YAOI INTERVIEW: Publisher Yaoi Prose

As a follow-up to my review of Incubus Master and to continue Global Boys' Love Month (which is now Global Boys' Love Summer!) I decided to interview the publisher of Incubus Master, Yaoi Prose. The mastermind behind Yaoi Prose, Yamila Abraham, was gracious enough to answer my questions:

What is Yaoi Prose?

 

Yaoi Prose publishes illustrated erotic eBooks in the male/male romance genre.  We started off with two serialized titles, Incubus Master and Saihoshi: REDEMPTION.  I’m writing Incubus Master and having it illustrated by Italian artist Barbara Apostolico, who produced art as one half of studio Le Peruggine in the past.  It stars Figaru, a prominent character from my Winter Demon graphic novel series.  Saihoshi: REDEMPTION is by the popular studio KOSEN of Spain.  Other eBooks have featured erotic spanking, and have followed up fan-favorite stories in Yaoi Press books.

 

What made you want to start this company?

 

Like most publishers right now, Yaoi Press is suffering due to the bad economy and collapse of Borders books.  We needed a new strategy if we were going to be able to continue publishing graphic novels.  Printing costs are our biggest expense.  No matter what creative ways we found to keep costs low the prices would always catch up.  We want our greatest expense to be payment for our creators.  Unfortunately printing costs was eating into that payment far too much. 

 

A strictly digital business solves this problem and brings a new revenue stream into the company.  We’ve seen great results with our other digital venture with Netcomics.  Now we’re ready to dive into the eBook arena. 

 

Yaoi Prose is giving us a chance to continue with the stories and characters people love in an economical way.  It’s also allowing us to reach a new audience with our best properties.  There are other projects that I’ve been dying to bring to light, but just don’t have the resources.  I’ve been telling our creators to keep an eye on Yaoi Prose.  If it’s a viable revenue source it will become a way for them to keep earning with us.  There’s a lot of exciting things that could open up.

 

You talk about bringing other Yaoi Press creators into Yaoi Prose.  What about taking new submissions?

 

Submissions should open in 2011 I hope.  I need to make sure the company is on solid footing before I can hire an editor.  We shouldn’t be considered as an outlet for submissions until the call goes out.

 

What kind of response have you seen so far?

 

Yaoi Prose is a great success!  We had tremendous support from the yaoi community, and male/male erotica fans.  I’m extremely excited about the future.

 

Tell us about the Bastard King funding goal.

 

Yaoi Prose is to support Yaoi Press.  Bastard King is the sequel to the Dark Prince series.  It’s well underway, but work has stalled due to budget shortfalls.  Incubus Master has been earmarked to support Bastard King.  Up to $1 of each sale is going to a Smarty Pig savings account to earn the amount needed to pay the artist.  This account has a visual tool that allows people to see how we’re progressing on our goal.  I’ve put this graphic on the main Incubus Master page for people to watch it grow.  We’ve met 87% of our funding goal already.  Every sale of Incubus Master and the sequel Captured brings us closer.

 

Was Barbara Apostolico your first artist choice for Incubus Master?

 

We did a Twitter survey showing how she draws Figaru compared to others and she was the top pick hands down.  I love her art.  Her men are masculine and muscular, but still beautiful.  I think she’s perfect for male/male erotica and yaoi.

 

What can people expect to pay?

 

A lengthy installment with a color illustration is $2.99.  It works out to be similar pricing if you were part of a subscription site with weekly updates.  With our model you only pay for what you want to read, and get a quality color illustration every time.

 

Where can people learn more?

 

The Yaoi Prose web site is http://www.yaoiprose.com.  If you read books on the Kindle or Kindle for PC you should check out http://www.yaoipress.com/kindle.htm.  People should also follow the Yaoi Press twitter for updates throughout the day:  http://www.twitter.com/yaoipress .