Ask John: Why is Manga So Expensive?

Question:
Why are manga so expensive? I was in FYE the other day and noticed that TOKYOPOP manga were a whopping 9 bucks! Are they this pricey in Japan or is this phenomenon exclusive to the U.S. market?

Answer:
Manga collections need to cover the cost of licensing, translation and publication. Those expenses are reflected in their cover price. Yes, manga are in black and white, unlike most typical 32 page American comic books. But typical American comic books cost around $3 each. So for about $9 you can get 3 American comic books with about 90 pages, or one translated manga graphic novel with 200+ pages. When you look at it that way, at $9 per volume, manga are a bargain.

In Japan, average manga tankouban can cost as little as 380 yen, or roughly $3.50 while the exact same book, translated into English and reprinted in America may cost $10 or more. However, price is partly dependant on supply and demand. Best selling manga tankouban in Japan may sell a million or more copies. For example, in July 2002 the best selling graphic novel in America was Lone Wolf & Cub volume 24, which sold an estimated 13,000 copies. That same month in Japan, One Piece graphic novel volume 24 sold 2.52 million copies! Naturally, when a publisher can sell two million copies of a book, the price of the book can be lowered and still earn the same amount of profit as selling only 13,000 copies of the same book at a higher cover price. Manga is already much less expensive in America than it was 10 years ago. And as its popularity increases and more Americans begin buying manga, English translated manga graphic novels will continue to become less and less expensive.

For an additional, more detailed hypothesis, check out Anime Tourist’s explanation of why domestic manga costs what it does.