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The editorial department of Weekly Shonen Jump has announced a revision to its compensation model for new serialization authors, formally establishing a defined annual increase for manuscript fees and introducing a structured exclusive contract payment system.
Under the new guidelines, the base manuscript fees for new serializations remain same as the rates established during the overhaul in November 2024.
The starting rate stands at 20,900 yen or more per page for black-and-white (monochrome) manuscripts and 31,350 yen or more per page for color. However, the Shonen Jump has now clarified that these rates would increase by a minimum of 1,100 yen per page for every year the series continues.
Another significant component of the revised structure is the “Exclusive Contract Payment.” This system allows authors to voluntarily sign a one-year exclusive contract at the start of a serialization. The payment for this contract is set at 1 million yen.
Similar to the manuscript fees, this exclusive payment includes a tenure-based incentive, with the amount scheduled to increase by 500,000 yen or more annually for creators who maintain their contracts.
The editorial department emphasized that these contract payments are supplementary to other standard income streams. Creators retain earnings from royalties on compiled volumes, merchandise sales from the 15 Jump Shop locations across Japan, and licensing fees from media adaptations such as TV anime.
Furthermore, in a move to support pre-serialization talent, Weekly Shonen Jump introduced a “Research Student System” for new authors. This voluntary program functions as a production support mechanism.
Those who sign a “Research Student” exclusive contract will receive 300,000 yen distributed over six months. Additionally, the program includes access to exclusive study groups and tickets to related industry events to foster artistic development.
Meanwhile, the compensation for Jump GIGA, a quarterly special issue, also remain the same as last year at 13,200 yen or more per page for black-and-white works and 19,800 yen or more per page for color works.
This compensation structure revision follows a major policy shift initiated in November 2024, when the editorial department first raised the minimum manuscript fees from 18,700 yen to 20,900 yen for monochrome pages.
At that time, the department mandated that the previously compulsory one-year exclusive contract would become optional, a policy that remains in effect.
The 2024 revision also introduced a general preparation allowance of 500,000 yen for first-time serializations. The latest update appears to expand upon this foundation, doubling the initial contract payment to 1 million yen for those opting into the exclusive arrangement and codifying the annual rate increases.
Source: Livedoor
