I'm all for the informative posts. SuBLime's roster is heavy with well known mangaka/crowd favs. How do you balance licensing "crowd favs" vs. introducing new or lesser know authors. I noticed digital titles exclude the back cover, what's the reasoning behind that?
I think this is where digital is a nice option. We can introduce new mangaka (which we have) to see how fans react. So far they’ve all done really well and fans seem to really appreciate something new. As far as balancing, we certainly tip the scales more in the favor of what fans are asking for, but we also license books that we feel fans would appreciate knowing about to provide some fresh, new material.
As far as including the back cover on a digital title, since it’s digital, only the front cover is seen on websites where they’re sold (Honestly, now that you’ve asked the question and I’m thinking about it, I’ve never purchased a digital book anywhere that includes a back cover in the book. Not to say they don’t exist, I’ve just never come across it myself.). A print book’s entire cover can be seen when you hold it in your hand and is there as part of the marketing for the book. Basically, it serves no purpose in a digital environment as far as marketing goes.
Hopefully this answers your questions. :-)