From Tiamat's Anime and Manga Reviews comes an article titled "The Manga Gray Market," which looks at gray market manga in the U.K.:

In the UK over 90% of available manga is bought through the gray market, whether it's bought from your local book store or from amazon.co.uk, what your buying is a gray market item.

Source: MangaBlog

From Weekly Jump Readers' Journal comes an article feature titled "WSJ Illustrated Guide: pt. 4 (1990-1994)," Part 4 of a 6-part series of articles that look at important Shonen Jump serializations, with a focus on titles that were adapted into anime.

VIZ Media is currently looking for a Senior Editor to oversee its Shojo Beat magazine:

The Senior Editor oversees editorial and design for an assigned magazine in the Magazines Department of VIZ Media, which publishes a variety of materials originally published in Japan. The Senior Editor will ensure that the assigned magazine and magazine-related products maintain the company's position in the marketplace, and ensure that the company's publications reflect the VIZ Media strategy, and maintain an engaged readership through the following duties [...]

Source: Comics212

A round up of the new comic release list and views for the week of January 9th 2008:

• ComicList: ComicList for 01/09/2008
• MangaCast: New Manga Release List ~ Jan 9, 2008
• Precocious Curmudgeon: Upcoming 1/9/2008

The following manga appeared on the USA Today Booklist Top 150 (PDF) for the week ending January 6th:

• #87 - Naruto, Volume 27 - Viz - (Last week: #78)
• #93 - Naruto, Volume 26 - Viz - (Last week: #89)
• #115 - Naruto, Volume 25 - Viz - (Last week: #113)

Also, Comicsnob looks at the online manga sales rankings in "Top 100 Manga, 6 January."

According to ANN, ADV is suspending its anime/manga magazine Newtype USA after the "February issue" (which could either be the official February issue or the March issue that will be released in February) and is planning to replace it with a unnamed new magazine:

Representatives of A.D. Vision (ADV) have contacted retail partners to inform them that the February issue of Newtype USA is to be the last. [...] According to reports from those contacted by ADV, the company is planning to replace Newtype USA with another magazine. No information about the new magazine is currently known.

Source: ANN

Kodansha's josei manga magazine Beth will cease publication as of issue 8, on sale 1/8.

A notice from the editorial department was posted on Beth's homepage, thanking its readers, writers, and saying goodbye.

Beth was launched by Kodansha in November 2006. The magazine was originally focused on romance, but later began to concentrate more on single adult women.

Source: Ultimatum

A new manga titled Nana to Kaoru (??????????????????) from Ryuta Amazume, mangaka of Toshiue no Hito, began serialization in Hakusensha's Young Animal Arashi No.2, on sale 1/4. A preview of the title can be found on this page (click the lower right "Enter")

Also, a new title by Tatsuya Mikami called Kiryuuin Saeko Tantei Jimusho (??????????????? ???????????????) will begin serialization in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits No.8 (1/21).

Source: Ultimatum

AN reports that the winners of the 7th Annual Japanese Otaku Awards have been announced:

• Grand Prix: Video-sharing sites (like Nico Nico Douga)
• Hidekuni Shida Award: The Idolm@ster
• Dorii Osaki Award: Blade Runner 25th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition
• Naoki Ishiguro Award: Seto no Hanayome
• Hisashi Maeda Award: School Days
• Harayasa Toukaimura Award: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone
• Masumi Kurata Award: Kamen Rider Den-O
• Shunichi Karasawa Award: The UFO debate in the Japanese Parliament
• Housai Tsuruoka Award: Regular Kyaku no Kobayashi-kun
• Animedia Award: Yasai no Yousei - N.Y. Salad

Also otaku-related, Danny Choo has a report of police hunting otaku in Akihabara.

Adult manga publisher Icarus Publishing has released its 2007 year-end report:

Gross sales in 2007 increased 17.41% over 2006, which amounts to a money sack approximately twice the size of an ordinary money sack. 38.24% of our gross sales came from Diamond. As the graph indicates, profits are soaring at Icarus.