The groundbreaking Penguin Random House imprint Inklore just signed another deal: partnering with Contents First, the Korean content company behind Tappytoon, to bring their books to a US and global audience.
Billed as an “unprecedented move that converges Korean digital comics and traditional publishing,” the deal will see multiple webtoons brought to print by Inklore. The first book out of the gate is the BL (boys love) title Cherry Blossoms After Winter by Bamwoo, due in spring 2024.
“Through Tappytoon’s thousands of stories in a wide range of genres, Contents First has served digital comics to millions of Gen Z and Millennial fans around the world,” said Ernest Woo, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Contents First. “As our first title for the Inklore imprint is BL and romance, we look forward to introducing more great titles and genres that Tappytoon readers love.”
“The team at Inklore is very excited to publish Cherry Blossoms After Winter in print for the English-speaking world for the first time,” said Rebecca “Tay” Taylor, editorial director at Inklore. “As fans ourselves, we know that this publication is a highly-anticipated event for many readers.”
Cherry Blossoms After Winter is only the first book in the deal for Inklore, which launched with some fanfare back in June, as a imprint specializing in manga, manhua, manhwa, webcomics adaptations, and light novels. And it heralds a wider trend of bringing popular mobile scrolling comics to print.
It’s also a move to bring more romance titles to US shelves, according to Contents First. Nearly half of Tappytoon’s library- 400 titles – is devoted to romance, mirroring its share in total sales.
Contents First was launched in 2013 in Korean, and created Tappytoon, their webcomics platform in 2016. Tappytoon reaches 8 million users across 240 nations in English, German, and French, claiming a 180% annual sales growth. Other Contents First partners include Naver Webtoon, CJ ENM and Redice Studios.
