Why Can’t I Find This Volume?

July 12, 2011

Like a lot of people, I can’t keep up with all the titles I want to read, so some have to fall back and wait to be caught up on. Usually this isn’t a big deal. If it’s a recent series, within the last two years or so, and the publisher hasn’t gone under, or lost the license, catching up is usually as easy as getting online to Amazon or some other online retailer and ordering the missing volumes. In trying to do this though, I’ve run into some stumbling blocks, and it is absolutely perplexing to me as to why.

Last August, Rightstuf had a sale of being able to order manga from any publisher. Cool, I thought. I could catch up on a range of titles, instead of concentrating on one pub. I went through, clicking the ones I wanted most, mostly to complete titles that had ended, but that I had missing one or two along the way. One of those titles was Pig Bride volume 4. I had volumes 1-3 and 5, and I didn’t want to read volume 5 until I had volume 4. So, I tried to order it. It was put on back order, and after about a month or so, the backorder was canceled. So I then decided to see if Amazon had it. No luck there either. Volume 4’s page shows the book only available from Marketplace sellers. “WTH” was now the thought going through my mind. An inquiry about this volume to Yen Press’ Twitter account got me this:

**cricket** **cricket**

Not too long ago, Rightstuf had a Yen Press sale, and I needed a few books, so I tried looking for Pig Bride volume 4 again. The link for volume 4 is now gone from Rightstuf’s website. So I asked again on Twitter, this time to both Rightstuf (Animetoday) and Yen Press. Rightstuf responded with:

If Pig Bride v4 – or any other title isn’t listed – that means it’s not available fr publisher, w/ no ETA on reprint. 🙁

Yen Press responded with:

**cricket** **cricket**

So I’m back to asking, what is the deal? Why is that I can get volumes 1, 2, 3 and 5 of Pig Bride and not volume 4? Was there some problem with volume 4 that took it out of print. I mean, with no ETA for reprint, the volume may as well be OOP.  The volume came out in April of last year. It hadn’t even been 6 months when I tried to buy it. What’s the point of making the rest of the series available if there’s no chance of completing it? I can buy it from Marketplace sellers, and that’s probably what I’ll end up doing, but my point is I shouldn’t have to. OOP after 4 months?  Really?? And even their supply won’t last forever. But what I really want to know is why has Yen Press/Hachette made this ONE volume unavailable to purchase?

Are there any recent volumes of a title that should be in print that you can’t get either? Rant with me here!

7 Comments

  • Heather Ward July 12, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    The title I have problems with is Swallowing the Earth by Osamu Tezuka published by DMP. I never thought waiting 8 months on that title would cause me so much problems, especially with the publishing success Vertical has enjoyed with Tezuka titles.

    • Lori Henderson July 14, 2011 at 7:16 am

      @Heather – Yeah, that is a surprise! I wonder though, since it was DMP and not Vertical that released it if they didn’t get the same terms as Vertical does.

      @Powder1984 – Please, rant all you like! I’ve had the same problem with Sgt. Frog 21, which came out in the same wave as Happy Cafe. I thought I had a line on it, but it got cancelled just before shipping. So frustrating when that happens!!!

  • powder1984 July 12, 2011 at 8:59 pm

    I know your pain! With Happy Cafe 8 being the last volume released by Tokyopop I’ve been going nuts trying to find it! At first I thought that because sites like RightStuf weren’t including Tokyopop releases after mid-May that maybe it wasn’t released at at. But lo! Thanks to my manga peeps on twitter I learned it does indeed exist. I used to work at a certain bookstore so I texted my friends still working there if there was a copy to hold it for me and I would have flown down the expressway to get it. Unfortunately they had only up to volume 6. I got so used to pre-ordering Happy Cafe from Amazon that when even they didn’t get the new release I kinda knew I was going to have a fun time trying to find it.
    Long comment but I just wanted to take the opportunity to rant!

  • Aurora July 16, 2011 at 9:00 am

    I feel you on Pig Bride 4. -_- I only have my copy because I noticed that Midtown Comics amazingly still had it in stock! I bought it up when I had the chance, so now I have volumes 1-2 and 4. I’ll get the other two volumes sometime, hopefully before they mysteriously go out of print as well.

    I would advise you never to check out Goong, though. Volumes 5 & 8 are also OOP on Amazon, and 6 & 7 are listed as “Ships in 6 – 12 Days”— which means they’re probably OOP too. Thankfully, I’d already gotten 1-7… but I have no idea how I’m going to get my hands on 8. I’m not paying $40 for a single volume. o.o What is it with Yen Press and not keeping things in stock?

    @Heather Ward: Swallowing the Earth? Oh, now I feel a bit evil. The person selling it for $58 on Amazon is me. xD I found it in a used bookstore for $10. I’ve never liked Tezuka’s stuff, so I don’t mind trying to make a profit off it.

    • Lori Henderson July 16, 2011 at 11:13 am

      @Aurora – I’ve already got Goong, and am fortunately up to date on it, but it doesn’t surprise me to hear that Yen has done this again. Manga is just not like books in that you can usually read just one and move on. And Goong…that is a tough one because it can be so addicting!

      @CrispyF – Dark Horse is rather annoying with their on-again, off-again publishing schedule. I have often wondered if the reason they hold back releases is to just drum up attention for them.

  • CrispyF July 16, 2011 at 10:53 am

    Eden: It’s an Endless World volumes 8 and 9.
    I am seriously considering either paying £40 for them via Amazon marketplace, or getting an iron bar and going down to the Dark Horse publishing house and beating them repeatedly until they cough up one of the several volumes they have held back, which I assume they will be selling to contribute to the company pension fund.

  • hamster428 July 28, 2011 at 8:10 am

    I’m also missing Goong 8, which I’ve first started to look for in the Spring. The price on it is only getting steeper by the day now >__<

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