Seven Seas Reconsidering Light Novels?

As many of you know, Seven Seas Entertainment began their Light Novel imprint at the beginning of 2008, after a delay from a previous release date. They began their imprint by releasing three series to sell. “Ballad of a Shinigami”, “Strawberry Panic”, and “Pita-Ten”. But after their print runs for the second volume in each series, with only one more book needed to complete two out of the three series, Seven Sea’s announced soon after that the imprint would be canceled because they weren’t being able to sustain printing costs along with the many other costs of producing light novels with the then current sales. To be blunt, it just wasn’t profitable for them to continue it, and so with great regrets they canceled all three novels, as well as the many other licensed light novels they had aquired but had yet to release.

In February 2009, a user on their forums asked “are the licensing rights of Zero’s Familiar as well as other unreleased light novels going to be dropped for other companies to release?”

The reply from Adam Arnold, the forum administrator and employee of Seven Seas was as follows…

The English-language foreign rights to the first eight Zero’s Familiar novels will be held by Seven Seas until the end of contract term. So no, we have no plans to drop the series.

However, something new has developed in the some seven odd months since then. A new user, reviving the dead old topic, wrote on September 2, “I hate to revive a dead topic…. But When does the license expire? You say you have no intent to drop the series.. but I hate to say from my stand point you have almost as much intent to do nothing with it. Forgive my sounding frustrated at the fact that I see it licensed for a release.. and then watch as nothing … ever happens.. And I am curious if it ever will at this point. My apologies if anything came off as rude.. I am merely a rather blunt individual.”

Adam Arnold shortly replied back with this.

We’re currently weighing our options.

That’s right, your eyes are not decieving you. Seven Sea’s is now “weighing their options” regarding further Light Novel publications. This appears to be a reversal from their previous statements regarding the complete cancelation of the Light Novel line. A reversal which I’m sure many fans are now eagerly on the edge of their seats about.

Now, for the reader looking at this post, keep in mind, that Mr. Arnold specifically was I believe referring to the “Zero no Tsukaima” novels. Although, it is possible he was reffering to other licensed series of theirs as well.

Either way, this new news gives us a small ray of hope for the previously considered canceled imprint, but also gives us many more questions.

Did the recent success of the Haruhi Suzumiya novels have something to do with their reconsideration? Has the economy gotten better, enough to allow them to publish Light Novels again? Perhaps their manga sales are dropping below even that of the Light Novels, or coming close, close enough that the Light Novels are an option?

Many questions, that hopefully in time, might be answered for us.

What are you thoughts on this? Leave a comment below.