So, how do these mangakas earn their money ?!?

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By Oliver (AKA the Admin) on 20 comments
in Categories: Just Talking

I was baffled by the skeptic reactions there has been, especially on twitter, to my post promoting the arrival on the French market of Ring X Mama.

That made me reconsider, I might have a wrong understanding on how this market works.
I know how an artist (novelist or graphic artist) is paid in MY country, and how he earns from the various kinds of sales of his work (local/international, printed or electronic). But, hey, after all, why would it be the same in Japan !

In Japan, so…
I do know the Japanese mangakas are paid a fixed price per page, depending on their popularity and seniority, and for anime adaptations they get a bulk on money for allowing their graphical creations to be used, and that’s it.
What I don’t actually know is
– how they earn from merchandise sales
– how things go for international sales of Japanese publications with their works inside (tankoubons, magazines)
– how things go for translations and reprints of localized versions of their tankoubons (I imagine their earnings are indexed on the volumes of sales, without the slightest evidence this is the truth)

Please, would you have valid knoweledge about this ? I’d love to know for sure, thanks if you can contribute in a comment :)

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ADeadGuy
ADeadGuy
12 years ago

Frankly, I have no idea. But I really want to know, and it is something I have never really considered.

I will definitely be looking at the comments here later on! I hope for some good info, guys! If you know, speak up!

HurpDurp
HurpDurp
12 years ago

I was under the assumption they didn't make much (if any) money off of it as they sell all the rights to the company printing it. I'm guessing they get some sort of licensing compensation/commission like they do when an anime is made, but that's about it.

So, yeah, I have no idea either. They can't be making much off of it though. If they did, they'd try and make something other countries would WANT to license (IE; not incest, not lolicon, not goro, not bestiality, not futa etcetcetc).

Cold Star
Cold Star
12 years ago

I… think they work as assistants for other mangakas themselves, or have a part time job or something. They could be shut-ins leaving off their parents or some other family member or off welfare. Not saying that's always the case, but that could be in the more extreme end of the spectrum? I can't say for sure, I don't have any data with me, just stuff I figure.
Truthfully speaking, I do have the notion they don't earn that much in general though.

Ferm
Ferm
12 years ago
Reply to  Cold Star

"I don't know, here's my ignorance."

Shalva_sf
Shalva_sf
12 years ago

Hm… Don't know how they earn in international sales, but in Japan they get most of their income from tankobon sales, they don't get much from weekly or monthly magazines, their whole point is to get their work famous through periodicals so that it could be released into tankobon and hopefully made into anime, that makes money.

Korialstrasz
Korialstrasz
12 years ago

Yeah i learn somehting from a Manga.

Well i read the mange Bakuman, in which 2 Guys try to be Mangakas. It also give some inside into the mangaka business. I the manga is to be believe then Weekly/Monthly Published Mangas are paid per page, where Colored Pages are double. And they also get licensing compensation from Tankoubons, that seams to be valid for publication outside of Japan.

And if you are popular you make some good Money. The guys hade, i think, 2 series in 7 year and save like 10 mil. yen (~$120k). But i know nothing else in detail sry.

MFG
Kori

HurpDurp
HurpDurp
12 years ago
Reply to  Korialstrasz

Slight correction: Takagi and Mashiro have made 4 series (Takagi helps another artist with a story for a little while too), 2 one shots (there's an addition one shot by just Mashiro, although he still uses "Ashirogi Muto" as his name) and 3 unpublished works. One of those series has a drama CD and novel adaption, and another series is currently being made into an anime (in the manga-verse).

Oliver AKA The Admin
Admin
12 years ago
Reply to  HurpDurp

Speaking of the manga-verse, have you read Otters 11 ? :D

HurpDurp
HurpDurp
12 years ago

For some reason, no. I downloaded it over nine thousand years ago, but never read it for some reason.

I'm hoping someone translates the DS video game, as I'm 99.9% certain it won't ever get released outside of Japan.

johann
johann
12 years ago

the little I know about manga production comes from what I read/watched in bakuman

Oliver AKA The Admin
Admin
12 years ago
Reply to  johann

Yeah, and if it weren't for Bakuman, nobody wouldn't know anything about this peculiar market ^^

well...
well...
12 years ago

this article has some relevent info
dunno if you should take this at face value or if its different for different publishers http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2010/06/22/top-mang

Oliver AKA The Admin
Admin
12 years ago
Reply to  well...

I'll take a look, thanks :)

Sing si lip yan
Sing si lip yan
12 years ago

Anime News Network posted a very in-depth article two weeks ago that touched on this. It's really about anime production committees, but it has at least this much to say about mangaka:

"Not every member of the Committee gets equal say in every matter, and most of them wouldn't want oversight over everything anyway. (A toy maker wouldn't care about who gets American publishing rights, for example.) One member, however, holds a huge amount of power, by Japanese law: the gensakusha, or original creator, usually a manga artist, gets final say over every major decision.

While this sounds very fair, and nice for the artist, the system doesn't quite work the way it's designed. Manga artists tend to spend most of their time hunched over their drawing desks, and tend to not be all that business savvy. So rather than distract them from their work, their management (their publisher, typically) will act as their agent. That company will have a staff dedicated to making sure everything is to the artist's liking.

Some of those companies are easier to deal with than others. As one could imagine, having the power to approve literally everything related to a show can breed its share of difficult people. Some have odd requests for the property, ranging from the quite reasonable (Shuiesha insists that none of Naruto's hair spikes ever be even slightly cropped off) to the frustrating (such as insisting on a terrible or outright wrong translation), to the outright bizarre (the manga artist must be invited to the Oscars if this gets an American release).

There is no way of knowing what demands are actually the creator's, and what are simply the demands of an obstinate salaryman trying to exert control over the process. And ultimately, it doesn't matter which it is: the artist has legally assigned their rights to this company, for better or worse, and any feuding between the two is done behind closed doors.

This system also doesn't guarantee the artist will be pleased with the final result. If a show's director is going in a direction the manga artist doesn't like, they really have limited options to do anything about it. The contracts are signed, and it's too late to pull out of the project. Other times, the production will forget to ask about every little thing, such as Kyo's bracelet in Fruits Basket (which was intended to be red and white, not black and white, for reasons that were not yet explained in the manga). The only thing an angry gensakusha can do is drag their heels and be a giant pain in the butt about everything that requires their approval."
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2012-03-0

Hope this helps shed some light on the matter.

Oliver AKA The Admin
Admin
12 years ago

Well, it helped a bit, so, thanks :)

But it left the question of the earnings unsolved :o

zafool
zafool
12 years ago

i asked a friend who happened to be a mangaka. here’s her answer:

Okay, basically the above is true. The first time artist/newbie`s per page rate also depend on the magazine affiliated, e.g. shonen Sunday, Jump are starting at 10000 yen(but u get taxed 10%, so net 9000 yen), whereas more minor magazines or shoujo magazine only pays 3000 yen/page. As seniority goes up, they try to keep the author happy so they don`t go to other publisher, hence increase the page rate. Some very senior people can get paid up to 50000/page or even more. Only a handful though [:)]

When the tankoubon (book) comes out, author gets 10% of the amount getting printed. Independent to the sales, the publisher take all risks. When book gets reprinted, again 10% and so on.

Merchandising: there`s royalty being paid to the author too, I dunno how they calculate it, but every time the character/art from the manga is used, something goes to the author. Also animation based on the manga, DVD sales, everything.

Forign publication: the foreign publisher pay licencing fee to Japanese publisher, when book is printed, again the author gets royalty. I dunno if it`s based on sales or amount printed, but I think it depend on the rule applied in that country.

Most of the time page rate is just enough to get the production going: paying assistant`s salary, renting room as workspace, paying the bills, buying the equipments. In some cases when an author is starting a series the publisher gives a `start up money` so the newbie author can buy the necessary equipments (incl desk n chair) and pay the DP of the apartment. So, the royalties r the true earnings of mangaka.

HurpDurp
HurpDurp
12 years ago
Reply to  zafool

Does your mangaka friend know if this is the same for adult work?

Oliver AKA The Admin
Admin
12 years ago

thank you very much for asking your mangaka friend, Zafool ! I'm grateful :)

Would it be possible to ask for more precisions from you ?

When you write « When the tankoubon (book) comes out, author gets 10% of the amount getting printed. », what do you mean… 10% of the selling price of the book ? Or 10% of the margin on the sale after costs have been covered and taxes have been paid ?
That can make a huge difference ! If a 500 yen tank sells 100 000 copies, with 50 yen per tank for the artist, then that means 5 million yen (around 50 000 euro) goes to the artist, it's not that bad !
But if it's 10% on the net result, then it's crappier.

When you write « Forign publication: the foreign publisher pay licencing fee to Japanese publisher, when book is printed, again the author gets royalty. I dunno if it`s based on sales or amount printed, but I think it depend on the rule applied in that country.»
At least it means that the more sales there is, the more cash goes to the artist – and that means I was right to call to supporting the artists and buying their volumes when they're translated and on sale :D

Gameperv
Gameperv
12 years ago

I'm trying to get into the mangaka business myself, but seeing how I am at the moment, it's going to be very difficult for me (like doing my work outside of Japan which is not my first choice, but the option is considered due to my limited japanese). So I would like to know the financial side aswell, than I can be more than prepaired for the obstacles that will be placed before me.

zafool
zafool
12 years ago

i just got a reply from my friend there. her answer to HurpDurp’s question: Absolutely same.

and to oliver’s question: 10% of the price of the book.

Yes, you`d be supporting the artist by buying the official books /merchandise/DVD even in foreign translation.