Media Do

EBOOK DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS

The Company has a track record of transactions with over 2,200 publishers and more than 150 eBook retailers, supporting the distribution of eBooks as the largest eBook distributor in Japan. We are responsible for the registration and centralized management of content and bibliographic information received from publishers, as well as the development and provision of the core system for eBook distribution to eBook retailers, campaign management, and sales distribution.In this way, we contribute to the facilitation of operational tasks that have become complicated due to the diversification of service formats and the reduction of distribution inefficiencies. We also develop and provide systems for the electronic comics service “MANGA SAISON” (operated by Credit Saison Co., Ltd.)

Provided Solutions

  • Intermediating contracts between publishers and eBook retailers: Centralized management of contracts and other procedures and enhancement of content lineups in eBook retailers

  • Developing and operating of core system for eBook distribution: Providing core system for eBook distribution and viewer solutions to publishers and eBook trailers

  • Sales distribution to publishers and Authors: Aggregation of monthly sales data in eBook retailers

  • Managing of various campaigns: Centralized management of various promotions such as discounts and free promotions coordinated with publishers and eBook retailers

MEDIA DO's Operating Environment

Japan's eBook Market Forecast

The size of Japan's eBook market has continued to grow by double digits since the early 2010s, when the market shifted its focus from feature phones to smartphones. In recent years, the market is expected to maintain its expansion trend, although it has entered a period of maturity due to the widespread penetration of eBooks, including electronic comics, into people's lives, accelerated by the special demand associated with people staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The vertical scroll comics market continues to grow rapidly, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, including South Korea and China. Additionally, the digitization rate of “non-graphic books” such as literary and practical books has reached 30-40% in the U.S. and Chinese publishing markets, while in Japan it is about 7%. These circumstances may contribute to the growth of Japan's eBook market in the future.

Domestic e-book market size forecast and growth rate

* Source: eBook Marketing Report 2023, Impress Research Institute

The necessity of eBook distribution

Unlike paper books, eBooks do not require large-scale distribution warehouses or delivery, but the following characteristics make their operation more complicated, making distributors indispensable.

In addition to major publishers, the number of industry players in Japan is large, including small and medium-sized publishers, making it difficult for publishers and eBook retailers to take charge of eBook distribution on their own.
Therefore, the importance of distributors is higher in Japan than in the U.S. publishing market, where major publishers have a larger share of the market.

Paper books eBooks
Distribution of royalties Only at the time of first publication
or additional printings		 Monthly occurrence indefinitely
(due to unlimited copies)
Sales Price Cannot be discounted
(resale price maintenance system)		 Discountable
(freely adjustable)
Sales format Unit sales
(selling by volume)		 Also possible to distribute by episode

OUR BUSINESS