BIG NEWS! + FumettoPolis!

So yeah, I have been waaaay too busy to blog. Sorry about that. But here's a report of all the amazing things that have happened in my career these past weeks, including what will happen this week end!

Let's start with the big news:

BIG NEWS No.1: I just signed a deal for Sword Princess Amaltea to be published by Zanir in the Czech Republic! As my Swedish publisher don't have the International rights to the manga, I have to do these deals on my own. This deal came to me as the publisher was looking for European mangas to publish. (Yes, I will deliver these great news in installments as things are signed, more to come!) #swedishmanga #mangaka #publishingdeal #contract #swordprincessamaltea #newrelease

A post shared by Natalia Batista, mangaka (@nataliasmanga) on Jun 5, 2017 at 5:03am PDT

BIG NEWS No.2: I just signed a deal for Sword Princess Amaltea to be published by Kasaobake in Italy! Another deal that was finally finalized. It begun back in October of 2016 when I visited Lucca Comics, and it is so nice to finally have it signed and done! The three books will be printed at the same time and released at FumettoPolis in Novara in September — and I will be there of course! More Big News to come! #swedishmanga #publisher #italy #kasaobake #fumetti #mangaitaliano #mangaka #漫画家 #漫画

A post shared by Natalia Batista, mangaka (@nataliasmanga) on Aug 1, 2017 at 10:12am PDT

Right now, my American publisher PDP is doing a Kickstarter campaign to bring Mjau! to the US market! Including focusing on libraries, which is my passion. To get the books to as many readers as possible, I believe in the democratic power of libraries. If you wish to get your hands on this book (my American debut!!) and help us out, go to Kickstarter and search for "Mjau!". #mjaumanga #swedishmanga #mangaka #kickstarter #crowdfunding #campaign #mangabook #libraries #library #mangaka #childrenscomics #kidscomics #cats #catsofinstagram #kitten #cutecat #kawaii #kawaiiart

A post shared by Natalia Batista, mangaka (@nataliasmanga) on Sep 7, 2017 at 8:44am PDT

My mangas are reaching out into the world! I've signed Sword Princess Amaltea with Kasaobake in Italy and Zanir in the Czech Republic, and am right now crowdfunding Mjau! with my American publisher Phoenix Dreams Publishing. AMAZING!!

To check off so many publishing deals this year is even making me feel motion sickness, haha. No, just kidding, I'm super happy! I have been working hard for these deals, and will work even harder to make then fruitfull. I'm planing trips to all these countries to promote my books. Signing the publishing deals is just the beginning...!

The first trip is already this week end! Thanks to my dear friend Daniele Rudoni who is a professional Italian comic artist, comics teacher and organizer of the event FumettoPolis in Novara, close to Milan. I am invited to FumettoPolis, together with four other amazing European manga creators:

Marika Herzog from Germany, the creator of CHASM and Demon Lord Camio.

Maaria Laurinen from Finland, the creator of Phantomland.

Fillis and Rafael from Mangatellers from Greece, the creators of RUN and Wi Fi Wars.


An amazing representation for European Manga, don't you agree? I am so glad to be part of this gang of talented manga creators, and as I know all of them personally I can ensure they are all great people too! It will be fun meeting them again in person this week end! ❤

Organized by Daniele and two manga publishers in Italy, Kasaobake and Mangasenpai, one work each by us guests is also being published in this beautiful collection, with cover art by Maaria and Marika:

It's really inconceivable to think that all these great mangas are made here, in Europe. I remember about 10-15 years ago, when people said "you're not making real manga, you are not as good as the Japanese artists". That's as far from reality right now as physically possible. The non-Japanese manga artists I know are so friggin talented and experienced right now, it's impossible to call them other than professional. And there's mostly the smaller and newer publishers that seem to be the only ones recognizing this...

Oh, and this:

☆☆☆ Volume 1 of Sword Princess Amaltea, in Italian!! ☆☆☆

I am so amazed!! Can't wait to hold it in my hands! I'll have to make a longer blogpost later about this Italian journey for Amaltea, because it startet way back in 2014, or even earlier, when I got published in Doraetos Manga. To reach this point, with the series being in print i one of the biggest comics nations in the world... it's incredible!

At the event, I will participate in the following:

Selling the Comic2Bite anthology and other works at the International Booth at FumettoPolis.

Singing Sword Princess Amaltea at Kasaobake's booth.

Saturday 11:30: Panel about Sword Princess Amaltea on stage, with me and my publisher Kasaobake.

Saturday 15:00: Live drawing on a Cintiq in the Performance Area.

Sunday 16:00: Panel about Comic2Bite with all  the invited guests.


If any of you readers are coming, please stop by and say hi, and get yourself a copy of my mangas!

☺