C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Updates, News on the Baka-Tsuki Project

Moderators: thelastguardian, Fringe Security Bureau, Senior Editors, Senior Translators, Alt. Language Translator/Editor, Executive Council, Project Translators, Project Editors

Locked
User avatar
Poke2201
Project Translator
Posts: 8033
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:39 pm
Favourite Light Novel: Ahouka!
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Poke2201 »

It would be exceptionally funny if English/Japanese publishers are using us for market research now wouldn't it? :lol:
onizuka-gto wrote:Big Boss was playing with the cosmic forces and forgot to switch the blog database back on.
User avatar
rpapo
I.D.S.E Humanoid Interface [LSB]
Posts: 1530
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:15 am
Favourite Light Novel: Ahouka!
Location: Michigan, USA
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by rpapo »

Poke2201 wrote:It would be exceptionally funny if English/Japanese publishers are using us for market research now wouldn't it? :lol:
We've chatted about the subject many times now. Of particular interest is the periodic report of page hit counts. It may actually have played a part in why we were served a C&D with regards to Suzimiya Haruhi.
User avatar
Mystes
Heaven's Blade Successor
Posts: 15932
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:54 am
Favourite Light Novel:
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Mystes »

Poke2201 wrote:It would be exceptionally funny if English/Japanese publishers are using us for market research now wouldn't it? :lol:
I think they are, Poke. Publishers need to look everywhere to ensure that their books will sell.

Haruhi, Bugaku Shoujo and Spice&Wolf were originally hosted here, right? And they all succeded. However, some novels, though popular at BT, have failed. Think of Zero no Tsukaima and Shankugan no Shana, just to name two.
Kira0802

#campione at rizon for some #campione discussions~~ And other stuffs.
User avatar
Teh_ping
Editor-in-Assistance
Posts: 1729
Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:32 pm
Favourite Light Novel: Ahouka!
Location: Magdala

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Teh_ping »

Partly due to the publisher and how dedicated they are in promoting the series. Haruhi, S&W and Bungaku Shoujo? Yen Press. Shana and ZnT? Viz media...

However, with .pdfs running rampant out there, I don't think anyone in the right mind will think of licensing Index or any of our current series now.(Though I heard of people in the US printing the translated versions as books and selling them for US$10, which to be honest, I'm a little more than annoyed.) There's no competition. Would you want to pay $15 and wait 6 months for one book or wait for 2 weeks and get one volume for free?
User avatar
Mystes
Heaven's Blade Successor
Posts: 15932
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:54 am
Favourite Light Novel:
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Mystes »

Teh_ping wrote:Partly due to the publisher and how dedicated they are in promoting the series. Haruhi, S&W and Bungaku Shoujo? Yen Press. Shana and ZnT? Viz media...
Not to forget that Yen Press is actually a branch of Groupe Hachette, and Groupe Hachette is way more important in terms o book publishing. They know how to do things right.
Teh_ping wrote:However, with .pdfs running rampant out there, I don't think anyone in the right mind will think of licensing Index or any of our current series now.(Though I heard of people in the US printing the translated versions as books and selling them for US$10, which to be honest, I'm a little more than annoyed.) There's no competition. Would you want to pay $15 and wait 6 months for one book or wait for 2 weeks and get one volume for free?
Actually, licensed books could still sell, if they are popular. Haruhi has relatively good sales, because its promotion was easy to do. Many people like the published version, since it's more 'official' and contains less mistakes. However, Index didn't reach North America as Haruhi did. I know it well enough, since I'm living there. My friends know Haruhi, but not Index as much. However, I wouldn't comapare them, since on a LN list, Index is 19/20 on an elite level and Haruhi, 20/20 on a franchise level. It wouldn't be fine to compare each other.

While Yen Press hit jackpot with mainly those three titles, who are all in the top 10-20 in the 21st century(Haruhi, BS and S&W), Tokyopop was struggling with its sales and thus, had to close in NA. And viz simply licensed a novel or two, and hoped that it would magically sell.

Thus, I think that Groupe Hachette is a great company.
Kira0802

#campione at rizon for some #campione discussions~~ And other stuffs.
User avatar
Cosmic Eagle
Project Translator
Posts: 1098
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:16 pm
Favourite Light Novel: Ahouka!
Location: 大欲界天狗道

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Cosmic Eagle »

Doraneko wrote: The Kadokawa Group, which controls the major light novel labels including Dengeki, Fujimi, Sneaker and Famitsu, practically holds almost 80% share of the entire light novel market. If they want they can easily designate the English rights to its US branch and then send us a C&D requiring all current and future titles from the above labels to be removed from this site.

This has happened before to Animesuki, which received a C&D from Media Factory delivered from Japan and has since then refrained from listing any MF work (so yea the US branch part in my previous scenario is redundant if no lawsuit is intended). The difference is that the market size of Media Factory in the anime sector is totally incomparable with the influence of Kadokawa in the light novel sector, explaining why AS managed to come out almost unscratched. In contrast Kadokawa is the copyright mammoth in the light novel industry.

More fun would ensure if MF cooperated with Kadokawa and sent us a C&D to ban both Kadokawa and MF light novel titles. By that time B-T would have nothing left except these forums. :lol:

On one hand, their chance of them bringing the whole thing to the court is low. On the other hand, their cost of sending us a C&D is also far from high. It has been the practice of B-T to be complying to legal requests and I don't see how it would change in the future. In that sense, they can easily put an end to our activities at a whim. We are literally at their mercy.
FTAs and other trade agreements would also allow them to enforce legalities outside Japan....so even if you move the server to Asia or Europe....
Image

――罨――
阿謨伽尾盧左曩 摩訶母捺囉摩抳 鉢納摩 人嚩攞 鉢囉韈哆野吽
地・水・火・風・空に偏在する金剛界尊よ
今ぞ遍く光に滅相し奉る!
天地玄妙神辺変通力離――
卍曼荼羅ァ――無量大数ゥ!
User avatar
Poke2201
Project Translator
Posts: 8033
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:39 pm
Favourite Light Novel: Ahouka!
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Poke2201 »

I thought ZnT was Seven Seas, who is STILL sitting on their license.
onizuka-gto wrote:Big Boss was playing with the cosmic forces and forgot to switch the blog database back on.
User avatar
Darklor
Project Editor
Posts: 3666
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:56 am
Favourite Light Novel:
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Darklor »

Cosmic Eagle wrote: FTAs and other trade agreements would also allow them to enforce legalities outside Japan....so even if you move the server to Asia or Europe....
I think it would have to be more Asia than Europe with the EU are not many European states left where that would be possible maybe RU...
Please don't mind my bad english since I'm german.

Darklor

Out of the dark, into the dark.
User avatar
Mystes
Heaven's Blade Successor
Posts: 15932
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:54 am
Favourite Light Novel:
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Mystes »

Hum, Darklor? Did I write this?
Kira0802

#campione at rizon for some #campione discussions~~ And other stuffs.
User avatar
Cosmic Eagle
Project Translator
Posts: 1098
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 5:16 pm
Favourite Light Novel: Ahouka!
Location: 大欲界天狗道

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Cosmic Eagle »

Darklor wrote:
kira0802 wrote: FTAs and other trade agreements would also allow them to enforce legalities outside Japan....so even if you move the server to Asia or Europe....
I think it would have to be more Asia than Europe...
Yes...definitely more here....Japan being our major trade partner and all....
Image

――罨――
阿謨伽尾盧左曩 摩訶母捺囉摩抳 鉢納摩 人嚩攞 鉢囉韈哆野吽
地・水・火・風・空に偏在する金剛界尊よ
今ぞ遍く光に滅相し奉る!
天地玄妙神辺変通力離――
卍曼荼羅ァ――無量大数ゥ!
User avatar
Darklor
Project Editor
Posts: 3666
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:56 am
Favourite Light Novel:
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: C&D letter from Hachette Book Group

Post by Darklor »

kira0802 wrote:Hum, Darklor? Did I write this?
Hm, obviously not really but that was what I got clicking quote dunno why...
Cosmic Eagle wrote:
Yes...definitely more here....Japan being our major trade partner and all....
Ones that hasnt signed the copyright agreement
Please don't mind my bad english since I'm german.

Darklor

Out of the dark, into the dark.
Locked

Return to “News”