From Publishers' Weekly: In a move that surprised many industry watchers last week, San Francisco-based manga publisher VIZ Media laid off 60 employees from various positions throughout the company. According to the Publishers' Weekly article, this cut represents approximately 40% of their workforce.
VIZ responded to this news with an official statement posted on their blog that stated:
"VIZ Media is in the process of refining its focus and is restructuring to adjust to changing industry and financial market realities."
"As part of the restructuring the company had to refine its workforce by eliminating certain positions and making cuts in other areas."
"We are of course saddened by these departures, and sincerely appreciate the hard work, passion and dedication of those that have moved on, but we feel confident that with these changes VIZ Media will be more streamlined and able to withstand the climate of the economy at this time."
The VIZ Blog posting was quick to reassure fans that their favorite manga and anime series would not be affected by these personnel cuts:
"We have no plans at this time for additional drastic measures such as product cancellations or business line closures. Your favorite series are not going away."
While specifics were not released about which employees were let go and which departments were specifically affected, various sources, including Heidi McDonald's Comic Beat blog confirmed that several key members of the VIZ staff were let go, including:
- Gonzalo Ferreya, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
- Eric Searleman, Editor on several SIGIKKI titles, and the person heading up their original comics initiatives
- Evelyn Duboqc, Sr. Director of Public Relations
- Kara Brovsky, Public Relations Associate
- Frances Liddell, Graphic Designer
Reaction from the manga / comics blogosphere was swift, as many expressed surprise that one of North America's biggest manga publishers would be making these kinds of drastic cuts.
Brigid Alverson of MangaBlog was quick to shut down cries of "the sky is falling," but she also had this to say:
"This comes as a particular shock because Viz not only owns the most popular properties in manga -- Naruto, Vampire Knight, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, Bleach--but they also publish the most acclaimed--Ooku, Oishinbo, Children of the Sea, everything by Naoki Urasawa. However, as publishing veterans know, acclaim does not necessarily equal sales."
Blogger and manga/anime industry watcher Gia Manry had this to add:
"VIZ is, after all, no stranger to the occasional unpopular move made to preserve the business. With no obvious "next Naruto" on the rise and big hit Fullmetal Alchemist about to end its run in Japan as well as general economic difficulties world-wide, it should come as no surprise that VIZ is tightening its belt for what may be a pretty lean year- or several."
The last few years have been tough for manga publishers. When it enjoyed double-digit year-over-year growth a few years ago, manga was the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry. But recent trends in book retailing and the North American economy in general have made it difficult, if not impossible to sustain that level of sales growth.
Most, if not all North American manga publishers have cut back their release schedules in the past two years. Some, like Aurora Publishing, Go Comi, DramaQueen and Dr. Master have cut back their presence so much, they're set off (as yet unconfirmed) speculation that they have quietly gone out of business.
Fans and industry watchers alike were quick to offer their theories about this turn of the screw for VIZ. Some blamed it on illegal scanlations. Others blamed it on the manga publishing industry, for not providing lots of viable, legal ways to give readers what they want: immediate online publication of manga.
It's hard to say what exactly lead to VIZ management to make this decision at this time, but it isn't the first manga publisher who has gone a boom / bust cycle. I will say that this is a sobering reminder that manga publishing is a business -- and like any business, it is vulnerable to larger economic trends. To stay alive, a business must make hard decisions, like making cutbacks as needed.
What can fans do? Well, support publishers who bring you the books you love. If you can't afford to buy books, then ask your neighborhood library to buy them for you -- because that's funds that support the publishers and creators too. Things may get worse before they get better, but this should be a reminder to every fan: don't take manga publishers and the books they bring to you for granted, because they exist thanks to your book buying bucks. And when you don't buy books, it stands to reason that things like this will happen.
But what do you think about the VIZ layoffs? Chime in with your thoughts below.
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