SIMON & SCHUSTER UK AND VIZ MEDIA RENEW SUCCESSFUL SALES AND DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP

The Biggest Manga Company in North America, VIZ Media, Have Renewed Their Sales And Distribution Partnership With Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, Now To Include India

LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO, January 7, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga, graphic novels, and anime in North America, and Simon & Schuster UK, one of the UK’s leading publishers, have announced a renewal of their existing sales and distribution partnership. The agreement includes expanded distribution to India, where Simon & Schuster India will offer English-language manga to the rapidly developing market.

Simon & Schuster UK has been the exclusive distributor of VIZ Media manga titles (graphic novels) in the UK since September 2007, providing sales and distribution services for its vast library of titles. The company will continue to manage distribution for all of VIZ Media’s imprints, including Shonen Jump, Shonen Jump Advanced, Shojo Beat, Shonen Sunday, Perfect Square, VIZ Signature, Studio Ghibli Library and Haikasoru.

“The renewal of our successful sales, marketing and distribution agreement will allow Simon & Schuster UK to continue to utilise our vast network of resources on behalf of VIZ Media to bring a wide array of the best and most anticipated manga titles to Great Britain, Ireland, and South Africa,” says Russell Evans, Commercial Director, Simon & Schuster UK Ltd. “Our robust network of retail channels will ensure that the best selection of the latest manga titles will continue to be readily available to this flourishing market, helping to build on the 35% sales growth we have seen over the past 4 years.”

“India has an avid fan base of manga, and Simon & Schuster India is thrilled to be able to offer fans some of the hottest manga titles published by VIZ Media,” says Rahul Srivastava, Managing Director, Simon & Schuster India.

“VIZ Media has been looking to expand internationally for a number of years and Simon & Schuster UK and India are important strategic partners for us as we continue to cultivate & grow the substantial international English-language manga market,” says Kevin Hamric, Senior Director, Publishing Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media. “We look forward to bringing our most popular manga titles to awaiting fans!”

For more information on Simon & Schuster UK, please visit: www.simonandschuster.co.uk.

For more information on VIZ Media, please visit www.viz.com.