How much do manga authors make? A Deep Dive into the System

Summary

• The director of Comic Growl has tweeted about the pay rate of authors, and it has grabbed the attention of many fans.

• Comic Growl pays 10,000 yen per page regardless of the author’s experience and popularity.

We all must have wondered at least once how much manga authors get paid. They create magical stories with their art, and we expect them to get good pay. Is that really the case? Dive in to find out!

Comic Growl from Bushiroad gave a small insight into the pay scale of authors. The director revealed that Growl pays 10,000 yen per manga page, which is around $69.

Bushiroad will change the name of ‘Comic Bushiroad Web’ to ‘Comic Growl.’ As part of this rebranding campaign, Burshiroad Works representative director Kyōhei Shinpuku posted a Tweet regarding the name change on December 1.

コミックグロウルにて『魔法使いの嫁』『ゴーストアンドウィッチ』が連載開始しますが、グロウルってどういう意味？という所や、作家さんからは正直な話、「この媒体って原稿料とかどんなもんなの？」といった疑問があるかなと思いますので以下でお答えしますね。まず名称ですが「思わず“唸る”ような作…

— シンプク / 株式会社ブシロードワークス (@arctic_mint) December 1, 2023

“The Ancient Magus’ Bride” and “Ghost and Witch” will be serialized in Comic Growl, but what does “Growl” mean? To be honest, I think writers may have questions like What kind of manuscript fees does this medium have?'', so I'll answer them below. First of all, the name isA work that will make you groan”… Show more

English Translation, Twitter Translate

Unexpectedly, he has also revealed the pay rate for manga authors at Comic Growl. He has also shown the significance of the word “Growl.”

The name ‘Growl’ comes from the words “howling” and “roaring” in Kanji. He explained that he wants to create works that will ‘roar’ far and wide.

He also said that ‘Growl’ is also the name of a playing technique often heard in funk and jazz. It is a technique where the sound produced is muddy and distorted.

However, this is the place where emotionally moving pieces can be born. He hopes for this platform to create beautiful and emotional stories.

Growl pays its authors 10,000 yen per page and does not consider the author’s experience in serialization. He also revealed that ‘Ancient Magus Bride’ and 10 other series will be released on the platform, and they will be following the same rule.

He also hopes to release a preview of the specific content of the new series on December 21.

While his Tweet focused on many aspects, it was the mention of the pay scale that caught the attention of many fans. Manuscript pay is not often talked about.

There are very few instances of publishers disclosing their pay rates. For example, on November 14, Yahoo! Japan News released an article detailing the pay rates at Weekly Shonen Jump at 18,700 yen (about US$127.44) per page for black & white pages and 28,050 yen (about US$191.15) per page for color pages for debuting authors.

The pay of Comic Growl seems to be on the lower end. We also do not know if this pay is for a black-and-white page or a color page. However, it is more reasonable to assume that the payment is for a black-and-white page.

While the pay rate is good for upcoming authors, it does not give an extra edge to the more established and famous authors.

It is increasingly essential for other publishers to follow the route of Comic Growl and announce their pay rates. This will encourage aspiring artists to understand the situation and make a more informed choice.

Source: Twitter