M Dash 27 – Blog by Hecko X

I recently got a job with Alpha Entertainment, a small publishing agency here in Denmark that publishes the upcoming comic and manga magazine, Comic Party. I got the job after the founder, a buddy of mine who helped organize the Artist Alley for Genki 2010, heard about me being a scanlator and asked if I was interested in helping out since he needed staff members.

When I originally accepted the job, it was just as the typesetter, and I figured I’d earn maybe 500 DKK per month (around €68) if I was lucky. I ended up underbidding the other English to Danish translator and got that job as well, so now I’m raking in a lot more than I thought I would; approximately 3000 DKK per month. I could actually be raking in an extra 1000 per month on what he was actually willing to pay me for my services, but I felt like I would be ripping he off then, so I offered my typesetting services for a significantly lower price.

The selection is pretty good, though most is aimed at an older female audience (17-22), I think. Not a lot of seinen-type manga yet, unfortunately, but I’ve tried pitching Kenji and Grappler Baki. The selection, that I know of, is currently:

• Fana’s Snow Story (manga, one-shot)
• Lost Heaven (manga)
• Ojousama in Ooedo City (manga)
• Usagi Yojimbo (comic)
• Faux Pas (web comic)
• Girl Genius (web comic)

But as nice as this job is, I still need another part-time job to make things go round, since this wouldn’t even cover rent. I’m still hoping for the night-shift at a 7-Eleven, so fingers crossed!