RPG Lit in Japan - the latest

Discussion in 'All Things LitRPG' started by Maikel Yarimizu, Jan 13, 2019.

  1. Maikel Yarimizu

    Maikel Yarimizu Level 10 (Filcher) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    Major Japanese publishing house Kadokawa Shoten is launching a new imprint specifically for books based on tabletop RPG licenses that it manages.

    ANN article

    The licenses include Sword World (unsurprisingly), Meikyuu Kingdom, and the American game Call of Cthulhu.

    Sword World is the game system that gave us the Lodoss War series, FYI, among several others.

    Apparently this is more of a relaunching, as Kadokawa has done plenty of Lodoss War, Dragonlance, and other tabletop-related publications in the past, but I'm guessing at some point in the late 90s / early Aughts, they might have closed shop on that. I should probably check the print date on that Lodoss Gaiden novel I have on the shelf, just to see.

    In any case, I think I should brush up on my translation skills soon.
     
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  2. Allen White

    Allen White Level 7 (Cutpurse) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    I was just in Japan, a country I often visit (my profile pic is me in front of a Tezuka mural in the Ameyoko neighborhood of Tokyo), and I spent a little time checking out translated American sci-fi and fantasy in a local book shop. I saw, for example, some James Hogan work on the shelf.

    I am interested in getting my work translated, but what I'd really like to know, before expending effort and money, is how well translated American titles do in the Japanese market. (Book marketing is different there; for example, print books are organized in stores by publisher, and not author or genre.)

    My work would not be in print, but an eBook on Amazon Japan. Anybody have any sales stats on American titles? I do know this -- Japan is the 2nd largest eBook market in the world!
     




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