, outside of world domination of course, with this new brand?
I’m kind of shocked that no one else tried it before. I mean, why go for a flashy name that you have to explain to people when “Light Novel” is already a term that a large portion of fandom already knows and uses to describe certain series? So, we ran with “Light Novel” and we put together an instantly recognizable logo characterized by an iconic feather.
We also went a lot further than just the name, though. We’re doing the books in the authentic Japanese light novel dimensions of 10.5cm x 15cm (approx. 4.1″ x 5.9″), and we’re also giving them an affordable price point of $7.95.
As for what we’re hoping to accomplish with this new imprint…well, novels haven’t taken off for manga fans in a big way yet. Seven Seas wants to change all that. We want to give the industry an infusion of fresh content provided in a unique way.
Q) Why the decision to go with the Japanese trim size for the Light Novel releases, as opposed to the manga size that other publishers have gone with? Are there any other packaging aspects that will set off the Light Novel releases from the rest of the pack?
Well, there’s a bit of a stigma that exists in the manga section that only manga should be there. If you pick up a book that’s the same size as your average manga and flip through it only to find a page full of text, then your gut reaction is to just put it back on the shelf. By having “Light Novels” have their own unique trim size and attractive price point, then you can avoid that stigma that these books are trying to pretend they’re manga, when they’re actually part of the expanded manga experience.
As for the packaging, we’re still tweaking that presently, but we’re striving for something just as recognizable as the trim size. I will tell you that we are keeping the original cover artwork, though. [We are] going to be keeping the original cover artwork and placing the logo, author/artist names, light novel imprint logo and volume number on the cover.
Q) The interesting thing about light novels is that they usually feature great, eye-catching cover artwork that is geared towards the otaku crowd. With a book of mostly text, it’s hard to flip through a light novel like you would a manga to make your buying decision. So the covers are the first things that catch my eye.
What about the illustrations inside of the book?
Q) Where will these books be shelved in a bookstore?
They’ll be shelved in the manga section since manga fans are the intended audience. Light novels are just the natural next step in manga’s evolution.
Any retailer exclusives?
Not at present.
Will they also be made available to the local comic shop market via Diamond?
Yep!