About Lumicpress

Who We Are: LumicPress - Kid-Friendly Manga for Young Readers

LumicPress is an author-owned publishing press born out of a passion for bringing anime and manga to young readers. We observed an obvious gap in the market: manga continues to captivate youth and adults alike, yet there was a scarcity of US-published comics for children that resemble manga in art style and storytelling form.

Regardless of age, readers want to be entertained and transported into captivating worlds. A well-loved story shouldn’t just be about relatability; it’s also about immersion into the lives, emotions, and adventures of the characters. It’s the love of the characters that oftentimes keep us turning page after page, eager to find out what comes next. This is why LumicPress hopes to cultivate more manga-style books that involve long form, multi-volume stories where readers can spend more time with the characters over the course of multiple releases.

Manga-styled Books and Bridging the Literacy Gap

While the sales of mid-grade and young adult comics have seen an upswing in the past five years, childhood literacy rates in the USA have been on a steady decline. Here at LumicPress, we aim to publish illustrated chapter books and comics that can resonate with the reluctant young readers of today’s youth that adore anime and manga. We create illustrated novels that push the boundaries of what a hybrid novel/comic can do for the reading experience, which is something that no other publisher is doing right now. We sincerely believe that more passionately created stories can get more kids reading, learning, and using their imaginations.

A Solution for Parents

As a parent, you may have found yourself navigating the internet, searching for anime or manga titles to determine their appropriateness for your child. You may have also noticed that your child prefers comics over traditional chapter books. At LumicPress, we understand your concerns, and we’re here to help.

We specialize in publishing illustrated chapter books that cater to reluctant young readers. Additionally, we produce comics that capture the spirit of manga, ensuring that your child’s reading experience is not only enjoyable, but also enriching. With LumicPress, you can finally find that balance between your child’s love for comics and the need for engaging, age-appropriate novels.

A Solution For Artists and Creators

I created LumicPress back in 2023 because I truly believed we needed more manga-styled, original English comics and books for young readers.

When I discovered that kids right now enjoy manga and anime just as much as I did when I was a child, I realized we needed a manga style comic publisher that focuses on all ages comics! As a long-time comic artist myself, I was a bit wary to venture into children’s publishing, but my passion and excitement grew the more I realized how much of a benefit this kind of publishing press could be. So, I took a gamble and decided to start small and see where it would go.

Aside from bringing more books to readers, I also wanted to create the foundation that is much needed in the industry. I wanted LumicPress to be a press that publishes artist’s stories, and there aren’t many publishers that are specifically focused on publishing original manga-styled projects in the West.

I wanted LumicPress to be a resource that facilitates learning materials that aspiring manga artists and creatives can use as resources and grow their skills. If our books inspire the youth, then I believe we should publish resources on how to draw and be creative!

I hope that in the future, LumicPress can grow to be a place of opportunity for many artists, and the starting point for some great stories who will inspire, entertain, and resonate with the children of our next generation.