How to Buy SevenSeas Danmei in the U.S.

So, you want to buy some danmei?  Your first step is to figure out if the story you want to read has been officially licensed, and if so who the publisher is.  This will determine where you can buy it.

For officially licensed U.S. danmei translations, there are a small number of active novel publishers: SevenSeas, Rosmei, and Via Lactea are the most active currently.  If you’re looking for a Rosmei title, pop over to my blog post about how to order.

If the story you want to read has been licensed by SevenSeas, you’re in luck.  Their books are in mass production and can be purchased at many stores on-line and in-person.  My personal preference for purchasing from them is:

Bookshop.org

I love bookshop.org for a few reasons: first, they’re hugely supportive of local community bookstores, rather than competing with them.  They’re also a certified B-Corp, meaning that over 80% of their profit margin goes to supporting independent bookstores. And they’re climate neutral, which means they operate sustainably.

Their books do tend to cost more than Amazon, but that’s because Amazon deliberately underprices their books in order to drive other booksellers out of business.  I’m trying to do my part to limit my Amazon purchases, and pivoting to use bookshop.org for many online book purchases is part of that.

Please note: because I’ve been a lover of bookshop.org for years, I became an affiliate for this blog.  If you use the links above, I may receive a small share of the profit from your purchase.  If you don’t want me to benefit, you can select another bookstore to benefit or just type their URL into your browser directly.  Any which way you go, they’re awesome.

Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and Other Booksellers

B&N is another one of my favorite places to buy danmei, for two reasons: first, they often have danmei on shelves in-store, which means I get immediate gratification. Additionally, they’ve also sometimes worked with SevenSeas to have bonus content only available through B&N.  That’s why I have multiple copies of the last volume of TGCF…

I don’t live close to a BAM retailer, but I’ve heard they also often carry danmei in-store and provide a good online ordering experience.  If you happen to live close to them, or have other local booksellers who will carry or order this for you, please support them!

Amazon

Finally, Amazon.  Look, sometimes you have to hold your nose and use them.  Maybe it’s because you can’t afford higher prices at other stores, or you’ve found something only available there (ebook editions for me, currently).  It’s my last resort, but I haven’t completely cut them out of my life entirely.  There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but that doesn’t stop us from making better choices when we can.