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Kinokuniya to sell graphic novels with exclusive covers

In the US, bookstore chain Books Kinokuniya will collaborate with publishers to bring out variant covers for a selection of English-language graphic novels, reports Publishers Weekly. The titles include the science-fiction thriller Golem (LRNZ/Lorenzo Ceccotti, Magnetic Press); science-fiction crime adventure Tokyo Ghost (Rick Remember & Sean Murphy, Image); a hardcover edition of mythological fantasy title The Wicked + the Divine, Vol. 1 (Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie, Image) and paranormal alternate-history Monstress (Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda, Image). The variant cover editions will be released in limited runs in the bookseller’s US, Middle East and its stores in the Asia territory, which includes Australia, with Golem and Tokyo Ghost set to appear in March, and the others released in July. Overseeing the program is Kinokuniya’s New York City graphic novel buyer Terence Irvins, who said variant covers, a marketing strategy more commonly found in periodical comics publishing, could work for the book format. ‘It’s unusual to do it for books, but variant covers are very popular with fans. We’ve actually done it for prose books; we did it for a couple of Murakami titles. But this is the first time we’ve done it with graphic novels,’ said Irvins, who added that publishers were ‘eager’ to work with the bookseller due to its ability to reach new readers.

 

Category: International news Junior