Have you checked out the Graphic Novel?
Editor’s note: I ran this article in Booksense this month, but since then, Chris Staros, Co-publisher Top Shelf publishers has e-mailed
me with some of the ways authors can break in to the field. As a result, I felt this information was important enough for
me to rerun the entire article.
We keep hearing that teenagers and young adults are so busy playing video games that they aren’t reading
as much any more. This may be true, but at the same time, there is a new book form, graphic books, on the market that’s
selling to the 18 to 24 year olds, both male and female at the rate of $150 million plus a year in sales.
What are they?
Are they comics?
Yes and no. Comics have been around in America, forever- or at least it seems like forever. Today’s
Graphic Novels have evolved from this. The 5” by 7”paperback graphic novel is essentially a complete illustrated,
self-contained story. The trade paperback contains an anthology of previously published serial stories.
Where did they come from?
The big push for graphic
novels has come from Japan where the book
form has grown into a dominate force and since the 1990s, American sales of licensed comics in English translation, known
as Manga, have literally exploded. In Japan
comics are a $4 billion a year market
When Tokyopop started publishing Manga graphic books in 1997 they kept the left to right original Japanese
format that publishers now call the manga format. The subjects covered range
from adventure to science fiction to romance, sports, many non-fiction topics and a lot Graphic novels now cover stories about
relationship and love, and even include illustrated literary novels and religion. Since they are aimed at the younger generation
they all have their own twist.
Some of the titles are Death
at Death’s Door, Sandman Endless Nights, Chobbits Vol 1- The Kid’s Carton Bible, Buddha, the Finder,
series and Yosel. Do I understand these titles? For some yes, for
most absolutely not. They don’t translate into anything I understand. They are meant for a different generation. For
me they read like nonsense words. I’m still of the old school that wants a title to tell me what the book is all about.
The Kid’s Cartoon Bible works just fine for me. I guess I don’t
understand the younger generation… I won’t be trying to write any of these sometime soon, but if you are a writer
you should be aware of the trend.
Let me give you an example
from Top Shelf Production religious graphic novel Creature Tech. This is most of the catalog copy.
Creature Tech
Good battles evil, and the world hangs in the balance!
Resurrected by the Shroud of Turin, the zombified Dr.
Jameson intends to finish what he started 150 years
ago—destroying the earth with a giant space eel.
Standing in his way is Dr. Ong, a would-be pastor
turned scientist who now works in a rednecks,
symbiotic aliens, and a CIA-trained mantid, Dr.
Ong embarks on a journey of faith, love, and
self-discovery. All in a day’s work at Creature
Tech!… 20th Century Fox and New Regency
are currently developing Doug TenNapel’s
Creature Tech for the movies.
They gained a foothold in
the U.S. because libraries begin to push
them as a way to get young people to read. As I mentioned, the younger generation are so into video games and cable TV that
reading has begun to drop off. Barnes and Noble and other chains have started to stock comic novels in large numbers. Sam’s,
Costco and Walmart have also pioneered the trend.
Ron Turner of Last Gasp publishers
and distributors says that some trendy boutiques are doing well with these books. He also found an audience at bars, bicycle
shops and tattoo parlors. So far, independent bookstores have been reluctant to jump into the market on a big scale but that
is bound to change.
Distributors also say that
graphic novels do well in game shops and Fry’s computer stores.
Who are the Publishers
Currently 50
plus publishers are churning out graphic novels There are some familiar names, such as Pantheon and Tyndale but although I
have been a writer working with publishers for over 30 years. I had never hear of Viz, Tokyopop, Top Shelf Production, NavPress,
Vertical Inc. and many others. I’ll give you a selective list of some that
I have found while working on this article for Booksense. This is really
just the tip of the iceberg.
