 per page for all new authors, regardless of experience. This rate is lower than what some other publishers pay, with Weekly Shonen Jump paying 18,700 yen (about US$127.44) per page for black & white pages and 28,050 yen (about US$191.15) per page for color pages for debuting authors. Comic Growl's announcement is significant as it openly discloses its pay rate, which is important for new talent considering multiple publishing options. Established authors, however, may find it less appealing.){kind=link}
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How much money can a manga author expect to make for a manuscript? Comic Growl (formerly Comic Bushiroad Web) from Bushiroad gives us a small insight into their pay scale.
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In a move to revamp its online manga magazine, Bushiroad will be changing Comic Bushiroad Web to Comic Growl. As part of this rebranding campaign, Burshiroad Works representative director Kyōhei Shinpuku posted a Tweet regarding the name change on December 1. But, in a shocking twist this Tweet also announced the pay rate for manga authors going forward at Comic Growl.
コミックグロウルにて『魔法使いの嫁』『ゴーストアンドウィッチ』が連載開始しますが、グロウルってどういう意味？という所や、作家さんからは正直な話、「この媒体って原稿料とかどんなもんなの？」といった疑問があるかなと思いますので以下でお答えしますね。まず名称ですが「思わず“唸る”ような作…
— シンプク / 株式会社ブシロードワークス (@arctic_mint) December 1, 2023
“The Ancient Magus Bride” and “Ghost and Witch” will be serialized in Comic Growl, but what does “Growl” mean? To be honest, I think writers may have questions like ‘What kind of manuscript fees does this medium have?,’ so I’ll answer them below. First of all, the name is “Comic Growl,” which comes from the words “howling” and “roaring” based on the concept of “creating works that will make you spontaneously ‘roar.’ Creating works that will ‘roar’ far and wide.'”
As an afterthought, Growl is also the name of a playing technique often heard in funk and jazz. It’s a playing method that produces a muddy and distorted sound, but I also think it’s great that it’s a place where such emotionally moving sounds can be born.
In addition, with the renewal of Comic Growl, we have revised the manuscript fee for serialization. Growl starts at 1p 10,000 yen, regardless of whether you have experience in serialization or not. In the future, more than 10 new series are being prepared, and all of them will follow this rule. I hope to be able to release a preview of the specific content of the new series on December 21. So that’s all for the report. I’ll do my best, so thank you all for your support!
Shinpuku likening it to jazz music is clever to say the least and shows the publication wants to create stories that will entice and entertain readers.
However, it’s the pay scale mentioned in the Tweet that is far more interesting. Manuscript pay is generally not often talked about. Although there are instances of publishers disclosing their pay rates, some information can be gleaned through articles and word of mouth. For instance, on November 14, Yahoo! Japan News released an article detailing the pay rates at Weekly Shonen Jump at 18,700 yen (about US$127.44) per page for black & white pages and 28,050 yen (about US$191.15) per page for color pages for debuting authors. The entertainment trade school Amusement Media Academy previously released an article in October 2021 claiming manga authors can expect to make anywhere between 4,000 yen (about US$27.26) to 35,000 yen (about US$238.52) per page depending on popularity.
Comic Growl, though, announced they would pay all new authors to their publication a flat rate of 10,000 yen (about US$68.15) per page regardless of experience. Unfortunately, this Tweet didn’t mention if this 10,000 yen rate is for black & white pages or color pages or if the rate would later go up for popular titles. In any case, this is good news for up and coming authors to Comic Growl, but also a potential loss for established and popular authors such as Kore Yamazaki and her work The Ancient Magus Bride. Bushiroad is even ending publication on its Monthly Bushiroad magazine and transferring several manga to Comic Growl.
Knowing what to expect for manuscript pay is incredibly important for manga authors. Especially new talent who may be courted by numerous publishers. With Comic Growl making their pay rate public it will hopefully push other publishers to do the same. If not, at least new talent to Comic Growl will know what they will receive before signing on.
Sources: Kyōhei Shinpuku’s Twitter account, Yahoo Japan News, Amusement Media Academy