Mangaka Salary

[WingsToDiscovery]

Originally Posted by potatoxpotato

At the "weeaboo" thing, I'm surprised you're even talking considering you're on a Japan Forum. And, it's weaboo*.

Well, it is "weeaboo," such as: Urban Dictionary: weeaboo

But other than that, we're not all weeaboos here.

[siokan]

Example that doesn't handle assistant.
Yoshihiro Togashi
Only the wife. It fights against the assistant, and all members dismiss it.

Think about the story first.
Rewrite it until editor's license goes out.
Data acquisition and cover.
Draw the manga at remaining time.
(The number of sheets that making to the manga writes in a day is page 0.5-1.5. During 14.4 hours a page on the average)

Others
It is an amendment of the picture for the comicbook.
Making of colour page.
Correction by editor.
Proofreading in print company.


Eiichiro Oda seems to be employing about six people.
The assistant employed to the famous mangaka is salaries of about10,000 dollars during one month. (*6)
When the example by Chin nakamura is seen, it is 2500-6500 dollars in part-time during the employment one month as for the assistant. (All members)
[

Originally Posted by potatoxpotato

So, a mangaka makes about $100 a page once published in a magazine. And there are twenty pages per magazine, and let's say the magazine is monthly. That would be $2000 a month and basically a page a day, which is drawing the storyboard, sketching the page, inking it, then scanning it on the computer for computer graphics, which, for me, takes just a few hours. This, truthfully, is not a lot of money.
Then, let's say, you work on 2 other manga to get more pay. I think someone suggested mangakas do multiple mangas at a time a while before. This would make 3 mangas, $2000 x 3 which is $6000, and just 3 pages a day, which, honestly for me is 15 min storyboard, 30 min sketching, 30 min inking and an hour adding computer graphics-- about 2 hours x 3 is 6 or 7 hours of work, about a normal workday right? And $6000 is a lot of money. Being a mangaka doesn't seem to bad, now, does it?

It is brilliant talents. What time do you debut?

[edelweiss]

Originally Posted by potatoxpotato

Because I'll be publishing in a monthly English magazine. Umad, bro?
Since I just corrected you, you might snap back. But, I don't really care, you're too rude to listen to, have fun being wrong.

I am not a regular enough poster here to have any special connection to anyone. I don't know why you would join this forum and be so condescending and defensive. Maybe you should read threads and get to know more about these people before you dismiss what they have to say.

If you want to give any authenticity to what you are saying please show us examples of your work. Even better start a page now and show us updates (with time stamp) as you go. If you are really good and have a magazine deal going, good for you. But it's all talk until then. There sure is a lot more talk from people who makes claims similar to yours than any proof they are a working artist.

[Nyororin]

I don`t recall being nasty and rude in my original post - just providing information as you`re not the first, nor will you be the last, person to think that being a mangaka is going to be a walk in the park.

But, well, if you want to be nasty and snappy in my direction...

Originally Posted by potatoxpotato

At the "weeaboo" thing, I'm surprised you're even talking considering you're on a Japan Forum. And, it's weaboo*.

Some of us, as shocking and surprising as it may be to you, actually have connections to Japan that go beyond or totally circumvent an obsession with the country. For example - people who actually live in Japan.

Firstly, did I say CG? I meant Tones. Caught me there. Now you know what I'm talking about, correct?

So... You are able to tone a complete page, alone, by hand, in an hour or less?

That is amazing. I would LOVE to see this demonstrated in real time.

Second; That's just obvious. You can't draw whatever you want. It's business. That doesn't change anything.

It does change things because there are other people involved in the production process. You are not free to work on the schedule you would like to have, and you are also not free to just take the story line wherever you would like. This adds TIME. If you have to wait for approval on a rough draft, then wait for approval on a second draft, then wait for instructions on what to change in a final draft - that is all TIME that adds up. Even if you are truly as amazingly skilled and quick as you boast, that is still time where you have to wait while doing nothing... And a much much smaller time frame in which to finish/

Thirdly: You act like it's the end of the world if I don't have an assistant and supplies are IMPOSSIBLE. Look, I don't need an assistant slowing me down. In the beginning, I'm doing a lot of it by myself, which isn't easy, but I hope you don't honestly believe I would sit there all day and relax and money would come flying into my lap the next day. If you seriously believe that working hard is impossible, you need a job ^-^ Also, a huge "chunk of money"? I can get "special" A4 paper, copic ink pens, some coloring utensils and tone and typing sheets for under $100. My friend who's also wanting to be a mangaka has a tablet and Sai. You're just dramatizing it now. Goodness, you make me laugh.

Because supplies cost money in Japan, and there are specific requirements for the supplies that have to be used for the majority of publishers... I make you laugh?

Umm... Okay.

As for assistants and "working hard"... I will quote your original post;
"just 3 pages a day, which, honestly for me is 15 min storyboard, 30 min sketching, 30 min inking and an hour adding computer graphics-- about 2 hours x 3 is 6 or 7 hours of work, about a normal workday right?"

The average time per page for someone without an assistant is said to be 10 to 12 hours. Popular mangaka, who are popular for a reason, spend 10+ hours on each page WITH assistants. You pretty much are saying that you`re so skilled and fast that you pretty much WILL be just whipping those pages off and money will come pouring in.

Moving on, this is where you start assuming things. Considering I just proved all the nonsense you insisted on above, the job is tough but still pays well.

I haven`t noticed anything that has been proven to be nonsense...?

When I say "multiple mangas" you assume in the same magazine. Different magazines, kid.

Umm, licensing, "kid".

When you publish in a magazine, you sign a contract with them. Any work you produce during the time you are under contract belongs to them, and you are barred from publishing it elsewhere. You cannot just hop over to another magazine and start publishing there also. You can get VERY VERY lucky and have a second bit in a different magazine by the same parent company, but that is almost always a one shot by an established and well known artist.

And then you assume I'm perfect in Japanese and I'm going to publish my amazing works across the world! That's just a dream, my friend.

To be honest, I have no reason to assume that anyone is either fluent or not in Japanese. It isn`t as if the language is impossible - if I`d made the assumption that you couldn`t speak Japanese, I would be just as likely that you would snap at me for assuming you couldn`t write in the language.

I`m glad that you recognize this as a dream. You certainly wouldn`t have been the first person to think that they could write a manga and have it published overnight in Japan, bringing them fame, fortune, and Japanese citizenship.

Ever heard of OEL manga?

Actually, no. I had never heard of OEL manga before this reference to it.
I doubt most people in Japan have.

Yup, and where you said all Japanese magazines are weekly is not only bogus but also totally irrelevant at this point.

"Bogus" - I do not think this word means what you think it does. What I would have said would have to have been a lie.

You said "20 pages per magazine". 20 pages per segment is a weekly magazine. Those that publish less frequently have greater page requirements. What I said still applies.

Because I'll be publishing in a monthly English magazine.

I don`t know all that much (of anything really) about the English language manga world... But I was under the impression that as it is a significantly smaller market that it was much much harder to be published and to make any money.

Umad, bro?

Not really, but it looks like you are.

Since I just corrected you, you might snap back. But, I don't really care, you're too rude to listen to, have fun being wrong.

I`ll be happy to be proven wrong.
With actual proof, however - not wishful thinking and extremely optimistic math.

It is brilliant talents. What time do you debut?

I second this. With the amazing speed skills you have, and the apparent ease at which you talk about being published and making lots of money... You do have a series lined up for publishing, right?

-------------------------
追加：

I don`t get why everyone is telling me to be realistic about being an actress! I mean, I am great at acting. I can memorize my lines in one quick read - I don`t even need my own copy of the script. Being in a Hollywood blockbuster it just a dream - I`ll be totally happy with a weekly sitcom on my local tv station. Yeah, I know you don`t make a lot of money at first. I`ll have to work hard. But think about it... Even for a pretty minor part you make something like $5000 per episode. And that is for one 30 minute episode once a week. For me that is 10 minutes to learn the script, 10 minutes to get ready, and an hour of filming. Much less than a normal workday!
Just be on a couple more shows each week, and you`ll be making $60,000 a month. Doesn`t sound so bad now, does it?

[Realism]

It's probably easier to work for Marvel or DC comics.

Everything is laid out in front of you. Batman, Superman, X-Men. And artists and writers are separate.

If you're an artist, you draw what they tell you to draw. That's basically it, you have people overlooking what you do every step of the way.

Unlike in manga, where you start from absolute scratch having no idea what to do.

[Nameless]

Originally Posted by Realism

It's probably easier to work for Marvel or DC comics.

Everything is laid out in front of you. Batman, Superman, X-Men. And artists and writers are separate.

If you're an artist, you draw what they tell you to draw. That's basically it, you have people overlooking what you do every step of the way.

Unlike in manga, where you start from absolute scratch having no idea what to do.

[offtopic]
I honestly can't understand that, comics are the same thing over and over again ad infintum, they just change a few details here and there; there you have it, a brand new comic.

The potato guy says the truth, Nyoronin, you do sound rude at times, if I hadn't read the rest of the posts you made, I would think the same as him.
[/offtopic]


Ugh, I remember I had the link of an article, that clearly states it, with quotes from mangakas and all that, the mangaka's job is a very very bad one.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Nameless

The potato guy says the truth, Nyoronin, you do sound rude at times, if I hadn't read the rest of the posts you made, I would think the same as him.

If I sound rude, then I sound rude in pretty much every post I make. The exasperation in my reply was directed toward every countless person who thinks that they can magically make it big in Japan.

I admit the "laugh out loud" bit was a tad rude, but if I read someone`s post saying something similar in reference to some other very very competitive field with very very few success stories (such as the "actress" bit I posted) talking about how easy it is to succeed, and succeed multiple times all at once - ie. publishing multiple successful novels, on multiple tv shows, releasing multiple hit cds, etc etc... With math that is extremely optimistic - to the point that it virtually ignores reality.... Particularly when posted in a rather arrogant tone talking about how quick they can do the work... Unfortunately I couldn`t help myself.

I don`t mean to discourage anyone from working toward that kind of goal, but rather to be realistic. To be in it for the art and not to worry about the money, as the money is not likely to be good at all.

[manganimefan227]

I have a wuestion!
-mumbles and groans-

One of the points that really stood out was that you can't draw/write what you want excactly. So, if I make a succesful enough manga that atleast get's published, are they going to make me draw in fanservice stuff? (Like almost kisses, pantie shots, shirtless people?) I hope not because that's what I'm trying to avoid.and how much will they try to change the plot or
story board?

By the way, I know this will sound strange but I have absolutely no faith in my manga! Why? Because I'm going to assume that I'll make no money off it, forcing me to find other careers that will make me money. So I'm going to be a teacher (Of probably college Japanese language). However I am going to write my manga story and hire somebody to draw for me.(How much should I expect to need to pay them?) Otherwise, I'm not so sure if the manga will become a reality. I love writing abd drawing, but with all the risk, I just don't want to put everything on the line to lean financially these hobbies.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by manganimefan227

One of the points that really stood out was that you can't draw/write what you want excactly. So, if I make a succesful enough manga that atleast get's published, are they going to make me draw in fanservice stuff? (Like almost kisses, pantie shots, shirtless people?) I hope not because that's what I'm trying to avoid.and how much will they try to change the plot or
story board?

I don`t think there are any sort of rules to what type of things they have changed. It is really all on an individual basis. If they think that your manga is great but it would sell better with more fan service, then I am sure they would ask for it. If it`s great but they think it would be better without any fan service - I`m sure they`ll ask to get rid of all of it. The editors tend to be pretty attuned to what sort of things are selling, and will push you in that direction if they feel there is potential.

I have heard of simple style things like changing a outfit, changing the view in certain panels, etc - to extreme story changes such as changing the gender of the main character, killing off a main character who was integral to the plot, etc.

Magazines tend to gather surveys from fans, and have been known to cater much more to those than to the artist`s original ideas.

Again though - I don`t think there is any way to predict what would happen in anyone`s case.

Because I'm going to assume that I'll make no money off it, forcing me to find other careers that will make me money. So I'm going to be a teacher (Of probably college Japanese language).

There is never anything wrong or strange about having a plan B. If you succeed and eventually have money pouring in from your manga efforts, then it`s easy to quit job B... But if you throw everything else away and just focus on your manga, it is a lot harder to pick up the pieces later on if you aren`t one of the lucky ones.

I think this is one of the reasons I am so quick to try and make it clear that it is NOT easy to even make the lowest livable level of money as a mangaka. It`s the same for any sort of art related market where there are a handful of people at the top, and millions who dream of reaching that.

I know of more than a few people who decided to give up everything else to focus on some art-related life path. None of them "made it" - and when they finally got to the point where they needed to support a family, got tired of the starving artist life, etc... They had no way to escape. They hadn`t gotten a degree when they had the chance. The only job experience they had was short term part time stuff, etc.

I know of someone who eventually committed suicide because they really felt hopeless after reaching late 30s with no real opportunities in their art path of choice.

Plan B is never a bad thing.

However I am going to write my manga story and hire somebody to draw for me.(How much should I expect to need to pay them?)

I am sure that if there is a great artist out there who is really awful at coming up with a good story and who thinks your story has potential - they would be willing to come to an agreement that doesn`t involve outright pay. After all, you`d also be increasing their chances.

I love writing abd drawing, but with all the risk, I just don't want to put everything on the line to lean financially these hobbies.

I don`t think there is any reason to put everything on the line for it. The friend who I mentioned in a previous post - she devoted a lot of her time to honing her skills, but also attended university and had a fairly well paying office job. She has kept up with her skills and has even gotten a couple more certifications with the extra money she made through manga.

I don`t believe she`s working a day job now, but if things fall through or time just passes and she is no longer making enough to live on with manga, she has that option to turn to.

[Realism]

Originally Posted by Nameless

[offtopic]
I honestly can't understand that, comics are the same thing over and over again ad infintum, they just change a few details here and there; there you have it, a brand new comic.

I don't know how many Superhero comics you've read but that's not true. It's not the same things over and over. Characters change A LOT overtime.

For example:

Bruce Wayne is on longer Batman, Dick Grayson is
Superman is no longer on Earth, he is no longer an American citizen and he has returned to Krypton
Ironman is a fugitive running away from the government
Green Goblin was appointed as the new Ironman by the president
Spider-Man is now a member of the Fantastic Four

etc...etc...etc..

Originally Posted by manganimefan227

One of the points that really stood out was that you can't draw/write what you want excactly. So, if I make a succesful enough manga that atleast get's published, are they going to make me draw in fanservice stuff? (Like almost kisses, pantie shots, shirtless people?) I hope not because that's what I'm trying to avoid.and how much will they try to change the plot or
story board?

There are a lot of manga about gangs and yakuza and stuff like that....none of them have any fanservice stuff....at all. And they get published weekly.