From ANS:

Japanese publishing house Shimanaka has announced putting steps in motion to begin the dissolution of the company as of January 10th. Degrading sales are cited as the reason. Shimanaka was known for printing its "Island Comics Primo" masterpiece series of manga reprints by authors including Shotaro Shotaro Ishinomori, Fujiko F Fujio, Reiji Matstumoto, Monkey Punch, Go Nagai and others.

From the Japanese blog lovelovedog comes an article looking at the cost of manga production in Japan. The analysis, written by a school teacher, calculates how much it takes to produce a volume of manga, and compares the result with incomes from other fields.

On the Cost of Producing Manga
- Written by a school teacher

In the case of anime production cost, various references can be found in the following article:

- On the Cost of Producing Anime

Generally it takes around 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 yen to make a 30 minute episode anime. In the case of manga, because there isn't much information available, for now we'll consider the pay for a one-page manuscript as 20,000 yen. Please pay attention to how the calculations are handled, since even by analogy the following calculations contain many steps.

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Visual novel developer/publisher KID (Kindle Imagine Develop), creator of visual novels/dating sims such as Pia Carrot he Youkoso, Memories Off, Ever 17, and Ai Yori Aoshi, has filed for bankruptcy. However, according to a blurb on KID's official site, there still may be a chance for their near-completed games to be released.

Source: insert credit

The Beat reports that Gonzalo Ferreyra is now VIZ Media's new VP Sales, Publishing & Home Video. Also Moneka Hewlett has been promoted to Director of Sales, Publishing, Sales, and Brian Ige is now Director Of Sales, Home Video.

Source: The Beat

Japanese anime news site AnimeAnime has released a 2-part follow-up to their previous report on fansubs and the anime industry." In Part 1 and Part 2, Romi (the writer) talked about the history and problems of fansubs. In Part 3, Romi (the writer) talks about the future of the anime industry, and why the companies are having a hard time dealing with fansubs.

Fansubs and the Gloom of the Anime Industry - Part 3
- by Romi

In 2006, rumors spread about anime distributor Central Park Media's bankruptcy (which did not happen). Also, a friend of mine was fired by a major anime distributor he worked for; he was involved with many well-known titles, so I was shocked. The fact that even major distributors need to dismiss its capable staffs proves that the anime industry is getting worse.

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According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Shogakukan and Sony Pictures Entertainment and others have announced plans to explore the light novel market aimed at people between 10 to 20 years old. While Shogakukan will be officially entering the light novel market this spring, Sony Pictures plans to tap into the large pool of new writers who write using their cell phone.

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Dark Horse gives The Beat their take on the AMS/PGW bankruptcy:

Due to our use of multiple distributors, this is not going to cause any interruption in flow of our books, for any of our imprints to any class or trade or market. PGW has been very good about staying in contact, and very cooperative.

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Independent UK publisher SelfMadeHero launches in early February 07. The focus of the launch is Manga Shakespeare, a book series providing a unique combination of manga and classic dramatic texts. SelfMadeHero books reflect what's going on in the best contemporary manga and graphic novels. SelfMadeHero Director Emma Hayley says: 'With our fresh and innovative approach to the classics, we are creating exciting and unique books that will inspire today's generation.'

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Publishers Weekly reports new development on the bankruptcy of AMS:

"The bankruptcy court overseeing Advanced Marketing Services reorganization efforts yesterday approved its request to receive $75 million in debtor-in-possession financing. The funding is enough to operate for the next six months.

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Isao Yoshino of Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. announced plans to add another branch to his company covering manga. According to the announcement, this spring Isao Yoshino plans to start a seinen magazine Comic Yoshimoto, for which professional comedians from his company will team up with professional artists to create 20-25 different stories.

Yoshino expects the magazine to sell up to 250,000 issues each month. Yoshino also stated that he is considering releasing Comic Yoshimoto on the internet, or creating movies for its stories depending on the magazine's popularity.

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