Tokyopop announces children's publishing lines

Last week, Tokyopop announced its new young-adult fiction line, Pop Fiction. Today, the manga publisher unveiled plans for further movement into children's and YA territory with two new programs aimed at readers ages 6 to 9 and 8 to 12.

Manga Chapters, for 6- to 9-year-olds, will launch in September with 96-page chapter books that contain "simple yet engaging storylines, liberally dosed with spot illustrations." The debut titles will include The Grosse Adventures: The Good, The Bad & The Gassy, created by children's author Annie Auerbach (Bob's Egg Hunt), and Agent Boo: The Littlest Agent, by comics writer Alex de Campi. Books in the Manga Chapters line will be priced at $4.99.

Manga Readers, for 8- to 12-year-olds, will debut in July with Kat & Mouse, by de Campi, Mail Order Ninja, by Josh Elder and Erich Owen, and Zapt!, by Keith Giffen and Shannon Denton. The 96-page digest-sized books will be priced at $5.99.

"Less than a decade ago, if you strolled through your local chain bookstore, you wouldn't be able to find manga anywhere," Tokyopop senior editor Nicole Monastirsky said in the press release. "There was no section, no category, no awareness. But, Tokyopop changed all that. We created a category because we saw a need, and we're doing it again with our kids manga lines, both ideal for reluctant readers and future manga fans."