801 Media Inc. is looking for book reviewers!!
Got a blog or website dedicated to yaoi or manga in general? 801 Media Inc. has a couple of open slots on our advanced copy mailing list. The rules are simple:
1. You have to enjoy reading yaoi! (No haters please. It is just a waste of your time and ours.)
2. You must live in the United States or Canada. (International shipping is killer!)
3. You must have a website, podcast or blog that is updated regularly. (We are talking like once a week, not when the mood strikes you.)
4. You must be willing to write honest and constructive reviews. (We don’t expect you to like every book we publish, but… things like “I don’t like 801 Media Inc. books because they are too explicit” or “Yaoi is gross, why do people read this!” aren’t exactly constructive criticisms…)
5. You have to email us a link (or at least try to) when you post a review of our books. (We try to read everyone’s site daily, but… Kampai is a slave driver!!! >_< Do this 801-chan! Do that 801-chan!)
6. You have to be 18 years old. (You might be a very mature 17, but 801-chan doesn’t look good in stripes and would rather be publishing yaoi than spending time in the slammer.)
If you are interested, post a link to your site in the comments section! We will check out your site and get back to you!
Thanks!
801-chan ^ ^
March 14th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I don’t think I can write reviews…but can I get on that advanced copy mailing list anyway….? ^_^
March 14th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I’m definately interested! I update my site quite regularly with reviews as well as write reviews for a few other websites. You’ve read some of mine over at Manganews.net. Hopefully my site’s current review selection of yaois should speak at least a little for my love of the genre
March 16th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Well, I can’t do it ’cause I don’t want to pay for bandwidth and I don’t know the first thing about running a website. While I can’t get every 801 Media book anyway, I’ll always save my money for those titles I find interesting like, PRIME MINISTER, FOREIGN LOVE AFFAIR, WEEKEND LOVERS, MEETING YOU, and BLACK SUN. I can’t wait for what 801 Media brings in 2009 when there’ll be so much yaoi in the market. Keep publishing but don’t get any donut crumbs on the books!
March 16th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I can’t have Julie do all the heavy work. Maybe Jack and I can do a podcast or two on 801 titles… Hmmm boy on boy reviews of boys love…. SCARY!
March 17th, 2008 at 5:53 am
I do a column every tuesday for “Comics Should Be Good” called “Manga Before Flowers”. This is a U.S. comics blog but I cover manga and do enjoy yaoi. If interested you can drop me a line at oldviolin7 at aol dot com.
March 17th, 2008 at 6:15 am
You can take a look at the website. Unfortunately last week was a week long break, but before that you can see that we have consistently hit 4-5 reviews a week (except during cons and the like) for over a year now.
Check the left hand side for review indexes for yaoi. Most of the yaoi reviews are done by my partner, Miranda.
March 17th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I have a reviewer who greatly enjoys yaoi. She lives in Canada. Our website mangalife.com is updated every week. If you would consider sending review copies, I know that the reviewer I have in mind would keep you posted whenever she does a review of your works… I hope to hear from you.
–Dr. P. Cooper
Editor-in-Chief, www.mangalife.com
March 17th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Wow! Thanks for all the great responses! I will hopefully start emailing you all today.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Yey! Go 801-chan! You’re getting reviewers left and right! Good luck on your quest.
Oliver amuses me.
darkheart510 and I still plan on raiding the warehouse of manly pr0n. We won’t tell when. ^_^
March 17th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I would love to be considered. I’m a librarian who reviews for print journals: Booklist (www.booklist.com), VOYA (www.voya.com), ICv2’s Guide (www.icv2.com) and websites: No Flying No Tights (www.noflyingnotights.com) and Manganews (www.manganews.net). Additionally I have two blogs: The Only True Magic (myreadingproject.blogspot.com), where I review teen literature, manga, anime, and talk about reading and libraries in general, and Fujoshi Librarian (snowcleo.livejournal.com), where I review yaoi and talk about m/m romance fandom. It is a newer site, so I haven’t yet built up the traffic that I’m aiming for. I have recently gotten a boost however as TokyoPop is linking to both of my blogs for their library newsletter (whether or not I’m writing about TokyoPop titles). I live to review books, as you can see, and I am a rabid yaoi addict. (Though I feel obligated to give props to my fellow Manganews reviewer, Kuri, who is also a very talented reviewer.)
March 17th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Yeah, yeah, I want to hear Ed and Jack talk about yaoi! Maybe the two of them can act out scenes from some 801 releases! OMG! That would be awesome! Can I help direct?? Please??
March 17th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
@Julie
What I really want to know is… If Ed and Jack act out the books, which one is the uke and which one is the seme? O.o And would we get cheesy background music for the scene?
@aoi_aka
Well, you have to give us a heads up on when you are coming so we will actually be here or at least accidentally leave the door unlocked.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:47 am
@801-chan - A game of rock-paper-scissors could quickly answer that question! Cheesy music? A trip to the bargain bin at the local used CD store should provide something we can work with. Think they’ll go for it?
March 18th, 2008 at 10:47 am
@Julie
How could they refuse such an offer? How many books do you think it would take?
March 18th, 2008 at 11:37 am
@801-chan: Of course! We’d accidentally leak the information out. But on a more serious note (after reading Kampai’s post on the forum about sending proofs to Japan), I would love to get more details about the publishing in and outs. I’m not a serious writer and have no formal training but just writing from a fan’s point of view on the process. Oh to have money and get a chance to do something like that. XD
@Snow Wildsmith: I work for a high school’s library that is subscribed to both Booklist and Voya. The boss lady browses those looking for books to buy. So far we only have one volume of Rin and La Esperanca each. The boss doesn’t buy a lot of manga but she’ll buy graphic novels (not even your regular Superman and Spider-man) that I’ve never heard of but she’ll base the decision on those magazines. I’ll have to look you up in there and I’ll visit your Fujoshi LJ later today.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
@801-chan - I would hate to give the impression that they are cheap, but maybe 3 or 4 so as to not overwhelm them? Something really steamy, like The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy. Think of the possibilities! I get tingly just thinking about it. It could very well be their most popular podcast!
March 18th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
@Julie
Ooooh! I like that idea. Maybe Secret Diplomacy, Sensitive Pornograph, My Paranoid Next Door Neighbor and Love is Like a Hurricane? They could do an entire podcast dedicated to the steamier side of yaoi. >_< And between those 4 books, they have the majority of the genre covered. You got naked “bunnies” in the closet, school aged boys, salarymen and nipple fetishes. It is perfect!!!
March 18th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
@801-chan - Yeah!! Let me know what they say when you ask them to do it. lol! Oh, I didn’t suggest it
March 18th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
And to make the podcast steamier.. the guys could read a page or two from one of the yaois… ROFL
O_o
March 19th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Ahh!!! I am most likely too late… sigh. Would definitely be willing to post more regularly if free manga was my incentive…
I was also curious: Will you be posting the reviews on your site?
March 19th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Nope, not too late. Like I ever do anything in a timely manner!
As for reviews, we usually do a blurb on the blog about them and link to the original post… when we find them that is!
March 19th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
@aoi-aka: Yay! A library person! Almost every library I know uses at least Booklist. That’s why I was soooo excited when they finally asked me to review for them. My first reviews should be coming out soon. Does your library have Only the Ring Finger Knows? That’s a nice 16+ title that a lot of libraries seem to have. I’m reviewing From Up Above for Manganews.net and I can give you a hint that I’d recommend that one also.
(Ack, sorry! I’m taking up space recommending stuff! It’s a compulsion, really it is. This is why my husband won’t go to the bookstore with me.)
@801_chan: Even if you don’t pick us to be on the review copy list, would you still like us to let you know if we post a review of an 801 title on our sites?
March 19th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
@Snow
Yup! If you all send me links to reviews that you post on 801 books, I will post them on the blog!!! I try to search around the net every morning and look for reviews. But I can’t catch them all. *sniff* There are too many blogs out there!!!!
@aoi_aka
More good books for libraries are Antique Bakery (not yaoi but close enough), Desire (it won some YALSA award), Fake (but maybe not volume 7!) and La Esperanca (7 volumes and all they do is kiss!).
@everyone
I think this is the most comments we have ever had on a blog post! Yay!
March 19th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Antique Bakery and Desire both won YALSA (that’s the Young Adult Library Services Association) awards! Antique Bakery was on the 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list and Desire was on one of the 2008 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults lists. PPYA (as we fondly call it) puts together four lists every year, each with a different theme. Desire was on the list called “Sex is…” If you’d like more information go to: www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I just started up my review site and would love the opportunity to review 801 Media titles. I haven’t posted reviews yet but will be doing so within the next few days. Check back regularly, and if I fit your style it would be an honor for me to work with you all!
verygorgeous
April 9th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I’ve been lax with writing reviews on livejournal, but I’d be happy to start up again. I also publish reviews in the magazine I run, BENT Magazine, (http://www.bent-magazine.com) which releases quarterly (next issue due out April 20) and I will be publishing reviews on another site I’m currently building, The Manga List (http://www.gryvon.com/mangalist). I am a US resident, over 18, and a large fan of yaoi!
April 9th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Man, I love yaoi and I am a book and manga reviewer. Unfortunately, the site I review for, bookloons.com, is family-oriented, and since a lot of younger teens check out the reviews, it does not feature any kind of erotica (which includes hardcore yaoi). If anyone has an opening for a yaoi reviewer, I would love to do it.
April 12th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Would be interested in reviewing - I LOVE Yaoi and have collected over 300+ books in less than two years. I have created my site to dedicate it to yaoi because I wanted to share my thoughts about the different mangas I’ve come to love. Actually, even the one’s that are so-so. (I’m actually a romance writer and have several books publised, but this is my other obession!).