[Q's} about doujinshis

[pourisetti.livejournal.com]

i am making a doujinshi now and would be selling next year and i really know little about this
i think this question would be easy for those who buys doujinshis and those who also makes doujinshi's or
anyone knowledgeable about this

1.what kind of paper does the artists use for their doujinshi? is it also like those from manga?
or they're plain bond paper?
2.how do they price their doujinshi's? i know it should cover the printing costs and materials,
but do they also raise price for their labors? what is the average price for doujinshis?
3. does fans also consider buying doujinshis, that are only photocopied?
umm , like photocopying it and folding paper in half and stapling it in the middle, or
they prefer furnished book style?

Comments

[myojo-s-me.livejournal.com]

I think most of your questions depend on the country.

In my country, you could sell Doujinshi like that, and most people add a little bit to the printing costs, but not really much. "Normal" paper is often used, though you might want to use a bit stronger one.

but yeah, depends on the country I think. Like, here you're not allowed to sell selfmade doujinshi at all because of copyright issues <.<;

[pourisetti.livejournal.com]

um, what do you mean by selfmade doujinshi?

[myojo-s-me.livejournal.com]

like. doujinshi in general, if you go by the law. but for some reason nobody cares about imported japanese ones. It's because it hurts copyrights, no matter if anyone here has bought the rights for the show/manga/whatever. But really, that is a national thing, I doubt that you nation would handle it the same, mine is a bit crazy about that.

[kasumicc.livejournal.com]

It depends a lot on the country. In my country, photocopied fanzines and doujins are acceptable, since they're cheaper. Japanese doujinkas also do it at times, they're called "copybooks".
There's not a standard paper either. Some use manga paper, some use bright paper...it varies a lot xD

There's not an average price for doujinshi either; again, it depends on the country, length, used materials, etc. If they're sold through a third party (ex. an external store), prices do rise a little.
Japanese doujins tend to be the cheapest of all. A 40 pages doujinshi's normally around 500-700 yens.

[ifluff.livejournal.com]

Isn’t it also easier because the mangakas live in Japan/Asia? I’ve always assumed it is easier to publish doujis in Japan because it is much easier for the artist(s) to contact and get permission from the original mangakas to sell their doujis.

[goatbit.livejournal.com]

No, it really doesn't have to do with that. Doujinshi is actually really good for publishing companies in Japan bc it promotes the popularity of a series.

I am really puzzled why companies in the US don't understand this. In Japan, only famous doujinshi-ka can make money from their sales. The majority of ppl barely cut even and are just doing it out of love of the series.

[pourisetti.livejournal.com]

ahh, thank you the link was very very helpful!

[jasontodd.livejournal.com]

honestly, whether or not you sell it depends on the country you live in. you don't want to get into a copyright lawsuit, so make sure to read up on that.

some use regular paper, some use manga paper - it all depends on personal preference.

some would buy the photocopied, but most would likely prefer furnished.

good luck! and remember, it all depends on the target audience.

[chulchinmae.livejournal.com]

1.what kind of paper does the artists use for their doujinshi? is it also like those from manga? or they're plain bond paper?

Honestly, whatever the self publishing company lets them have the option of. Most scan in their original work to do digitally at high resolutions and the printing company does it for them. You are going to have to make digital copies regardless of what paper you start digitally though, since they normally only take pdf or tiff files. Also, for better quality, usually getting thicker paper helps so it doesn't look transparent went printing. Like 70 lb/104 gsm paper.

2.how do they price their doujinshi's? i know it should cover the printing costs and materials,
but do they also raise price for their labors? what is the average price for doujinshis?

Depends on your country and availability of printing services. In America, price of service is usually ridiculous, and one book could be five dollars for about 30-50 pages, while in Japan, it could be roughly 1-2 dollars after converting. So, Americans price more per book, and you need to take that into consideration. Most Japanese only make just barely enough to cover printing costs, but it's up to you if you want to make a profit. In that case, you need to ask yourself how much you want to charge over your the amount you need to make up for the printing company and consider shipping and handling for the buyer.

3. does fans also consider buying doujinshis, that are only photocopied?
umm , like photocopying it and folding paper in half and stapling it in the middle, or
they prefer furnished book style?

If they really love your work, they'll take photocopy, but from a sales point of view, it really looks better as a published work. They are also more durable in the long run.