Williamsport, Pa. — If you’ve been to the Otto Bookstore at 107 West Fourth Street in Williamsport recently, you’ll notice a new explosion of color in the form of graphic novels and manga titles for kids and teen readers.
“We’ve been selling books for nearly 200 years, but have never truly focused on the younger generation readers,” said John Shableski, the newest member of the staff who has been tasked with the job of launching the new graphic novel and manga project.
Shableski brings a wealth of knowledge to the job. He has consulted in the publishing industry for more than 20 years, working with a wide range of clients from the Norman Rockwell Museum to Archie Comics, and Heavy Metal Magazine. Shableski has also created more than 600 hours of professional development programs for librarians, booksellers, authors, and educational professionals at conferences and conventions around the world.
So what are graphic novels and manga? And what is their appeal?
“They are basically long-form comics with a spine,” Shableski said. Graphic novels and manga are also the fastest growing category in the publishing world.
“When I first entered the publishing industry, sales for graphic novels were just over $35 million. As of two years ago, they were about $2.1 billion. The market has librarians to thank for this success, because libraries were, for the longest time, the only place younger readers could find these books,” Shableski said.
Kids began checking them out in huge numbers, which then drove library directors to buy more to meet the demand, he continued.
Over the past couple of decades there has been a lot of debate on the benefits of reading graphic novels versus “real books.” According to Shableski, “everyone has their own entry to reading, and in many cases find difficulty with texts because they don’t have a foundation to build on.”
The combination of images and text in a graphic novel give the reader context, which allows for a stronger appreciation for the story, he explained. They are often marketed to “reluctant readers,” but are for every reader, from young children to adults. Genres in graphic novels run the gamut from fiction and fantasy to mystery, history, and nonfiction.
The current collection at Otto Bookstore features titles like “Dog Man” and “Phoebe and Her Unicorn,” along with comics adaptations of classics like “Fahrenheit 451” and “The Great Gatsby.”
“You’ll also see steady growth in our manga section,” Shableski said. “Manga is the Japanese form of comics, and is a global phenomenon. Right now we carry several series like “One Piece,” “Dragon Ball,” and “Naruto.”
So why does the oldest independently-owned book store in the country make a move like this?
“It’s pretty simple ” said Shableski. “Big stores like Target and Walmart are selling it like crazy and we want the younger generation to come to us instead. We need to start selling books they are looking for, and for the longest time we’ve been a book store for parents and grandparents. We are now, also, a book store for the next generation readers: Kids and teens.”
The collection debuts just in time for the holiday shopping season, including Small Business Saturday. Check out the creative window display and pop in to browse the graphic novel and manga titles!