Vertical made some solid announcements this weekend as they look to get back to their core business plan of being about the prose with the manga material being shifted to a Vertical Comics imprint. This will let the main Vertical brand stand for the prose works that they deal with, something that they intend to expand on in 2015 wit hmore light novel releases coming.
Chavez told Publishers Weekly, “we published a lot of manga the last few years.” While the expansion of manga publishing “has done well,” the company believes it has also confused the marketplace and changed the overall perception of Vertical Inc. While Vertical has continued to publish critically acclaimed Japanese prose works, Chavez said “there’s been a shift in the image of the company. It’s not a negative image but the growth of our manga publishing has diluted the company’s brand. It’s getting tougher to get the word out about our prose fiction.”
On the light novel side, they made two announcements at the New York Comic Con that shows them finding the right sweet spot to direct attention properly. They’ve picked up the rights to the two part Attack on Titan – Before the Fall: Kyklo novels, which will be done as a single omnibus for summer 2015 priced at $14.95 for the 380 page book by Ryu Suzukaze. Additionally, they’re planning a fall 2015 release for the Attack on Titan: Harsh Mistress of the City light novel from Ryo Kawakami. That book clocks in at 440 pages and will be priced at $14.95.
