Fact: Japan is known for its exqusite tastes in SF, fantasy and horror, both in literature and cinema.
Hypothesis: We have a fantasy book written in English which goes along just fine with the Asian interest in action heros, epic visuals and fantasy creatures.Let's say we have an anime in words.
Question: what to do to penetrate the Asian literary market? How should we do it, and who do we have to talk to?
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I would call anime in words, manga. I believe these little graphic novels are so hot in Japan and the US because they're nearly instant gratification in words. A whole manga can be read/viewed during a commute or a wait in the doctor's office. They're addicting because epic storylines are presented but, each manga can stand alone, There's a beginning, middle and end, yet the characters and plot continue to develop.
Like in any genre there is an art to this type of writing. Tragedy, comic relief, and innuendo are important, as are facts, honorifics, and hardest for western writers are the trends and cultural differences. , Things like, the maid craze or a little girl refusing to wear underwear and flashing everyone as she fights bad guys may shock westerners, or leave us thinking why was that necessary, especially in manga aimed for younger audiences.
If you want to tap Japan's fantasy market you'll need to do a lot of reading and studying their culture.
Thank you guys! I'll think about what you said. Lot of work, indeed!
My hunch is that you first need to understand what they want. Only when they have something we want does it work here.