Comments on: Omnibus: The New Manga Frontier?

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sat, 22 May 2010 14:11:06 +0000

I like Omnibus’s I find it makes it easier to read a series if I can get a hold of two or three issues in one covenant package or an entire series. In addition, I like the little add-ons like in the Clover Omnibus I bought. I got some art book quality full color prints in the back for the price of the Omnibus, which is twenty bucks. Another thing I like about them is by having several volumes on hand in one book. That way I don’t have to go searching for it online or hoping my local B&N has a particular volume (I am currently going through this sort of thing with my reading of Fruits Basket) and if they don’t ordering it online and then hoping they have it in stock. Therefore, I just find an Omnibus way more convenient then buying each volume individually

By: Nia

Nia — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:20:12 +0000

Make that 4 series, I forgot to add Mushishi.

By: Nia

Nia — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:12:27 +0000

For some reason, Del Rey hasn't announced that its going to put Air Gear, School Rumble, and Suzuka into omnibus format. If you check on their catalog,it clearly lists these 3 series for omnibuses. Which probably means that these are the most under performing series

By: Kuriousity » Blog Archive » Happy New Year 2010!

Kuriousity » Blog Archive » Happy New Year 2010! — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:52:56 +0000

[...] Along with reviews there was plenty of big news this year, including lots of fantastic new licensing announcements too long to list. A few of the top entries posted here on Kuriousity in 2009 include Farewell to Viz’s Shojo Beat, Tokyopop Webinar: Part One, YaoiCon 2009 – Digital Manga, There Are Some of My Favourite Things… And Yours? and Omnibus: The New Manga Frontier. [...]

By: ed

ed — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:50:13 +0000

Costs are the big issue here too. Translated novels sell one tenth as much as translated manga but the licenses cost as much or more per volume. And the royalties are usually more. So to omnibus a light novel would mean putting extremely high demands on the sales of that book.

Even the Faust collections could not finish their run despite being several hundred pages thick.

Also to get omnibus releases pubs need to get permission from mangaka and the original publisher. Sometimes its easier said than done with certain rights holders.

By: ed

ed — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:46:23 +0000

The isssue there is that while it does cost less for the consumer it costs more for publishers to make omnibus releases, especially when they were not originally licensed in that format.

Licenses are done on a per volume basis. So in the case of Seven Seas, they have already paid for license fees on their titles and if they are given permission to do an omnibus they are going to pay for all two or three volumes and not one omnibus. So if they only print one book, that book needs to sell three times as much to recoup the license fee costs. Also, even though printing costs go down with more pages, they also go down even more with higher print runs. In general omnibus sales are not high, stores do not like to shelve them, and they are often done for reprints (as the case with Viz Big or the Tokyopop omnibus releases), so as in the case with Swallowing the Earth books can go out of print and may never be reprint as it might not be economically feasible to do so due to costs being too high.

In Vertical's case when we do omnibus releases we do a relatively high initial print run to last us some time. Reprint costs for a few thousand units are too hard for a small publisher like us bear. That is why we will be reprinting MW in paperback next year after two successful hardcover printings.

By: Nia

Nia — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:55:35 +0000

Consumers may get the product out faster, but does that also mean that the licensed series will get out of print faster too?

By: Manga Xanadu » Blog Archive » This Week in Manga 11/14-11/20/09

Manga Xanadu » Blog Archive » This Week in Manga 11/14-11/20/09 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:04:35 +0000

[...] neither been announced nor confirmed by Del Rey (who remained strangely silent on the issue). In her post, Lissa posits an interesting thought; is it preferable to get a series as a wrist-breaking omnibus [...]

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:25:12 +0000

Oh wait. I did like DelRey's Me and the Devil Blues also.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:11:04 +0000

I HATE omnibuses by anyone except Vertical. Vertical puts out quality books meant to last. Everyone else's that I've bought had really shoddy quality. Pages fell out of two of them. I buy manga because I want volumes I can read time and again. Unless they're willing to put money into them, I'm not either.

And, the weight really is an issue. Two volumes in a book I can deal with. More than that, I just won't buy again.

By: Tweets that mention Kuriousity » Blog Archive » Omnibus: The New Manga Frontier? -- Topsy.com

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:47:31 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lissa, Lissa. Lissa said: New Blog Post – Omnibus: The New Manga Frontier? http://www.kuri-ousity.com/2009/11/omnibus-the-new-manga-frontier/ [...]

By: Lissa

Lissa — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:03:04 +0000

Agreed – wrists be darned! Now we just need to keep knocking on Tokyopop's door about Genju no Seiza again :D

By: Lissa

Lissa — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:02:02 +0000

I'd love to see omnibus editions of light novels too (though it may then slightly deviate from the name). They always get the short end of the attention-stick, both in sales and marketing, which of course knowingly go hand in hand. Still, for those who really enjoy them, an omnibus would be a good alternative to cancellations. I'd love to see a revival of Kino's Delivery Service in such a format for one.

By: Lissa

Lissa — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:57:50 +0000

Hopefully it only means that MHHC is currently on hold momentarily – though with the series in English only being around 4 volumes behind the Japanese version, it could be perfect for an omnibus collection – or the opposite. In its case, since they don't know how long the series is going to be (to my knowledge), an omnibus now could mean they'll be waiting years before they could put out another in the same format.

My short ramble side – may its limbo be temporary, whatever is causing it! I haven't read any yet but I really should since I love Ai Morinaga's Your and My Secret.

By: Lissa

Lissa — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:47:52 +0000

Those were the days! You treasured each purchase, that's for sure ;)

While I'm not eager to drop $30 for a single volume, thus far prices don't seem to be ranging quite that high – around $20 seems to be the norm and I think I can handle an extra $8 or so if it means getting 3x as much manga. It'll be interesting to see how we might all shift buying habits when presented with a stack of omnibus versus a stack of single volumes however.