Manga sales have remained higher for consecutive years, but now, it seems to level off. The huge demand for home entertainment due to the pandemic is starting to settle. Despite this, manga dominates North American graphic novel publishing. In 2022, the U.S. made sales of 16.9 million units, ranking at over $246 million.
Although the industry is seeing a 6.8% year-over-year increase, it’s much far from a 68.5% growth rate in 2021, making retailers and publishers plan for 2023 and beyond. According to Masaaki Shimizu, general manager and publisher at Square Enix Manga & Books,
“When we look at the units sold for the top-selling ten titles and 100 titles during the same period, the year-to-date units are down by 45% and 35%, respectively.”
Shimizu attributes the reduced growth rate to the decline of mega-hit manga series. The most recent Spy x Family volume was the bestselling book in the U.S. in early April, whereas Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 19, took the fifth position on the list presented by Circana BookScan.
Although there is still no panic in the industry, publishers and stakeholders are wondering what the future holds. As U.S. manga sales are softening, publishers are targeting other markets for future growth. Undoubtedly, $246 million in manga sales in 2022 seems huge when compared to $49.9 million in 2019. The data has been trumped by manga sales in France, which is the second-largest manga market following Japan. In 2022, France’s manga sales hit approximately $417 million, more than double the country’s 22-million-unit record 2022. At present, one in seven books sold in this European country is manga.
Manga is everywhere.
Manga has gained huge visibility. There are many legal ways to access digital manga. You can buy manga comics or books from physical stores, including mass-market stores like Walmart and Target. So, manga fans don’t have to face any hassles trying to access their favorite genre through restricted channels.
In fact, beyond big-box stores like B&N, manga has expanded its footprint with a growing number of manga specialty stores. Some of these specialty stores include Kobe Mini Mart near Sacramento in California and Otaku Market in Union, Ohio. Signs of growth are also coming from foreign markets, including the Middle East, the Philippines, and Guam. Now, customers have the best assortment in the manga genre.
Excessive releases make publishers and booksellers anxious.
Now, a surfeit of new releases in the manga space is making publishers and booksellers anxious. However, the e-book, streaming, and app market will keep producing new fans. Anime is the top sales driver for manga, and viewers can view anime across many streaming sites, including mang, Netflix, etc. The increase in anime streaming led to an increase in manga sales.
While streaming options have diversified, however, book sales channels continue to consolidate. “The majority now go through one online retailer, Amazon, and one physical retailer, Barnes & Noble, which together now account for over half of U.S. manga sales annually,” Aker says.
As manga sales soften and budgets tighten up, publishers are becoming selective about the titles when licensing.
Kevin Hamric, v-p, publishing sales at Viz Media, says,
“We work with our retailers and librarians to help them manage selection and merchandising.”
Retailers also recall times when manga dominated the market, particularly independent comic stores with non-returnable stock. It’s the cycle of boom and bust of manga in the early 2000s. Publishers and booksellers are concerned about limited shelf space, which always has an issue. With the tremendous growth in manga releases, everyone can’t buy them all. It forces direct market comics retailers into a struggle because they depend on customers who pre-order comics before release so as to minimize ordering stock. They can’t sell fast and can’t return later.
More manga goes digital.
More and more Japanese publishers are trying to release more titles in English via digital channels, including manga apps. Many publishers, including big names like Shu-Cream and Animate International, also expanded their direct-to-consumer e-book market. Digital publishing is beneficial in both terms – financial and logistical. It’s faster to release new titles while eliminating up-front investments in the production, shipment, and distribution of print books.
For readers, there are now more manga, light novels, and webtoons available in English. They have access to a greater variety of stories and art styles. Moreover, fulfillment is faster as many publishers, including Viz Media, Yen Press, and Kodansha, are releasing new chapters of famous manga series in English on the same day as in Japan.
While digital manga sales today represent more than 66.2% of total manga sales in Japan, English readers’ adoption of digital manga has been steady. But the consumption of e-books in the U.S. is far from the levels of Japan. At least, as of now, it’s challenging to track the actual size and sales trends in the digital manga space because there are many e-book sales reports. Also, there is no tracking for the readership of streaming subscription services such as Manga Planet, Azuki, Mangamo, Comikey, etc., as well as webtoon services like Manta, TappyToon, Manta, etc.
What do the trends say [growth areas for manga space]
Trends suggest that readers want more subgenre representations, with romance/shojo, horror, and BL/boys’-love, being high in demand. To respond to this demand, streaming and subscription services are not presenting more exclusive content direct to consumers as digital e-books.
The library market is another growth point for digital manga publishing. For example, Media Do offers thousands of volumes of manga through OverDrive, and readers can use the Sora app or their Libby app for public libraries.
Diversity in the manga is another growth point. Independent House is bringing unknown and indie-style artists to broader manga readers. Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, and Last Gasp are offering small but smartly curated lists of new, classic manga titles. When it comes to genre diversity, shonen manga dominates the manga market. But publishers and retailers report there’s a growing demand for shoujo and josei manga, boys’-love stories, and “mature romance.”
Boys’-love and josei manga-centric services like Manga Plaza, Manga Planet, and Renta are trying to fulfill the needs of readers. And webtoon sites like Manta, TappyToon, and Webtoon focus on modern, historical, and fantasy-based romantic tales. Similarly, manga readers continue to demand LGBTQ content. They want content about boys’-love, girls’-love, gay, lesbian, and queer experiences.
But there’s another, potentially larger and currently underserved segment of the market: manga for younger readers, especially for those under 12. “Although the manga market has matured over here, it’s still mostly aimed at teens,” Sentar says. “There’s definitely room for growth in manga aimed at young children and adults, which both have far more selection in Japan.”
Manga for those under 12 or young children and adults is also becoming popular. Ed Chavez, president, and editor-in-chief at Denpa, says,
“Kids’ manga should eventually hit really hard in the English market.”
It’s really an exciting time for anime, webtoons and manga as they become more global and keep innovating, resulting in a brighter future.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.
