Yen Press
An American publisher specializing in manga, graphic novels, light novels, and selected Korean webtoon and novel properties.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Yen Press is an American publishing company focused on manga, graphic novels, light novels, and related illustrated and genre fiction. Its catalog combines licensed translations from Japanese, Korean, European, and other international sources with original English-language projects and adaptations of Western novels and entertainment properties. The company operates as a joint venture associated with Hachette Book Group and Kadokawa Corporation, giving it access to both a major English-language publishing infrastructure and a large Japanese content group. The company was established in 2006 by Kurt Hassler, a former Borders buyer, and Rich Johnson, a former DC Comics executive. From the beginning, Yen Press positioned itself within the expanding English-language market for manga and graphic storytelling. A significant early development came in 2007, when the company announced that it would absorb ICEkunion, a U.S. publisher of Korean manhwa. Existing ICEkunion series were intended to remain available, while later printings would gradually carry the Yen Press identity. This helped Yen Press broaden its portfolio beyond Japanese manga and provided a foundation for handling Korean-origin comics in the American market. Yen Press also experimented with periodical publishing. Yen Plus launched as a monthly comic anthology in 2008, carrying serialized material and helping create a recurring discovery platform for readers. The magazine later moved online in 2010 before ending in 2013. Although the periodical did not continue, the experiment reflected the company’s effort to develop a recognizable publishing ecosystem rather than rely solely on individual collected volumes. The publisher strengthened its catalog in 2009 by acquiring English-language rights to Kiyohiko Azuma’s Yotsuba&! and Azumanga Daioh from A.D. Vision. Yen Press reissued the earlier volumes of both series, with a new translation for Azumanga Daioh, while also publishing the next Yotsuba&! volume available at the time. The program illustrated the company’s role in maintaining and refreshing important manga properties for English-language readers. Yen Press’s publishing scope extends beyond translated manga. Its original and adapted work has included projects such as Svetlana Chmakova’s Nightschool and a manga adaptation of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride. The broader catalog has included graphic adaptations and illustrated versions of Western properties connected with authors and franchises such as Cassandra Clare, Stephenie Meyer, Richelle Mead, and James Patterson, alongside Japanese manga, light novels, manhwa, manhua, and European graphic works. In 2016, Yen Press became a joint venture of Hachette Book Group and Kadokawa Dwango, with Kadokawa holding a 51 percent stake according to the cited reference material. The relationship connected Yen Press more closely to Kadokawa’s Japanese publishing and licensing operations while preserving its role as an English-language publishing business. The company subsequently developed additional imprints and partnerships. JY launched in 2017 for graphic novels aimed at middle-grade readers. Ize Press was introduced in 2022 with REDICE Studio and RIVERSE to publish Korean webtoons and novels, including properties associated with HYBE artists and other high-profile Korean creators. In 2022, Yen Press also announced a printing partnership with J-Novel Club, expanding the physical distribution of titles that had initially been prominent in digital light-novel publishing. In 2023, JY began licensing novels from Kadokawa’s Tsukasa Bunko imprint. Yen Press remains an active specialist publisher whose business spans print and digital formats. In addition to translated and original books, the company has expanded its website-related catalog to include audiobooks across more than ten genres, according to the cited reference. Its overall strategy is built around acquiring recognizable international intellectual property, developing distinct imprints for reader segments, and packaging manga, webtoons, graphic novels, and light novels for English-language audiences.
History
Yen Press was founded in the United States in 2006 by Kurt Hassler, formerly a Borders buyer, and Rich Johnson, formerly a vice president at DC Comics. The company entered the English-language publishing market at a time when manga, graphic novels, and Japanese popular culture were gaining broader retail visibility. Its initial remit centered on translated comics and graphic storytelling, but the publisher gradually expanded into light novels, Western adaptations, original English-language projects, and other international formats. A major early development occurred in July 2007, when Yen Press announced plans to absorb ICEkunion, a publisher that had been bringing Korean manhwa to the U.S. market. Yen Press indicated that existing ICEkunion titles would continue to be supported and that subsequent printings would carry the Yen Press mark. The move broadened its licensing base and established an early connection with Korean comics, a field that would become increasingly important to the company many years later. The publisher also tested magazine-style serialization. The first issue of Yen Plus appeared on July 29, 2008, as a monthly comic anthology. It provided a venue for serialized material and helped link individual series with a recurring Yen Press publication. The magazine became online-only in 2010 and was discontinued in 2013. Its short life nevertheless reflected Yen Press’s attempt to build a platform around its licenses rather than publish only standalone collected editions. In 2009, Yen Press acquired the rights to Kiyohiko Azuma’s Yotsuba&! and Azumanga Daioh from their previous English-language licensee, A.D. Vision. Yen Press reissued the first five volumes of Yotsuba&! and published the sixth volume. It also reissued Azumanga Daioh with a new translation. These releases were important catalog-building actions because they refreshed established manga for the English-language market while placing them within Yen Press’s growing list. Yen Press’s output has not been limited to translations. Its original or English-language projects have included Svetlana Chmakova’s Nightschool and a manga adaptation of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride. The company has also published graphic adaptations and illustrated works based on Western novels and entertainment properties, including titles connected with the Twilight, Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices, Gossip Girl, and Maximum Ride franchises. Its catalog has included Japanese manga and light novels, Korean manhwa, Chinese manhua, European graphic works, and adaptations of Western fiction. On April 11, 2016, Yen Press was announced as a joint venture between Hachette Book Group and Kadokawa Dwango, with Kadokawa owning 51 percent. The structure combined Hachette’s English-language publishing and distribution capabilities with Kadokawa’s extensive Japanese content and licensing relationships. Yen Press continued to operate as a specialist publishing brand while gaining a closer corporate connection to a major Japanese media and publishing group. The company subsequently developed targeted imprints. In 2017, it launched JY for graphic novels aimed at middle-grade readers. On April 15, 2022, Yen Press, REDICE Studio, and RIVERSE launched Ize Press to publish Korean webtoons and novels. The first announced Ize Press properties included 7Fates: Chakho, Dark Moon, and The Star Seekers, projects associated with HYBE in collaboration with BTS, Enhypen, and Tomorrow X Together. Additional announced titles included Tomb Raider King, The World After the Fall, The Boxer, My Gently Raised Beast, The Remarried Empress, and Villains Are Destined to Die. At Anime NYC in 2022, J-Novel Club announced a partnership with Yen Press to print J-Novel Club titles. In June 2023, Yen Press began licensing novels from Kadokawa’s Tsukasa Bunko imprint for JY, extending that imprint beyond its established graphic-novel focus. The company has also expanded its broader digital presence with an audiobook catalog covering more than ten genres, according to the cited reference material. Today, Yen Press is an active English-language publisher with a portfolio spanning manga, graphic novels, light novels, manhwa, webtoons, manhua, original series, adaptations, and audiobooks. Its development has followed two complementary paths: acquiring established international intellectual property and creating imprints or distribution relationships tailored to particular readerships. The company’s ownership links to Hachette and Kadokawa support that cross-border model, while its branded imprints allow it to address children’s graphic fiction, Japanese light novels, and Korean digital-comics properties under more focused publishing identities.
- 2023
JY expands into Tsukasa Bunko novels
[1]Yen Press begins licensing novels from Kadokawa’s Tsukasa Bunko imprint for JY.
- 2022
Ize Press launches
[1]Yen Press, REDICE Studio, and RIVERSE establish Ize Press for Korean webtoon and novel publications.
- 2022
J-Novel Club printing partnership is announced
[1]Yen Press agrees to print selected J-Novel Club titles.
- 2017
JY imprint launches
[1]Yen Press introduces JY for graphic novels directed at middle-grade readers.
- 2016
Joint-venture ownership is announced
[1]Yen Press becomes a joint venture involving Hachette Book Group and Kadokawa Dwango, with Kadokawa reported to hold 51 percent.
- 2013
Yen Plus is discontinued
[1]After becoming online-only in 2010, the Yen Plus anthology ends publication.
- 2009
Yotsuba&! and Azumanga Daioh rights are acquired
[1]Yen Press takes over English-language rights to two Kiyohiko Azuma manga and begins reissuing them.
- 2008
Yen Plus launches
[1]The first issue of the Yen Plus monthly comic anthology is published.
- 2007
ICEkunion is absorbed
[1]Yen Press announces plans to absorb ICEkunion and continue supporting its Korean manhwa catalog under the Yen Press identity.
- 2006
Yen Press is founded
[1]Kurt Hassler and Rich Johnson establish Yen Press in the United States as a publisher focused on manga and related graphic storytelling.
Products and positioning
A specialist English-language publisher connecting major Japanese, Korean, European, and Western storytelling properties with manga, graphic-novel, light-novel, and webtoon audiences.
Translated Japanese comics · 2006
Manga
Manga is a central part of Yen Press’s catalog. The publisher releases English-language editions of Japanese series across action, comedy, fantasy, romance, drama, and other genres. Representative catalog properties include Yotsuba&!, Azumanga Daioh, Black Butler, and other licensed series. Yen Press has also issued refreshed editions of previously licensed works, sometimes with new translations or revised presentation.
Graphic novels · 2006
Graphic novels and adaptations
Yen Press publishes original English-language graphic novels as well as adaptations of Western novels and entertainment properties. Examples identified in the reference material include Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova and manga or graphic adaptations connected with Maximum Ride, Twilight, The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and other fiction franchises.
Japanese light novels
Light novels
The company publishes English-language editions of Japanese light novels and related prose properties. Its light-novel activity is supported by Kadokawa-linked licensing relationships and by collaborations such as the printing partnership with J-Novel Club. These books extend Yen Press’s reach beyond comics into illustrated genre fiction.
Middle-grade graphic novels and novels · 2017
JY
JY is a Yen Press imprint launched in 2017 for graphic novels aimed at middle-grade readers. The imprint later expanded its scope by licensing novels from Kadokawa’s Tsukasa Bunko imprint beginning in 2023, giving it a broader role in younger and crossover readership categories.
Korean webtoons and novels · 2022
Ize Press
Ize Press is an imprint established in 2022 with REDICE Studio and RIVERSE. It focuses on English-language editions of Korean webtoons and novels, including titles associated with HYBE collaborations and other widely distributed Korean digital-comics properties. Announced examples include 7Fates: Chakho, Dark Moon, The Star Seekers, The Remarried Empress, and Villains Are Destined to Die.
Audio publishing
Audiobooks
Yen Press has expanded its digital presence to include an audiobook catalog. The cited reference describes the catalog as covering more than ten genres, indicating an extension from illustrated and printed books into narrated digital formats.
Brand decisions
2022
Launch of Ize PressProduct launchBackground
Korean webtoons and novels were becoming an increasingly visible part of international comics and fiction markets.
Action taken
Yen Press partnered with REDICE Studio and RIVERSE to create Ize Press for Korean webtoon and novel publications.
Aftermath
The imprint gave Yen Press a dedicated vehicle for Korean digital-comics properties and related novel adaptations.
2022
Printing partnership with J-Novel ClubStrategyBackground
J-Novel Club had built a catalog with a strong digital light-novel presence and sought physical publishing support.
Action taken
Yen Press agreed to print J-Novel Club titles announced at Anime NYC 2022.
Aftermath
The partnership extended the physical availability of selected J-Novel Club works and broadened Yen Press’s publishing relationships.
2017
Launch of the JY imprintProduct launchBackground
Yen Press sought to address younger readers and the middle-grade graphic-novel market with a more focused publishing identity.
Action taken
The company launched JY as an imprint for middle-grade graphic novels.
Aftermath
JY became a platform for younger-reader graphic fiction and later expanded into selected Tsukasa Bunko novels.
2016
Formation of the Hachette–Kadokawa joint ventureM&ABackground
Yen Press sought to operate within a larger cross-border publishing structure connecting English-language distribution with Japanese content ownership.
Action taken
Yen Press became a joint venture between Hachette Book Group and Kadokawa Dwango, with Kadokawa reported to own 51 percent.
Aftermath
The arrangement linked Yen Press more closely to Kadokawa’s licensing network while retaining Hachette’s publishing and distribution involvement.
Ownership stake. Kadokawa 51% (2016)
2010
Conversion of Yen Plus to online-only publicationStrategyBackground
Yen Press had launched Yen Plus as a monthly print anthology in 2008.
Action taken
The company moved Yen Plus to an online-only format before ending the publication in 2013.
Aftermath
The anthology experiment concluded after the digital transition, leaving Yen Press to focus on book and other format-based publishing.
2007
Absorption of ICEkunionM&ABackground
ICEkunion had been publishing Korean manhwa in the United States, while Yen Press was expanding its translated-comics portfolio.
Action taken
Yen Press announced that it would absorb ICEkunion and continue the existing titles, with later printings carrying the Yen Press logo.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened Yen Press’s early catalog beyond Japanese manga and strengthened its position in Korean comics publishing.
Recent events
Yen Press acquires ID: INVADED manga series[2]
Yen Press announced that it had acquired the manga series ID: INVADED #Brake-Broken, with story by Otaro Maijo and art by Yūki Kodama.
Yen Press announces new manga and light novel acquisitions[3]
Reported:
Yen Press announced that it had acquired manga and light novels for release in August, including the titles described in the article.
Sources3 sources
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