Where To Buy Manga: Our Complete Guide - Book Riot

The sad truth is that we live in a capitalist world, and you don’t get anything for free. You should pay for your manga. Supporting original manga creators is great, and supporting official translations is important. Not only does it keep North American publishers in business, it also tells the market that an audience exists.

Now that we’ve addressed this issue, let’s tackle the question of how to buy manga.

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Where to Buy Manga in America

Before you buy manga, there are a few things you need to figure out first. First, is the series licensed in English? If you’re not sure, a quick Google search will tell you the answer. This step is often overlooked but it’s important. Obviously, if a manga hasn’t been licensed yet, you’re not going to be able to buy it. Sorry! But this step can also tell you if something was recently licensed. So while it might not be currently available to purchase, it might be a year from now. With new manga licenses being announced every week, this is often the case these days.

Let’s say the manga you want to buy is available legally in English. What formats are available? Some series are digital only, some series are print only, and some series come in both. If you want a manga in print format, but it’s only available in digital, you may have to settle. Or, if you’re patient, maybe wait a few months. Some publishers release the digital edition before the print version. Other times, they gauge interest based on digital sales. If a manga proves popular enough, it often gets a print edition. You never know.

Once you know all these things, you have a few options. You can check your favorite retailers. Amazon and Barnes & Noble readily carry manga in both print and digital format, for example. More experienced manga readers might want to check out specialized retailers like Bookwalker for digital manga and RightStuf for print manga.