Yen Press business profile: ownership, catalog, and light novel strategy
Yen Press started as a Hachette imprint and became a Kadokawa-led joint venture in 2016. Its structure explains its access to light novels and manga.
Published: 2026-08-19. Updated: 2026-08-19.
Short answer: Yen Press, LLC is a joint venture between Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. Kadokawa holds 51 percent and Hachette Book Group holds 49 percent. The company was founded in 2006 by Kurt Hassler as an imprint of Hachette, and its catalog now exceeds 3,000 manga, light novels, original graphic novels, and Korean comics.
What Yen Press is and who owns it
Yen Press, LLC is a New York-based publisher of manga and light novels in English. It was founded in 2006 by Kurt Hassler and Rich Johnson as an imprint of Hachette Book Group. In 2016 it was spun off as a standalone joint venture.
Under the joint venture, Kadokawa acquired 51 percent through its U.S. investment company, while Hachette Book Group retained 49 percent. Sales, distribution, and office infrastructure remained with Hachette. The structure gives Yen Press access to Kadokawa's content while keeping Hachette's retail and logistics network.
Catalog and imprints
Yen Press says its catalog exceeds 3,000 titles. The company holds World English rights for most of its list. Its imprints cover different readerships and formats.
Yen On, launched in 2014, was one of the first English-language light novel imprints. JY, launched in 2017, targets middle-grade readers. Ize Press, launched in 2022, focuses on Korean content. Yen Audio, launched in 2021 in partnership with Hachette Audio, publishes audiobooks.
Yen Press corporate and imprint timeline, based on the company's about page and Publishers Weekly reporting.| Year | Milestone |
|---|
| 2006 | Yen Press founded as a Hachette Book Group imprint |
| 2014 | Yen On light novel imprint launched |
| 2016 | Kadokawa-Hachette joint venture completed |
| 2017 | JY middle-grade imprint launched |
| 2021 | Yen Audio audiobook imprint launched |
| 2022 | Ize Press Korean-content imprint launched |
Strategy and content access
The Kadokawa partnership gives Yen Press a first-and-last-look option on Kadokawa manga, though Kadokawa still licenses titles to other publishers. Yen Press also licenses from competitors: for example, it published the Goblin Slayer! light novel from SB Creative and its manga adaptation from Square Enix.
The same day Kadokawa announced the Yen Press joint venture, it also announced a strategic partnership with Crunchyroll to promote Kadokawa anime and manga. Yen Press benefits indirectly from that cross-media exposure.
Financial data gaps
Yen Press does not publish standalone revenue or profit figures. Its results are consolidated into Kadokawa's publishing segment and Hachette's financial reporting. Specific revenue, profit, or unit sales for Yen Press are therefore not publicly available.
Analysts can infer contribution from parent-company disclosures, but those segments include many other publishing operations. Any Yen Press-specific revenue number found online should be treated as an estimate unless the company confirms it.
Revenue note: Yen Press is not separately listed and does not disclose its own revenue or profit. Kadokawa and Hachette report it as part of larger publishing segments.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Yen Press?
Kadokawa Corporation owns 51 percent and Hachette Book Group owns 49 percent.
What imprints does Yen Press have?
Yen Press, Yen On, JY, Ize Press, and Yen Audio are its main imprints.
When did Kadokawa buy into Yen Press?
The joint venture was announced in April 2016 and closed in May 2016.
Does Yen Press only publish Kadokawa titles?
No. It licenses from many publishers, though it has a first-and-last-look arrangement with Kadokawa.