Last week, we spoke with Manga Mavericks about their journey into publishing and their love for indie manga.
This time, we continue the conversation by exploring their partnership with NIUHI and how multilingual platforms can help support creators and bring their stories to global audiences.

NIUHI:
You’ve discovered many great works online as well. What do you think is the biggest difference between finding indie manga in person at conventions versus online?

Manga Mavericks:
There’s no substitute for having a book in hand and flipping through it. This is second only to speaking to the artist in person. While digital manga has become popular and, in some ways, the standard of reading, indie manga conventions like COMITIA are hubs to see a favorite artist in person, and that goes double for their stories. Especially when it comes to some authors who draw using traditional tools. Seeing a layout on paper versus an ebook changes the perception of how the story reads and feels. This, to us, is one of the major differences between finding indie manga at conventions versus online.

NIUHI:
Manga Mavericks is NIUHI’s first publisher partner. How did you first learn about NIUHI? And what do you think makes NIUHI unique compared to other manga platforms?

Manga Mavericks:
We first heard about NIUHI from one of the creators that we work with, Ohtori, after they had released the Japanese version of their manga Princess Da Huang on the platform. We were really surprised to see an online platform that had a large focus on indie manga and was easily accessible. NIUHI helps fill a gap in the current platform marketplace by highlighting indie titles to a degree that hasn’t been done before for international audiences.

NIUHI:
Manga Mavericks also works on manga translation. What are your thoughts on NIUHI’s multilingual support? And how do you think delivering manga with translations impacts creators?

Manga Mavericks:
NIUHI’s multilingual support is a unique feature that not only lends itself well to teaching readers other languages but also to building a community. Discovering a new story is exciting, but it’s even more so when one can share it with others. NIUHI’s multilingual support has the added benefit of ensuring that no reader is left out of a conversation when it comes to manga, whereas in traditional publishing, readers can be left waiting for translations of a story for years due to local publishers in their language not having the resources or interest in translating a title. This community aspect isn’t just for readers, as the multilingual support is useful to creators. Seeing a story become beloved by fans not just in their immediate circle or country but worldwide can offer encouragement that keeps creators' creative juices flowing.

Michael from our team has provided translations for several works on NIUHI as part of his company, Strict Algorithm, and has seen firsthand on social media how delighted authors are to see the reception to their manga after it is translated into other languages. Translations that wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for NIUHI.

NIUHI:
From a publisher’s perspective, what kind of value do you think NIUHI provides? And what do you see as the main benefits of NIUHI for creators?

Manga Mavericks:
As noted above, we believe that NIUHI offers a community that caters to both new and veteran creators worldwide. This benefits creators in obvious ways, such as an immediate audience for their work and access to translations, and in less obvious ways, such as working as a gauge for traditional publishers. It’s not uncommon for stories that start on platforms similar to NIUHI to grow and find wider audiences after being noticed by larger publishers. We believe that by utilizing the community aspect, there is a pipeline where more popular series make their way offline and are printed by publishers like us to reach a wider audience.

NIUHI’s multilingual support facilitates this well by providing localization so that much of the work can be done on the platform directly. This makes it more enticing for publishers to read the work there and get a deeper understanding of whether a story would work for their audience as well.

NIUHI:
What do you think is the ideal way for publishers and manga platforms to work together going forward?

Manga Mavericks:
We believe the best way for publishers to collaborate with platforms is by maintaining a continued stream of communication with each other and actively finding new ways to collaborate. The manga industry is fairly close-knit, especially on the English side, in that everyone knows or indirectly knows everyone else to some extent. That said, when it comes to actual work, companies tend to have a habit of staying isolated from each other. While we don’t see that being completely torn down, Manga Mavericks wants to foster strong relationships with other publishers and platforms and help boost manga as a whole.

NIUHI:
Looking ahead, is there anything you’re hoping to see from NIUHI?

Manga Mavericks:
We’re looking forward to seeing more new manga released on NIUHI and to it continuing to build as a hub within the manga space to find creative indie work!

Indie manga thrives on creativity, freedom, and the courage to share stories with the world.
As this conversation shows, new platforms are making it easier than ever for creators to connect with readers across languages and cultures.

If you’ve ever wondered how your work might connect with readers beyond borders, NIUHI could be worth exploring.