Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS) announced a multi-year sales and distribution agreement with TOKYOPOP, the pioneering publishing company that established the market for manga in North America, introducing the term to the English language in the process. Beginning January 1, 2025, PRHPS will sell and distribute the entire TOKYOPOP frontlist and backlist across all sales channels worldwide.
Founded in 1997 by entrepreneur Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP delivers Asian pop culture across the globe. From bestselling licensed titles like Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Battle for Pumpkin King to the celebrated LoveLove imprint’s FANGS and On or Off, to TOKYOPOP Classics like Dramacon, the entire catalogue continues to grow across both children’s and adult titles, attracting a legion of fans to the brand.
“Penguin Random House offers an industry leading range of proven sales, distribution, and publishing services that will provide the important tools necessary to continue our growth trajectory,” says Marc Visnick, TOKYOPOP COO and Publisher. “With PRHPS as a partner, we will be better situated to take advantage of market opportunities as the manga, graphic novel and comics arenas continue to evolve while also expanding our reach into new markets.”
Rachel Goldstein, EVP of Penguin Random House Publisher Services, said, “As long-time admirers of TOKYOPOP’S pathfinding publishing, we are thrilled to welcome them to Penguin Random House Publisher Services. Under the astute leadership of Stu Levy, Marc Visnick and their team, they continue to identify the perfect partnerships with which to expand their manga list to untapped opportunities in the marketplace, and we are excited to bring the full range of our sales and distribution experience and relationships to deliver their creators’ work to even more readers worldwide.”
