Shinkan

Synonyms:	shinkanbon
See also:	gomennasai bon
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A shinkan (新刊, shinkan) is a newly created doujinshi that's being published at a doujinshi convention for the very first time. A doujinshi that's sold at a convention but was already sold at previous conventions is called a "kikan" (既刊, kikan), meaning "already published". Circles tend to bring a mix of shinkan and kikan to any convention.

Many circles time their new doujinshi to be published on the day of a large convention. This is why relatively many doujinshi seem to have a publication date that falls in August or December: their publication was made to coincide with Comiket. Smaller conventions tend to have a lower "shinkan rate" (新刊率, shinkanritsu) than large conventions such as Comiket or Comic City.

When a circle announces they will sell a shinkan at a convention but then fail to complete the promised doujinshi on time, they may distribute a free or nearly-free "apology book" (ごめんなさい本, gomennasai bon) as a form of compensation to their loyal readers, who may have come to the convention specifically to get their hands on shinkan from their favorite circles.