Black Mangaka-012: Are Today's High School Students So Amazing?
It's no wonder that all the stories serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump are long-running series.
This smells like money!
Moreover, long serialization means prolonged exposure.
High exposure can lead to greater popularity.
What follows is the publication of single volumes and opportunities to sell related merchandise.
The income from these derivatives is often more attractive than royalties.
Compared to the uncertainty of whether your next manga will be serialized after finishing the current one,
most people would choose to stick with a proven winner.
If I were a total newbie, I'd probably get lost in dreams of a bright future and forget everything else.
But Nakahara Hiroshi doesn't think that way.
As someone who has worked in the industry for many years in a past life, he understands the challenges all too well.
Expecting one person to finish 20 pages a week? That's pure wishful thinking.
You'll need multiple assistants to help.
And once assistants are involved, a dedicated studio becomes inevitable.
This alone eats up most of your income.
Moreover, maintaining such high output can easily derail the plot, leading to eventual collapse.
Even though I understand the benefits of continuous serialization,
in reality, not everyone has the ability to handle it.
An author who manages to serialize a series for an entire year in Shueisha is already at the top of the pyramid.
These works inevitably become popular.
As for selling single volumes and merchandise,
without enough popularity, it's impossible for a nobody to sell much.
"So, getting a serialization slot is just the starting line for becoming a manga artist."
What? A cheat?
That's fine too.
"Mr. Nakahara, do you have any other questions?"
While saying this, the editor, Yinsha, clapped his hands, as if having a sudden realization:
"By the way, considering your situation, I can help you apply for a special 'contract fee.'
In return, you'd need to sign an additional agreement."
"Forget about the 'contract fee,'" Nakahara Hiroshi said, shaking his head.
"Contract fees" are generally given by publishers to promising writers.
During the agreement period, you receive monthly payments regardless of whether you publish anything.
However, there are many restrictions tied to it.
Yinsha wasn't surprised by Nakahara's refusal.
Once serialization is confirmed, who cares about some small "contract fee"?
"Then, Mr. Nakahara, would you like to review the contract first?"
"Sure," Nakahara replied with a nod. He then casually added,
"By the way, confirming serialization in advance—was that your mistake, Editor Yinsha?"
Caught up in her joy, Yinsha laughed without thinking.
"Haha, I didn't expect you to notice this…!"
Halfway through her sentence, she froze.
"You… you…!"
"Uh-huh?"
All kinds of thoughts raced through Yinsha's mind, eventually coalescing into four words:
"You heard that?"
"Of course."
Nakahara Hiroshi smirked and waved his phone, which he'd been holding without her noticing.
"Not only did I hear it, but I recorded it. Want me to play it back?"
Yinsha stared blankly at the boy in front of her.
Her initial happiness gave way to despair, leaving only two words echoing in her mind like a bell:
"It's over."
"Editor Yinsha, you wouldn't want anyone else to know about this, would you?"
"What do you want?"
Faced with the veiled threat, Yinsha pursed her lips.
Although she tried to look angry, unease gripped her heart. She absolutely didn't want this getting out.
It seemed like a minor mistake, but after reflecting on it all night, she realized how serious it was.
While others merely passed the contest evaluation, one participant had already secured serialization.
Even if the results were justified later, this kind of preferential treatment would anger people.
Disqualified authors or individuals with ulterior motives could easily exploit this.
Unspoken rules exist in every industry, but their very nature means they must remain hidden.
Once exposed, the consequences can be dire.
"Why was I so naive?
I really thought I could brush this off... wuwuwu."
What comes next?
Fired by the company? Sued for losses?
Yinsha's mind spiraled into despair.
She even pictured herself lying on a hospital bed, giving last words to her children.
"I must… I must still…"
"Wow, I died before I could even leave a will?!"
"Why is my life so miserable?!"
Tears welled up in Yinsha's eyes.
Nakahara Hiroshi, oblivious to the lifetime she'd envisioned in just a few seconds, asked,
"So? What are you planning to do?"
Yinsha suddenly snapped to attention.
"I get it."
"You get it?" Nakahara blinked, confused.
Her determined gaze only made him more puzzled.
"Here? Really?"
Before Nakahara could process what she meant, Yinsha began unbuttoning her shirt.
The pink undergarments and pale skin that greeted his eyes made Nakahara finally snap out of it.
"Huh?!"
His hands flew up to close her shirt.
Looking around, Nakahara sighed in relief upon seeing no cameras in the room.
"Thank goodness for privacy policies."
After wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead, he scolded,
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"You wanted this, didn't you?" Yinsha retorted, her voice filled with humiliation.
"Me?!"
Reflecting on his earlier words, Nakahara realized how they could've been misunderstood.
"So… am I partly to blame?"
Shaking his head, he sighed.
"I never said I wanted this, did I?"
"Huh?" Yinsha froze.
"How about putting your clothes back on first?
There might not be cameras, but if someone walks in..."
Realizing her mistake, Yinsha let out a whimper.
Her face flushed pink as she hurried to button up her shirt.
"No… don't look!!"
**
T/N: Patreon/The_WritingSystem