2014 saw 25% increase in number of manga volumes published

Comics industry news source ICv2 presented its yearly "ICv2 White Paper" report at New York Comic Con on Thursday, which outlined how the graphic novel market fared in North America in 2014-2015. Based on sales from the first eight months of 2015, ICv2 reported a 13% increase in manga sales compared to 2014.

ICv2 also reported that the growth of manga in both 2013 and 2014 marked the first consecutive growth in manga sales since 2006-2007. The company added, "it wasn't big growth, but it was solid."

ICv2 also counted the number of graphic novels and manga released in 2014 as documented by Diamond Comic Distributors, and it reported that manga releases "hit nearly 800" in 2014, which is a 25% increase compared to 2013's numbers. ICv2 added that manga had the biggest increase in the number of volumes published in 2014 compared to other graphic novel subsets like kids, superhero, or creator-owned graphic novels.

ICv2 noted that the steady increase in manga sales is due to the popularity of titles such as Naruto and Attack on Titan.

Overall graphic novel numbers increased 8% in 2014, with 3,337 graphic novels being released according to Diamond Comic Distributors. ICv2 also noted that the digital comics market is still seeing growth, but at a slower pace compared to the first part of the decade.

Source: ICv2