Manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment has announced the launch of an all-ages prose imprint called Light Novel, a nod to the Japanese term for short novels aimed at manga-reading teens and young adults.
The pocket-sized books, containing between 200 and 300 pages, will include “manga-style” spot illustrations, and retail for $7.95. The line is set to launch in April with six ongoing titles:
Ballad of a Shinigami, about a young female grim reaper; Pita-Ten, featuring the continuing adventures of Koge-Donbo’s loveable characters; Strawberry Panic, a popular “yuri” series set in a girl’s dormitory; Kanokon, a love triangle comedy in the vein of Fruits Basket about a boy, a fox girl and a wolf girl; Gun Princess, an epic fantasy about a trio on a quest for the ultimate weapon in a magical world; and Vamp!, a comedic dark fantasy about vampire clans, a vampire princess, and the man who hunts them.
“We’re confident that our new Light Novel imprint will finally get manga fans excited about novels,” Seven Seas president Jason DeAngelis says in the press release. “We’ve got some incredible content, so the rest is about price and format. Our bite-sized light novels will be the same dimensions as they are in Japan, and will be priced low in order to help expand the market.”
