BookWalker, the leading digital bookstore for manga, manhwa, and light novel fans just launched a total overhaul of their app and website, introducing a new Lightweight Content Protection DRM system for purchases and completely redesigning the UI. Yatta-Tachi asked CEO Sam Pinansky and marketing lead Isabell Castro about their thoughts on the platform’s new look and the possibilities for its future.
Sam Pinansky on the platform redesign
The Japanese localization industry has been changing very quickly in these last few years, and it seems like new manga and novel-reading apps are popping up every other day, from Omoi to Novel. How is BookWalker going to stand out from the crowd?
Sam Pinansky: BookWalker has nearly a 10 year history, and a catalog of manga and light novels that cannot be matched in the space. We have more content from more publishers, and when you throw in audiobooks and light novels (which no other unified platform has), we’re actually the only player in the space that covers the entire spectrum of the fandom.
Why has BookWalker split with BookWalker Japan?
PINANSKY: BookWalker’s English storefront was always run as just a division in the Japanese store, and that meant that it wasn’t really the focus. By having BookWalker being run by a US company with experience with the English speaking fans, we can better serve our audience both as a service and with better marketing and community building.
Can you tell us more about what “lightweight DRM” means for BookWalker customers? Can folks download eBooks from BookWalker for other eReaders?
PINANSKY: It means the DRM protects the content from being shared with people who don’t own the book, but that it doesn’t restrict other aspects of how, or where you can read the book. For example you can download the license file, and backup the data; it’s not dependent on Bookwalker’s servers always being there. And there are even hardware ereader devices that are compatible with the DRM so you can read your books on other apps and devices! Support for Kobo is coming soon to the US (it’s already there in Europe), and there are plenty of others that are planned as well.
How did you collect and implement user feedback to create a new platform that welcomes both new and existing fans? After launch, will folks be able to submit feedback (bugs, accessibility issues, etc)?
PINANSKY: When you’ve been running an ebook store for nearly a decade you definitely collect a lot of feedback over the years. It was important to us to move the platform in a modern direction while still maintaining the most crucial features our core audience expects, and although that’s always a challenge, we’re going to keep improving and making tweaks to make it 100% the best platform for reading light novels and manga on the internet. Check out our support site for information on bug reporting, feedback, etc!
Tell us about that revamped platform! What new features are you most excited about?
PINANSKY: There’s a lot to talk about, but one thing that isn’t as obvious is that the platform is rebuilt on an entirely modern tech stack, which is crucial for future development and maintenance. We have so many new tools available internally as well for better curation and uploading of content. On the user facing front, we’ve really revamped how deals and promotions are shown to the user: Instead of a hidden message box or a frontpage banned with 20 items, now things are a lot more personalized, where deals that are activated for you are shown on a dedicated deals page, and you can directly go to see what kind of interesting content and opportunities you have available!
Was the website and branding done in-house, or did you work with an agency? What was the inspiration for both?
PINANSKY: We worked entirely in house without using any overpriced agencies that would have no idea what manga fans want ;). And for inspiration, it’s really pretty simple, we were inspired by manga itself!
With all of these identified issues, we understand BookWalker is a very large, complex system – it’s a lot for a small team! Could you tell us about your favorite part of working with the team?
PINANSKY: One thing about the people at BookWalker, we are a very global staff. We have people in Japan, US, and elsewhere, and just because they live in Japan they are also from Europe, South America, the US, Japan, and yes, even Canada. It’s great to be able to work with such a culturally diverse group of people who all have the same love for manga and light novels.
Buying manga volumes, even digitally, can quickly become very expensive as the volume counts add up. Will there be any bundles, discounts, ad-for-coin options, or a subscription option to make BookWalker more affordable?
PINANSKY: We’re always coming out with new types of promotions and deals! Our promotions system can do all kinds of interesting things, so stay on the lookout!
Isabell Castro on the future of Bookwalker’s marketing
How does your artistic background come into play in your new role at BookWalker?
Isabell Castro: On a very practical level, my background in graphic design and illustration have been incredibly useful for my marketing projects. Giving feedback to designers is something I’m very familiar with, and being able to quickly mock up designs myself can speed up the process of many day to day tasks.
On a more personal level, I’m a big fan of great art and beautiful designs, so working in the manga field is such a pleasure for me and my coworkers – and I hope that love shines through in some of the work we put out.
Are there any plans for BookWalker to add user-created manga or light novels? Any contests in the works?
CASTRO: While I’m a huge fan of user-generated content (I was responsible for the UGC side of Tapas for many years), it is also incredibly difficult to do and would increase the team’s workload (from contract negotiations to accounting and everything in between) dramatically. We are currently not set up to handle this additional workload.
This also explains why contests don’t make sense for BookWalker right now, though we are happy to support the events our sister/parent companies host, like the J-Novel Club Light Novel Contest.
What’s the biggest difference between your role at BookWalker and your previous role at Tapas, and what’s your favorite thing about BookWalker so far?
CASTRO: My focus was very different. At Tapas, my goal was to get as many opportunities for user-created content, which wasn’t always easy. It is very expensive to support this type of content, and it sadly rarely performs financially. That made it difficult to get support internally, especially when budgets are already tight.
What I love about BookWalker is the great potential of growth. There is a huge manga fanbase that isn’t aware of the platform, but I know they will love it. The challenge of finding the best ways to reach them is great fun for me. Not to mention that I’m a huge manga fan, and I’m so glad I get to work in this space.
What’s your favorite thing about working with the BookWalker team so far?
CASTRO: I love how the team lives up to the ‘BookWalker Global’ name. We’re spread across three continents, yet we’re all speaking the same language when it comes to our love for this medium. Seeing that universal connection to manga and light novels firsthand is definitely the highlight for me.
Any promotional campaigns you’re looking forward to?
CASTRO: Many! We’ve started working with Jacki Jing, who is a powerhouse in the industry and also a really lovely person. In addition to discussing potential collaborations with other partners, I’m also really excited for the promotions we are creating for the platform, as we play with our new tools that provide even better recommendations to our users.
What’s the plan for promoting BookWalker in North America?
CASTRO: We are really focusing on bringing more awareness to BookWalker, since not many anime, manga and light novel fans know it exists. That includes more visibility on social media, working with influencers, advertising on partner sites and coordinating fun, engaging events with some of our publishers.
Does BookWalker intend to attend anime conventions outside of AX?
CASTRO: We will have some form of attendance at most conventions, even if we don’t have an active booth. But if you are looking to see us and visit a booth, we will also be ANYC this year!
What is BookWalker’s relationship with influencers and manga-focused websites in terms of collaboration?
CASTRO: We’re very happy to collab! The manga, anime and light novel industry is both huge and also incredibly niche, and we can all do better by working together and supporting the fanbase. Ultimately we all want the same thing – better stories for our readers (and ourselves ;D).
What are your biggest creative influences?
CASTRO: I always list the two manga series that made me start drawing, which was Sailor Moon and Battle Angel Alita.
Favorite BookWalker titles?
CASTRO: Frieren and My Happy Marriage are my current favorites.
You can check out the brand new BookWalker by visiting their website and follow them on Bluesky.
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