Salary increase announced for mangakas

The renowned Japanese magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, one of the pillars of the manga industry, has announced an increase in the minimum fees it pays to mangakas of serialized works or independent stories. According to a statement released this week through its official Twitter account, the new values will come into force from November 2024:

• "We are pleased to report that we have increased the minimum payment per page for serialized or single-chapter works in Weekly Shonen Jump. Based on the revenue earned from the print and digital editions of our magazine, we will continue to make similar adjustments in the future to ensure better working conditions for our creators."

Under the new scheme, artists will receive a minimum of 31,350 yen (approximately $206) per color page and 20,900 yen per black-and-white page. Since most of the pages published are in black and white, an average 20-page chapter would generate 418,000 yen, which is equivalent to 1,627,000 yen per month if four chapters are published, and about 21.7 million yen in a full year of continuous work.

These figures correspond to the starting fees for new artists debuting in the magazine. In addition, creators who make it past the first year of serialization can receive annual increases and negotiate better conditions, even from the beginning, if they have more favorable proposals from other publishers. An additional 500,000 yen is also granted to cover initial project expenses.

While the increase represents a significant improvement for new talent, the financial reality of mangakas can be complex. Many rely on assistants to maintain the quality and pace of production, and the salaries of these collaborators must be covered by the creator's own income. In addition, by receiving payments by the page and not by the hour, they do not have paid vacations, which implies that any break translates into a reduction in income.

Source: Twitter