Manta (manta.internet), a webtoon / digital comics app platform has introduced their first official entry into the print graphic novel market with a direct-to-consumer, full-color print version of Disobey the Duke If You Dare, a fantasy-romance series by Romance Machine Okay. We spoke with Manta to get extra particulars on this, plus extra details about why it’s not but accessible by way of comics/e-book distributors for retailers and libraries but.
The print version of the first quantity of Disobey the Duke If You Dare will probably be accessible to order by way of Amazon beginning on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
The series, one of the hottest on Manta, serves up new chapters each Thursday. The digital comedian model of Disobey the Duke is at the moment in its second season, with 58 chapters launched up to now. The web page for the series notes that its reputation has led Manta to hurry up releases of English chapters to be simul-pubbed/launched the similar time as the Korean language chapters are launched to readers in Korea.
Here’s the description, from Manta:
You mustn’t ever see the duke’s face
After her second husband’s loss of life, Lily is pressured into a 3rd marriage by her father. Her new husband is rumored to be a monstrous warmonger, however to Lily’s shock, the Duke seems to be a sort man and husband. There’s only one catch… she mustn’t ever see his face.
You can get a style of Disobey the Duke If You Dare by way of the Manta web site.
While the launch of Disobey the Duke if You Dare is their first official print launch, Manta has beforehand launched two volumes of their widespread BL series, Semantic Error as ebooks by way of Amazon Kindle in Summer 2022, and gave away a restricted quantity of print editions of this story as giveaways to followers by way of their social media channels and at San Diego Comic-Con at the Manga Publishing Roundtable panel.
Manta’s launch of this series as a direct-to-consumer print launch raises loads of questions. While the press launch states,
Starting with Disobey the Duke if You Dare, Manta is dedicated to bringing extra of its hit originals into high-quality graphic novels by direct publishing and partnerships.
Moonseok Jeong, Head of Content for Manta mentioned, “Manta already has a strong, well-established fandom from offering the hundreds of best and exclusive stories in digital comics form, and we are definitely proud for Disobey the Duke if You Dare to be our first entry into print. With this graphic novel initiative, we aim to extend the success of Manta’s popular IP, diversify the reading experience, and most importantly, bring what our fans will love and enjoy.”
That’s tremendous for particular person readers who wish to purchase this series as a printed e-book, however what about retailers (bookstores or comedian retailers) or libraries, who depend on distributors like Ingram, Penguin Random House or Diamond to get books on their cabinets? I reached out to Jeong for extra data. Here’s what he mentioned:
Who will distribute these books to retailers and librarians? Are your distribution plans just for direct-to-consumer by way of Amazon?
JEONG: It will probably be distributed direct-to shopper by way of Amazon. However, we’re open to collaborations in the future with different widespread titles of Manta.
How are you figuring out which books will get print distribution this fashion? Is it primarily based on reputation / learn price/reactions from Manta app customers or one thing else?
JEONG: Disobey the Duke is one of Manta’s hottest titles, and our first title for distribution in print. It’s extra for our followers to increase their studying experiences whereas having the pleasure of maintaining their favourite Manta title on the bookshelves.
I’m additionally inquisitive about what number of books Manta is planning on publishing this fashion over the subsequent yr?
JEONG: We are open to extra titles coming to print in the future and are exploring find out how to broaden into this print publication.
Are you additionally speaking with different publishers, re: licensing titles showcased on Manta to be printed in print?
JEONG: As talked about above, as an IP proprietor, we’re open to conversations and alternatives with different titles. We have a wealthy library of romance tales which we’re robust at, and that our followers love, together with Under the Oak Tree, Finding Camellia and extra.
So in different phrases, all of these bigger questions on distribution, licensing series featured on Manta to different N. American comics publishers are to be decided later, presumably primarily based on how issues go along with this primary direct-to-consumer e-book launch.
Perhaps the most helpful means of taking a look at that is to suppose of it like as being considerably like how graphic novels get self-published by way of Kickstarter. A creator could use a profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign to indicate publishers that there’s robust curiosity in the e-book, in order to make a case signal a take care of a writer to select up the series and provides it wider distribution. If that’s the case, we’ll simply have to attend and see how readers obtain the information of this print version, and what this results in subsequent.
Manta is one of the newer entries into the webtoon / digital comics app house, providing one thing barely totally different than comparable companies: Instead of the pay-by-episode mannequin utilized by different webtoon platforms, Manta affords all-you-can-read comics for a flat month-to-month subscription price of USD $3.99 in N. America. It’s free to obtain on Android and iOS gadgets and is accessible in 175 international locations, with a month-to-month price that varies by nation. It’s additionally accessible in English and Spanish.
Manta is owned and operated by RIDI Corporation, “one of the top storytelling companies in Korea.” Several series featured on Manta have been tailored into stay motion TV drama and animated series. Manta additionally works with “third-party IP rights holders to extend existing storytelling into comics.”
Since its debut in November 2020, Manta grew to become the No. 1 comics app on Google Play in areas together with the U.S., Mexico, and Spain shortly after launch, with its apps downloaded eight million occasions as of October 2022.
See what’s on Manta for your self by visiting Manta.internet or visiting the Apple App Store or Google Play to obtain the app.
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