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Tankoubon
| Synonyms: | manga collection, graphic novel, trade paperback |
| See also: | manga |
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単行本 (tankoubon, lit. "single book") is the Japanese term for a single standalone book, and in manga, for a volume of manga. Most manga in Japan are published chapter by chapter in large-format serial magazines such as Weekly Shounen Jump, along with dozens of other series. The most popular shounen serials are weekly; others are monthly or quarterly. When enough chapters are published for a single series, they are then collected into smaller-format tankoubon.
Some fans follow a series in the weekly or monthly publication on the magazine, and other fans follow it in the tankoubon publication with a delay.
While American manga volumes tend to be on the pricey side for paperbacks ($8-$15 USD) regular-sized Japanese tankoubon sell new for about 300-600 yen (aprox. $3-$6 USD), and are available in many used bookstores in Japan for as little as 100 yen (aprox. $1 USD). And some Japanese fans don't bother buying them at all, instead standing and reading them in used bookstores.
Some English-speaking fans use "tankoubon" instead of "volume", sometimes shortened to "tank."
Written works
The same terminology applies to non-manga works like novel and nonfiction, although the publishing practices, and actual book forms as a result, differ a little bit between genres.
A novelist may not opt for serial publication in a magazine and publish a book or a series of books of their own. A mangaka does the same much less commonly.
Tankoubon may be compared against bunkobon. Bunkobon are smaller in print size and tend to be cheaper than tankoubon. A tankoubon in a high price range may be bound as a hard cover.