Hmm, not sure if this is a pardon my dust situation or what, but yeah, pardon the lack of articles from me recently, but work has been work, and I’ve done a terribad job of managing my time. That, and been reading Game of Thrones. Hopefully that time has past though, and I can manage my ... Read more
5 Comments on Yen Press’s Abigail Blackman on Editing and Lettering, Consumers, and Challenges, last added: 11/25/2014
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It’s good to know that editors are trying to protect the original style of the author. It seems like a difficult thing to do if you’re not a native Japanese speaker, even more so when it’s an entire novel you have to edit, because you don’t have the art to refer to for context. I am kind of in awe of how aggressively Yen Press is bringing Light Novels to the North American market. I know it’s been tried before and I have to wonder if there was some strong market indicator that convinced Yen that North American consumers were ready for it now. I am curious too see how these will fare sales wise.
On top of translation and editing difficulties, you have to two headed problem of manga-fans not being used to reading in such volume, and non-manga readers ignoring anything shelved with manga. The few light novels that I have read all sound like they were written by the same person. It seems like publishers have a difficult time capturing the nuances of the original writing because the stuff I’ve been exposed to reads in this dry, very awkward way……like I’m reading a screenplay and not a novel.
Good stuff as usual, thanks! Yen Press is my favorite– my experience with their books has always been great, with professional and authentic high-quality product that strikes that balance with readability well. Abigail has great taste in manga as well~
[…] Manga | Yen Press associate editor and letterer Abigail Blackman talks about her job: “I see that the editor has a twofold obligation – to the original creator and to the reader. I think everyone in the process has to be most careful of not imposing his or her own sensibilities onto the material. I and Yen feel very strongly about preserving the meaning and intent of the original and making sure it translates clearly to the reader. It’s so easy for a rewriter to get carried away with his or her own voice, or for a letterer to get too cutesy with the fonts and placing emphasis.” [Organization Anti-Social Geniuses] […]
Well hey, if you want to have fun reading a LN, go read Before the Fall. It’s actually really good. Aside from that, meh? Then again, I’ve only read Accel World.
Don’t read Accel World.
…Or does Abigail have great taste in manga? Who knows…
Anyways, thanks for your comment!