BL

From the Yaoi Press blog comes the "2007 Wrap-up," which looks at the state of Yaoi Press in 2007, as well as plans for 2008:

Our greatest success was Dark Prince vol. 1, which had the highest preorders and lowest initial returns of any title to date.

Our greatest failure was the comic books. Without book store sales the comic book line was unsustainable.

From the Yaoi Press blog comes pictures of the Yaoi Parasol, which will make its debut at Ohayocon, taking place January 4, 5 and 6, 2008.

From YaoiSuki comes a brief talk with CPM's John O'Donnell regarding their company's licensing dispute with Japanese BL publisher Libre Publishing:

Since putting up their notice, O'Donnell says Libre has not taken any action to settle the matter, and even refuses to sit down with O'Donnell or any other CPM representatives to try and work it out. Libre has not filed a lawsuit. He hopes that Libre will bring their lawyers to the U.S. so that the matter can be settled, but thinks that they are trying to deliberately harm the sales of the books until CPM's license expires so that they can license the series to another company.

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NEW YORK, NY (November 12, 2007) - Yen Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA that is dedicated to graphic novels, will publish its first BL (Boys Love) romances that feature adult males starting in Fall 2008. Obtained from the Japanese publisher Houbunsha and created by the talented Lily Hoshino, additional BL titles will be published throughout 2009. "We are pleased to support this market that has such a dedicated fan base." said Kurt Hassler, Co-Publishing Director for Yen Press.

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Los Angeles, CA (November 7, 2007) - Boysenberry Books, the boys' love branch of Broccoli Books, is proud to announce that they have acquired the license and publishing rights for Cigarette Kisses by Nase Yamato.

Originally known in Japan as Kuchibiru no Yukue, Cigarette Kisses is a standalone boys' love graphic novel that is filled with intense drama within a steamy love triangle.

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Los Angeles, CA (November 7, 2007) ??? Boysenberry Books, the new boys' love imprint from Broccoli Books, has a new website, http://www.boysenberrybooks.com, launching today. The website will contain constant updates about upcoming boys love titles. Also contained within the site is information on released books and their authors.

"This launch reflects on the popularity of boys' love within the manga industry. After attending Yaoi Con, we have reconfirmed that boys' love is a permanent genre in North America," states Shizuki Yamashita, Director of Operations of Broccoli International and managing editor of Boysenberry Books. "We wanted to create a place so our fans can have an easily accessible way of getting information about our boys' love titles."

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According to YaoiSuki, BL manga artist Tohjoh Asami (creator of Denkou Sekka Boys) has passed away:

We've received word via the yaoi_daily_cafe LiveJournal community that Tohjoh Asami, the mangaka behind the very popular Denkou Sekka Boys (a.k.a. Thunderbolt Boys), has passed away. The details behind her death aren't clear yet; we'll get back to you as soon as we know more.

According to YaoiSuki, Iris Print has canceled its yaoi magazine BL Twist:

How lucky am I? Literally the day after I ordered their new magazine BL Twist, they close down their purchasing page and announce that the October launch of the mag has been cancelled and they're refunding subscriptions.

Via: MangaBlog

Many new acquisition announcements have been made at this year's Yaoi Con (list compiled by ANN):

Yen Press:

  • Love Quest (Rabu Kue) by Hoshino Lilly
  • Mr. Flower Bride by Hoshino Lilly
  • Mr. Flower Groom by Hoshino Lilly

Broccoli:

  • Koi Cupid by Mia Ikumi
  • Pandora Hearts by Jun Mochizuki

Boysenberry (Broccoli):

  • Cigarette Kisses (Kuchibiru no Yukue) by Nase Yamato

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From Yaoi Suki comes the annual Yaoi Awards. In '06-'07 Yaoi Awards: Finale, the winners are:

  • Jen Pick: Love is Like a Hurricane / Scandalous Seiryo University
  • Jordan Pick: Crimson Spell
  • Global BL Award: Rush #1
  • User's Choice Award: Crimson Spell