|
|
|
|
Interview with Yaoi Publisher : Part 2
DramaQueen, L.L.C.
Interview / Text: Lees Sharon-Ann
Response: Tran Nguyen (Director of DramaQueen LC )
About DramaQueen
DramaQueen, L.L.C. has the unique advantage of being founded by manga fans from both North America and Europe, and this very much affects the ethos of the company - they are a publisher that is very much in touch with the female manga fan base. DramaQueen translate and publish yaoi, BL and shojo titles, giving the company the advantage of carrying manga for women that also fall under a specific sub-genre such as yaoi. Amongst the manga-ka currently featured - Masra Minase has gained much popularity recently in the Western Market, Lies & Kisses and Empty Heart are currently available.
Q1: As a company what are your aims and ideals?
A1: Our aim is to give the English-speaking audience the same reading
experience as the fans from the country where the book was originally
released. Preserving the art and the feeling of the translations is very
important, as well as the production, packaging and extras.
Q2: In your experience are there any major differences between the current
Western and Eastern markets?
A2: The Eastern market is a lot more mature, which is understandable and
expected seeing as it has a longer history then the Western one. On the
other hand, the Western market, like any new market developed on the basis
of a mature market, has the possibility of learning from the mistakes of
it's predecessor・et, sometimes that's not really the case.
Q3: In your opinion what has the recent bankruptcy of Biblos meant for the
yaoi market in general?
A3: The yaoi market lost a big name, yet things picked up fast. It is still too
early to say how the Biblos bankruptcy is going to affect the yaoi market
in the future. As for the licensed titles, I can't speak for the other
companies but for us it means a slight delay for one of our titles.
Q4: What message does this give us about the Japanese yaoi market and the
future of the English-speaking one?
A4: "Do not give the bird in hand for the birds in the sky," or "One rotten
apple can spoil the whole bag." You pick.
Q5: And perhaps more importantly, will it affect DramaQueen customers?
A5: As said, one of our titles, Mandayuu and Me by Shushushu Sakurai has been delayed.
Q6: Will we, for example, be able to purchase upcoming volumes of current series?
A6: We do not have any licenses for Biblos series, so all our series and titles
except for Mandayuu and Me have no delays. Some will actually come out
earlier then expected.
Q7: DramaQueen is best known for publishing high-quality adult yaoi. I see
you have started to publish other genres. How have they been received?
A7: We are happy to say that the fans have welcomed the titles with open arms.
They have been really good to us and we are grateful to them for giving our
non-yaoi titles a chance. I'm sure that they won't be disappointed.
Q8: And do you have any plans to extend into any mediums other than manga such
as anime, novels and audio CDs?
A8: Oh, we would love to extend into everything. We would also love to take
over the world, but at this point in time our dreams have to take a
backseat while we concentrate on doing our books. But, hey, you never know
what the future holds. ;)
Q9: What advice would you give to aspiring yaoi manga and doujin creators?
A9: Don't rush the story. Having more then five panels on one page can really
crowd the composition and distract from the feeling of the story. A
picture is worth a thousands words, so study expressions and don't forget
sex doesn't need to be explicit to be hot. In yaoi it's the feelings and
reasons that count the most.
Q10: I see Drama Queen publish non-Japanese titles. How do these fair in
sales/popularity?
A10: We launched our first shoujo manhua title just a short while ago and it
was received rather well, the problem is in getting the word out there to
non-yaoi fans because I'm sure they would enjoy the titles we have lined
up.
Q11: The overall impression I get from your company is that you are very
feedback oriented. How important is customer opinion to you?
A11: We love feedback and we always strive to become better and better, which is
why feedback is very important to us. Unless we hear the fans it's
like walking in the dark; we need them to light our way so we can stay on
the right track.
[ NEW TITLES ANNOUNCED AT ANIMECON 2006 ]
Previously introduced : Yaoi Press
Next publisher interview: BeBeautiful. Stay Tuned!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
:: LINK FREE ::
http://www.akibaangels.com
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
