Queenie Chan

📖 The Dreaming (V1–3) — MANGA
🎃 Gothic | Dark Fantasy | Supernatural | Mystery Horror
🕯️ Read+Buy: VIZ →

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

🎃Happy Halloween!👻
Interested in why twin sisters Jeanie and Amber are getting eerie dreams at their new boarding schools, known for vanishing schoolgirls?

Here's chapter 1 of "The Dreaming" manga trilogy [COMPLETED]!

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

‘Sunset Protocol’, chap1, p36-37.

Ugh, I’m sick this week. Trying to drink more fluids and recover.
1 more update till the end of Chapter 1!

#sunsetprotocol
#indiemanga

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

‘Sunset Protocol’, chap1, p34-35.

The first of some Yothic-branded tech… the presence of corporations are all encompassing these days and this manga looks to capture that visually.
5 pages left to the end of Chapter 1!

#sunsetprotocol
#indiemanga

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

3 common mistakes in book proposals, but may work for manga too? 🤔

1️⃣ The story is about "what the author wants to say" rather than "what the reader wants to read." — a common suggestion from manga editors is that creators need to consider what readers want.

2️⃣ No similar books exist because "this is highly original”—if nothing similar exists, it COULD because it appeals to no one.

3️⃣ The title is just a straightforward summary of the content—works fine for light novels, but titles are extremely important. Choosing a title that is hard to spell, boring or not descriptive, or too common, can ruin a manga’s searchability. A title has to be tantalising and accurate, but only partly descriptive.

[岡本雄太郎｜書き手の可能性をひらく編集者 @oka_motti]

商業出版の企画会議で落ちる企画には3つの共通点があります。

①テーマが「読者の悩み」ではなく「著者の言いたいこと」から始まっている
②類書は「��自性の高い企画だからありません」と言い切る
③タイトル案がただの内容の要約になっている

①は「本を出したい」という想いが強い方にありがちです。商業出版は読者のニーズありきのものですので、読者の悩みからスタートしなくてはなりません。
②は一見説得力があるようにも思えますが、類書がないということはそこに市場がないという意味にもなりますし、出版社側も売れ行きが読めないため投資がしづらくなります。
③は9割の人がやります。タイトルは要約ではなく、読者が「これは私の話だ」と認知するための装置です。タイトルが要約では、読者はまず手に取りません。

あなたの企画書は①②③に陥っていないでしょうか？

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

Recently, there has been reports of mangaka suffering from ill-treatment.

This posts makes an important suggestion: to create some sort of Japanese mangaka association that will look out for the rights and well-being of its members. 🤔

It’s not a union because mangaka aren’t employees, but it is a crucial support structure for freelancers/contract workers (which mangaka are).

[疲労わーるど @hillowworld]

@enokor0 漫画家は社員じゃないからね
出入りの業者なんだよ　切りたければ編集者が切る
それをさせないためには業界の団体を作って交渉を担当させるしかない　立場の弱い一漫画家に対しては強く出られるけど、す���に成功している強い漫画家がいる団体に対しては従うだろう

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@MangaAlerts Any idea why this may be happening, apart from the obvious such as sales? 🤔

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@CatalyticComics Very true. 🤔

As you ascend, the competition sees less contestants, but it also becomes more intense.

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

This post names the odds of one mangaka amongst many…

“- 300,000 aspiring manga artists
- 100,000 people who can complete a manga
- 6,000 people who can become professional manga artists
- 1,000 people who can make a hit work and make a living from it”

With foreign mangaka entering the fray, but also the market expanding… these numbers are about to undergo a big change.

Both scary and exciting… 😓😅

[ろくすけ(六)漫画家 40歳 漫画素人からデビュー‼️中年の星🌟になりたい @ROKUmanga40]

漫画家志望者が30万人
漫画を完成させられる人が10万人
漫画家になれるのは6000人
ヒット作を出して食える人は1000人

あなたは1人🖋️

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@chopsuey9444 100%. I have a day job too, as do most creators I know.

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@370119 I hope you recover soon!

AI is indeed a scary time-sucking machine… 😳

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

Hirohiko Araki says: “the enemy of a manga artist is anxiety.”

Given his unique style for his ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ series, I wonder how many times in his earlier days did Araki-sensei question what he drew? Eventually, after many years, it become iconic, but only because he stuck to his guns.

It’s hard to imagine Araki-sensei struggling when he started out—his position in the art world NOW is so assured, we don’t realise there was a time where his work was questioned by everyone.

“the things that come from anxiety only make you waver, and in the end, you can't write anything but trivial prose”—this is correct.

The bold may not succeed, but at least they tried, and that has more value than the bland and timid.

[文章修行の虎 @miyabook0303_]

荒木飛呂彦は「漫画家の敵は不安」だと言います。不安から漫画家がブレて、作品がブレていく。ブレずに自分のやりたいと思ったことを貫いていくこと。それは文章をかく上でも全く同じで、「こんなこと書いたら笑われるんじゃないか」「もっと難しい語彙を使わないとアホと思われる」とかしょうもないレベルから不安は襲ってきます。読者に伝えることは大切ですが、不安からきたものはブレさせて結局しょうもない文章しか書けなくなる。

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@nemu_asahi I spent the past 2 months working on a one-shot so I didn’t feel I got much done either.

Don’t feel discouraged! It’s a long road so taking a break occasionally is fine.

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@hakeism @allisonperryart Yeah, Patreon has never been easy. The people who do really well at it also works insane hours.

It’s WORK.

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

‘Sunset Protocol’, chap1, p34-35.

The first of some Yothic-branded tech… the presence of corporations are all encompassing these days and this manga looks to capture that visually.
5 pages left to the end of Chapter 1!

#sunsetprotocol
#indiemanga

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

‘Sunset Protocol’, chap1, p32-33.

The tension continues to ratchet up… coming to a head next 2 pages!

6 pages left to the end of Chapter 1! #sunsetprotocol #ThrillerManga

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

A detailed post about the expenses of being a mangaka in a world with inflation & rising software costs BUT stagnant page rates.

“But if you don't pay assistants a decent wage, you won't get anyone […] the manga industry is overflowing with people who want to become creators.”

Assistants are in shorter supply than before. If you don’t pay well, they’ll rather do original work (even as a hobby), so that creates a stranglehold even on the pros.

“only the manga artists who smartly incorporate tech like 3D or AI to cut costs and ramp up production speed will be able to make a living going forward.”

AI mangaka are already on the rise, and muscling into the traditional creator arena. Is the future dependent on a mix of 3D and AI art, and will assistants be the ones to bring that knowledge?

But if an assistant can produce in 3D and AI, why be an assistant? Why not be a full-on hobby creator? Unless assistant work pays really well.

A frightening dilemma for all creators in the future.

[みなと鈴🌿 @karin_jeen]

新人〜中堅漫画家の原稿料は横ばいか下落してきたのが現実。

それなのに電子機器、各種クラウドサービスや海外製の3Dソフト・��材は値上がりを続けてる。

私の使ってる3Dモデリングソフトも、
一昨年7万円位だったのが今年は更新価格でも約9万円超え、新規なら税込10万円超えだった。

そこへ課税事業者になった者は消費税の納付も毎年になり、
税金の負担増。
文芸美術国民健康保険組合の保険料も上がった。

価格に転嫁=原稿料上げ、印税率上げをしようとしても業界の構造と慣例的にほぼ無理ゲー。

けれど、アシスタント料はそこそこ出さないと来手がない。有能な人ほどお金が良いところへ行くし、
自分で報酬設定して請け負うことも出来る。
作家志望で見習いとしてやりたいという人に安く手伝ってもらえていた昔とは違う。

ところが漫画家はなりたい人で溢れているため、提示された金額で出来なければ自分のページは他の人に渡るだけ。
市場原理的に仕方ない。

AI漫画家も、もう出てきている。
スピードと低コスト化においてはAIにはとても敵わない😂

そのため3DやAIという技術を取り入れて上手くコストダウンとスピード生産できる漫画家だけが食っていけるようになるんじゃないかなと思うと、そういう技術のスキル習得が必須になると思われるけど、

連載中のベテランほどそんな時間はなかなか取れない。

てことは、
10年後位には人間の中堅どころまでの漫画家と人間のアシスタントはかなり減ってしまうのではないか？
と個人的には予想している。

だって、このままでは
さらに食えなくなることが目に見えてるもん😂

生き残るためにアシスタントさんを減らして3DやAIを駆使する��画家が増える
アシスタントさんの仕事が減る
廃業するアシスタントさんが増える
3DとAIのハイブリッド方式で制作する業態にシフトできない漫画家は、人間のアシスタントさんを確保するのがさらに困難になる
漫画家が減る

みたいな…

まぁ単純に人間だから10年たったら私も60代、老化にゃ何をもってしても勝てないから自然と廃業する流れになるわね…😂

もちろん自身の喜びのために漫画を描く人はこれからも沢山いるだろうけど、
仕事としては今以上に成り立たない時代になるんではなかろうかという話。

電子機器の高騰も馬鹿に出来ないし漫画家の厳しい状況に拍車をかけると思う。

2年ほど前に私が購入したクリエイター仕様にカスタマイズした45万円超えのPCと同程度のマシンは今や約60万…。セールでも55万超え。
ここに、

モニター、液タブ、NASや左手デバイス等を合わせたら軽く100万は飛ぶよね😩
液タブにもよるけど。

これの何が困���かと言うと、
漫画家も困るんだけど、
アシスタントさんのPCが古くなっても漫画家より不安定で収入が少ない人が多いアシスタント業の方はなかなか買い替えが出来ないんですよ…。

でもPCは消耗品なんです。

「じゃあiPadとかで描けばいいじゃーん」て思う人もいると思うけど、

iPadはデカいスマホみたいなもんです。
それなのに仕事に使えるようなクラスのiPadは高額。

私が使っていた約20万円したiPad Pro(メモリー6GB)でもクリスタのアプデ後、原稿が完成に近づくに連れて1ページあたりのデータ量が大きくなるため、

フリーズ連発
メモリ使用量の警告頻発
酷いと原稿開いただけで警告出現
アプリが突然落ちる
最終段階は
原稿を開けない閉じれない
保存も出来ない(恐怖！)

と、

もう仕事のメイン機材としては役に立たなくなり、当時最新だったiPadPro(メモリー8GB)を購入するには32万円超が必要となり。

でもさ、買ってもまたすぐ、
使い物にならなくなると予想されるでしょ…

だったら32万に10万前後上乗せしても長く使えそうなPC買うよね…。
っていう。

多方面にもう多くの新人〜中堅漫画家は限界値に来ていると私は思う。

堅気の仕事をしながら趣味で描いてるなら電子機器の値上がり位しかダメージを感じないかもしれないけど、

仕事となったら話は違う。

でもこういう漫画家の現状を、
きっと出版社も、
そして政治家も、

そこまで危機と感じていないのではと思います。(引用元の方は別として)

だから日本のコンテンツを海外に〜
とか
海外にも日本の漫画文化を広めるために外国人だけを対象とした漫画賞を開催〜

なんて呑気に言ってるんじゃないかしらね…。

それどこじゃねぇーってーのよ😩
一次生産の現場はさぁ…。

自国の大多数の漫画家の台所はもう火の車ですよ。

将来は移民にAIで描かせるのかしら。

このままだと世の中に80点以上の
【作品】はあっても、
80点以上の【売り物】はいつか日本から無くなるんじゃない…？

80点以上の独自性がある面白い作品を読むために、
好きな作者を読者が出版社やプラットフォームを介さず直接、
買い支える形になるかもね。

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

Thanks to @SupanovaExpo for inviting me as guest to their 3-day expo in Sydney!

Thanks also to everyone who bought a copy of Sister Holmes, and all who dropped by to buy and chat!

See you all next year! ✍🏼🫡

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

An important thread about a Manga league meeting, where Japanese editors air the structural issues of the manga industry.

@nemu_asahi replies with his take on the problems:
- Low royalties
- Black box ebook platforms and revenue split
- More people preferring to draw manga as a hobby rather than professionally - AI overtaking actual creators
- Piracy

[NemuAsahi @nemu_asahi]

So, professionnals of the manga world did a meeting and they are worried about a lot of things:

▶️Manuscript fees are too low.

Of course they are! 1 man/page, from which you take 50% off because of all the taxes. 10 hours to draw a page, which means mangaka are paid 500 yen/hour.
Big companies making millions of dollars are paying their freelancers (mangaka) 500 yen/hour. 💀

▶️The number of people wanting to become mangaka is decreasing, while the number of those drawing as a hobby (doujinshi and internet) is increasing.

Well, for sure. Because:

1) Manuscript fees are too low so it's impossible to make a living with it.

2) Working conditions are horrible (number of hours, no breaks, no work life balance etc.)

3) Doing free work with no guarantee is mandatory.

Editors ask mangaka to do big retakes without paying them more money, and can refuse projects though freelancers have worked months on it with them, under their supervision and TAKING THEIR ORDERS.

I assure you I can't do that with designers for example and I wouldn't EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING IT. It would be totally UNETHICAL to do so.

When I ask a Japanese mangaka/designer/illustrator to work with me, I do everything I can to try to create good working conditions, though I'm just a single person with limited means and not a big company with a lot of money.

Can you imagine doing with a house what publishers do with manga?

You ask the building company (designer of the house) to build you a house and then you choose to not buy it at the end because it's not to your liking. Or you say "build me 3 houses and I will choose one from them". WTF?

4) Mangaka are only paid at the end.

Mangaka have bills to pay while making manga. If an editor ask to work with a mangaka, giving him instructions to alterate the manuscript, then it's a contract.

Can you imagine paying for a house only at the end? No, you pay some of the sum at the beginning of the work, then some again when you have the structure of the house achieved. The last part is paid when you get the keys of the house.

Some veterans mangaka say it's ok to work without being paid, because then you can bring the project to another editor, but I disagree with it.

The project should be PAID AND PUBLISHED by the publisher, for one year at least. After that, if the publisher wants to take it down because it's not to its liking, then he can.

Publishing the result is a proof of work with this publisher for this freelancer. Manuscript fees are "publishing fees". So mangaka can be paid with other fees (preparation fees, 拘束 fees etc.) while working on the project.

We are talking about big companies, they CAN do it. If they are serious about creating new profitable IPs of course.
Big pharmaceutical companies pay their research teams to develop new pharmaceutical IPs (drugs, patents etc.), regardless of the result.

5) Opaque contract terms and sometimes conditions DIFFERENT from what the editor said to the author.

Impossible to discuss the terms of the contract because "it's standard". Like "if you don't sign, there are tons of other mangaka wanting to take your place, you know? *evil grin*

So don't be surprised that young Japanese prefer to become illustrators or designers instead of mangaka, or even prefer making manga as a hobby while having a stable job, with a good work life balance.

People drawing as a hobby are not paid either for their work, but at least nobody tells them what to draw, or to respect the deadline even if they have to jeopardize their health to do so.

They are worried about other things, but my post is already too long. Ranting a lot, sorry.😂

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@nemu_asahi Thanks for sharing this. You’ve highlight some important points.

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@CatalyticComics Absolutely. Life experience is incredibly useful.

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

A post from the Japanese manga industry about “Editor Maxims”. Meant to teach editors, but useful for artists too:

📝Storyboards (Structure & Plot)
· 1st pass: Read as a reader
· 2nd pass: Look for points that hooked you.
· 3rd pass: Read while thinking how to fix
· Expectations: Betray expectations, but fulfill hopes.
· WEBTOON: Read on a smartphone.
· Ideal: Being able to read it even without dialogue is ideal.
· Consistency: Art and text must match
· Highlight: Include panels or lines that you want to show off to others
· Goal: Decide what this story is about.

😳Characters
· Main Character: The one who can connect with anyone.
· Sub-characters: Exist solely to draw out the main character's appeal.
· Placement: Character positioning creates the story.
· Sales: A sellable character is packed with the author's fetishes/interests.

✍🏼Composition
· Pacing: Get into the main subject by the first 6pgs
· Opening: Start from the "main character's strong emotions."

🎨Art
· Key Scene: Positioned at the reader's eye level.
· Expression: Don’t avoid drawing facial expressions.
· Impact: Create "standout" panels.
· Priority: Eyes > Face > Hands (in order of importance).

📑Planning
· Benchmark: Surpass the benchmark.
· Novelty: If it's super fun, it will naturally feel new.
· Feedback: The more honest the feedback, the better.
· Killer Move: Make a "killer point" to win.
· Tailoring: Suit the project to the author's style
· Target: Create a plan where your strengths are the core, and weaknesses are outside the core

📈Analysis
· Practice: If you want to sell 100 copies, read 1 volume 100 times.
· Analysis: Analyze how the 1st chapter of new serializations are doing.
· Copying: Trace/mimic easy-to-read storyboards
· Input: Do not watch manga or movies (to avoid influence).
· Source Material: Get your inspiration/ideas from a distant place

💭Mindset
· Ideas: Submit ideas even if you think they might fail.
· Feedback: Quick responses are good
· Responsibility: If the work sells, it's thanks to the author; if it doesn't sell, it's the editor's fault.
· Ownership: Be a fan/advocate of your own work = Do not create work you cannot be a fan of.

[18cmの巨人 @fox478924]

これ、漫画企画の作り方。

題名は「マンガ編集者の格言集」となっていますが、実質的には漫画企画の作り方。

編集者より漫画家が見たほうがいい。今は漫画家が企画作って、編集者が少しだけ修正する場合が多いので。

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@CatalyticComics Yes. I think it’s fine to read manga and watch movies, so long as you don’t cannibalise it.

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@michaellmadlock You’re welcome. ☺️

[Queenie Chan @queeniechanhere]

@msugaya Exactly!

I hope other cultures will adopt the good side, but be very aware of the bad side. 🙏🙏🙏