Indeed, considering Inuyasha's current phenomenal popularity, reaching that conclusion wasn't particularly difficult. Aside from the two frontrunners, whose massive, long-established fanbases made them difficult to immediately surpass, none of the other currently serialized manga should have been a match for Inuyasha.
Seeing the confident air about Lin Yu, Nanako pursed her lips slightly, though the obvious delight in her eyes remained undiminished. "Here, take a look. This is the latest report from the editorial department!"
Lin Yu took the phone Nanako offered him. On the screen was a text message displaying the rankings compiled from the last ten installments. Just as Lin Yu had predicted, Inuyasha, which had debuted at ninth place, had now, after ten issues of growth and exposure, truly come into its own. While it still had some ground to cover to catch up with "Action Mask" and "Magical Girl Lovely P," it had soared past numerous other manga, successfully climbing to the coveted third position.
A genuine smile spread across Lin Yu's face as he took in the results. Although he hadn't doubted Inuyasha's success, witnessing his work being so enthusiastically embraced by readers was still an incredibly gratifying experience.
Seeing Lin Yu's happiness, Nanako leaned closer, her expression radiant. "The good news doesn't stop there, you know! The editorial department has agreed to your previous proposal, Lin-kun!"
'Previous proposal?' Lin Yu's mind briefly went blank, then recognition dawned. He had indeed suggested to Yueisha Publishing that they increase the frequency of Inuyasha's serialization in Weekly Shonen. One chapter a week was a rather slow pace for a series that ultimately spanned over six hundred chapters. If his own current abilities in terms of storyboarding, plot construction, and other essential manga-making skills were already at their peak, Lin Yu would have loved to personally oversee a complete refinement of Inuyasha, extracting its core brilliance and trimming away any less effective elements.
Unfortunately, his current store of reputation points was nowhere near sufficient to elevate all those other technical aspects of manga creation to a top-tier level. Without that foundational mastery, attempting to significantly alter a classic anime like Inuyasha was a precarious undertaking, fraught with the risk of doing more harm than good. It could easily end up as a clumsy imitation of the original. Therefore, he had strategically opted for increasing the serialization frequency, which would indirectly achieve his goals. More chapters, maintaining the high quality, would naturally be beneficial for building Lin Yu's reputation points, given that this classic work was setting an exemplary standard in the industry.
"The editorial department has agreed to change every serialization to two chapters?" Lin Yu confirmed, a hint of excited anticipation in his voice.
"Mmm-hmm!" Nanako nodded emphatically, her tone brimming with enthusiasm. "The editor just told me that after carefully reviewing the results of these first ten installments, the entire editorial department is extremely optimistic about Inuyasha's future success. So, starting with the next issue of Weekly Shonen, Inuyasha will officially begin updating with two chapters a week! And next week's cover feature will also be Inuyasha! As long as the series maintains its current strong performance, there's a good chance they might even consider further increasing the frequency in the future!" Nanako finished, winking playfully at Lin Yu.
From the very beginning, when she had first discovered Lin Yu working at the sushi restaurant, up until now, a mere two to three months had passed. Yet, the achievements Lin Yu had garnered could already be described as a meteoric rise within the industry. He had firmly positioned himself at the very pinnacle of the manga world. For a newcomer manga artist to accomplish such feats, especially during the lingering economic slump following the burst of the bubble economy, was almost unbelievable. She couldn't help but wonder what a truly glorious spectacle it would have been if Lin Yu had created Inuyasha a few years earlier, during Yueisha Publishing's peak sales period when they had achieved an astounding six and a half million copies in sales.
The difference in talent between a gifted individual and an ordinary person was truly like heaven and earth.
"Trying to increase it further might not be so easy," Lin Yu said with a touch of amusement. "Otherwise, Weekly Shonen might as well become a weekly Inuyasha anthology." The current increase in serialization frequency was already a concession made due to the series' explosive popularity. According to Weekly Shonen's usual editorial plan, they aimed to maintain a lineup of around twenty serialized manga. For him to request further increases would essentially mean forcing out another artist's work. The final decisions would likely be based on the results of the ten-installment review, leading to a process of natural selection.
"Speaking of collected volumes, Lin-kun, the editorial department actually gave me another task this time," Nanako continued, her expression turning slightly more businesslike. "The editor-in-chief would like to invite you to the editorial department for an interview. And while you're there, he also wants to discuss the possibility of releasing Inuyasha in collected volumes." She explained, "After all, the amount of content you've already produced is more than enough to fill a tankobon volume, and many readers have been constantly requesting their release..."
Listening to Nanako's words, Lin Yu chuckled softly, a sense of感慨welling up within him. When he had first arrived in this world, his possessions had been meager – just eight packs of instant ramen, and even those he had to consume with careful consideration, mindful of their scarcity. Now, he was on the verge of having his work released in collected volumes.
Compared to the per-page payment for his manuscript, royalties from book sales were where the real money lay. Following Inuyasha's soaring success, the editorial department had proactively revised the contract terms Lin Yu had initially signed, and not downwards, but significantly upwards. His current payment for a single page had already reached 40,000 yen. And his royalty share had been increased from the initial seven percent to a generous ten percent. This seemingly small increase of three percent was far more significant than it appeared. In his previous life, Inuyasha's collected volumes had sold an astounding forty million copies. With each volume priced at approximately 440 yen, ten percent of forty million copies represented a truly astronomical sum. Even after deducting production costs and taxes, it would still be an income of breathtaking proportions. Compared to Lin Yu's potential earnings, even a bestselling novelist like Ohara Shijuro wouldn't seem quite as impressive. Forty million copies was a level of success that very few could ever hope to achieve.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, once the collected volumes began to be released, it would be more than enough for Lin Yu to live a life of unparalleled luxury, reaching the very pinnacle of material success.
"Since the editorial department has extended an invitation, then of course I will go," Lin Yu replied with a decisive nod. Although he had no prior experience with interviews, he recognized this as a valuable opportunity. Making a public appearance would undoubtedly be immensely beneficial for the growth of his reputation points.