KODANSHA COMICS TO LAUNCH EBOOKS PROGRAM

Over 100 titles included at launch, including New York Times’ bestsellers Attack on Titan and Fairy Tail

NEW YORK, July 6, 2013 – Kodansha Comics, one of the top manga publishers in America, is proud to announce the debut of their eBook program on multiple platforms, including Apple’s iBookstore, Amazon Kindle, and Barnes & Noble Nook. Series appearing on launch day include Fairy Tail, Genshiken, Missions of Love, and Kodansha’s newest megahit, Attack on Titan. “As digital is becoming a key part of our manga publishing in Japan, we look forward to starting a program in America,” said Yasumasa Shimizu, president of Kodansha Comics. “Our partnership with Random House gives us access to the widest audience possible, and we look forward to providing our readers with some of the best manga in the world.” “We’re incredibly excited to help Kodansha launch their eBook program in the United States,” said Jeff Abraham, president of Random House Publisher Services. “Kodansha has been leading the manga bestseller lists lately, and we look forward to seeing the same on the digital charts.” While the full list debuts on July 16, eager readers can get a sneak peek by downloading two digital samplers on July 9. Titled Kodansha Comics Digital Sampler- REAL and Kodansha Comics Digital Sampler- UNREAL, the two eBooks include full first chapters of all series in the program and together comprise over 1000 pages of free manga, “making for a great introduction to manga for everyone,” added Shimizu. Included in the launch are the following series:

• Arisa
• At Full Moon
• Attack on Titan
• Bloody Monday
• Cage of Eden
• Danza
• Fairy Tail
• Genshiken Omnibus
• Genshiken: Second Season
• I Am Here!
• Kitchen Princess Omnibus
• Mardock Scramble
• Missions of Love
• Ninja Girls
• No. 6
• Sankarea
• Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
• and Until the Full Moon

Additional series will be added at a later date, but one title already confirmed to join the eBook program is Vinland Saga, set to debut along with its print version in October. More details about the program can be found HERE. About Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC Established in New York in 2008, Kodansha USA Publishing (KUP) is a subsidiary of Kodansha, Japan’s largest publisher. KUP’s first works under the Kodansha Comics imprint were Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira and Masamune Shirow’s The Ghost in the Shell. KUP has expanded their catalog to include such titles as Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima, Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama, Shugo Chara by PEACH-PIT, and Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, the highest selling manga in the U.S. in 2012. Kodansha Comics is distributed by Random House Publisher Services. About Random House Publisher Services Random House Publisher Services, a division of Random House Inc., is the book industry's leading provider of sales and distribution services to premium third-party publishers. Its wide range of service offerings includes sales, warehousing, physical and digital distribution, credit & collection, marketing and information technology. In addition to the National Geographic Society, its portfolio of clients includes Beacon Press, DC Comics, Rizzoli, Melville House, New York Review Books and many others.