And even being 4 years almost into lettering, it is STILL intimidating to ask for more when I know it's reasonable, bc at the end of the day we're still just contract workers with no real protection.
They respect you. When I ask, they might give me $100 more if I can give them good reasons (higher page counts, research, etc.). Some publishers only increase rates in $25 increments when freelancers have attempted to ask for more
I've only had a handful of successful negotiations, and sometimes the clients just rescind projects. The times I've gotten overall raises were when publishers were driven to it by social media callouts and when internal staff pushed
I think it's an issue that requires collective action
I don't even think that's the problem in this case! There are people who'll work for $1/page, but the excuse I've heard for the big print publishers is "[redacted] only pays $1200/vol." so the rest of the publishers peg their rates on that or lower
Manga companies, please pay us $8/page!
The small and new publishers can do it, surely the big companies with owners who make $3 million+ per year can afford it too!!
x.com/MangaAlerts/...
2024 Seven Seas revenue
Approx. $50 million
Obviously now! Come visit me >:D
Somtimes it's just timing rather than our own actions or abilities. You've gone viral before for your manga! You won an award for your writing (translation counts)! That's proof you can do it!
Maybe it's the trends or a matter of finding the right magazine/editor, but people are rooting for you!
ๆผซ็ปๅฎถใฎ็ใใ๏ผใ่ฑ่ชๅใซๅบ็ใใใใใ๏ผๆตทๅคใฎใคใใณใใซๅๅ ใใใใ๏ผใใจๆใฃใใใจใชใใงใใ๏ผ๏ผใใใซใคใใฆใกใใฃใจใ่ฉฑใใใพใใฎใงใใ่ๅณใฎใใๆนใใฒRPใฎใชใณใฏใงใ็ป้ฒใใ ใใ๏ผ๏ผ
๏ผๆผซ็ปๅฎถใใใชใใฆใใๅๅ ใงใใพใใ๏ผ๏ผ
A pigeon wearing Ketter's beanie and scarf holding an ICE OUT sign with a golden halo behind his head stands proud over a snowy / tear gassy blue background. Painted in acrylic
Today's bonus pigeon is 70 years old and he's fucking angry (and he's fucking right).
Greg Ketter of DreamHaven Books in the Twin Cities ๐
Black and white one not taken by me, but I think those are pigeons in Tokyo from 50+ years ago
I was prepared for this moment!!
[Kodama] Yuzuko Hoshimi's MAGICA Volume 1 pre-orders are up at
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/MAGICA-Vol-1-Yuzuko-Hoshimi/dp/1966523173
B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/magica-vol1-yuzuko-hoshimi/1148021204
BAM! https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Magica/Yuzuko-Hoshimi/9781966523178
Our next Kanto Manga Loc (and more!) meetup will be on November 12!
If you are in the area and would like to attend, please let me know. Also, feel free to let me know if youโd like to attend one in the future!
I haven't been sitting on it long, but Cocoon's announcement is so exciting! I think it's the first time a publisher has licensed something based on my suggestion
With the anime, someone would have probably gotten it, but maybe not as quickly and maybe not Viz
My mom's side is Okinawan, so this one has a place very near and dear to my heart
(PAID) - We need a dialogue editor who is fluent in Japanese.
Limited series, 8 episodes.
Shocked and saddened to hear that Matt Haasch, founder of indie manga publishing company @starfruitbooks.bsky.social has passed away. His gofundme campaign for his medical and other expenses is still up - contribute if you can. www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-...
editor friends, my job is hiring an Editor - Fiction & Non-Fiction: www.viz.com/company-jobs...
ๅ ็้ ๅผตใฃใฆ๏ผๅฟๆดใใฆใพใ๏ผ๏ผ
Screenshot of the VIZ manga app. At the top is artwork of a young woman and man standing in front of a Japanese-style house. Beneath the artwork is the text: โHIRAYASUMI Story and Art by Keith Shinzo Sometimes slowing down is the best way to move forwardโ Beneath that are a list of chapters starting from chapter 1
Vols 1-5 of Hirayasumi by Keigo Shinzo are available now in the VIZ app! Itโs such a lovely story, and I wound up reading all 44 chapters in one sitting.
Translation by @jmitsu.bsky.social
Lettering by Elena Diaz
I'm not sure how things work in Japan--and even my US knowledge is very limited--but teaching might work differently
We're also still allowed to form organizations, but we just don't have protections like full-time employees, so there are some things we can't do
VIZ Media quietly added an AI-translated manga to their app and hoped no one would notice. We did.
Manga deserves better than cheap, soulless automation. This is a betrayal of translators, fans, and the art form.
We don't want your AI translations!
We're freelancers. Legally, we cannot unionize
"Under U.S. antitrust laws, freelancers organizing to negotiate higher pay could be viewed as engaging in โprice-fixingโ since theyโre considered individual businesses rather than employees of a single organization."
www.themuse.com/advice/can-f...
Large language models are incapable of having respect for an artist. And the people choosing to use them for the localization of art hold an active disdain for that art and the people they supposedly want to appreciate that art.
Lettering pays poorly. I work a full-time office job to support my passion of lettering manga. I don't dislike AI localization because I see it as a threat to my livelihood, I dislike it because it is profane. An essential aspect of the job is respecting the work of the artist and writer.
y'know, I've been a die-hard supporter of the Shonen Jump app, and lately the Viz app
but this is literally Step One to publishers strongarming licensors to save a couple bucks on translators and letterers
contact Viz... let 'em know
I actually care about the quality of the products I pay for
anyone who has a viz sub they pay for, I totally suggest leaving a comment about this www.viz.com/company-cont...
NFTs (Neat Font Tricks)...AI (Adobe Illustrator, obviously)...VC (voice chat, where we cry together)
I'm going to start a lettering consultancy agency and all it will say is "don't use comic sans, anime ace, serif fonts, or system fonts"
"also don't left justify text"
I'll personally donate $40 so you can buy a great Blambot font if you don't want to spend $130 on Wild Words!
