One way to measure the health of an industry is whether or not you can find a job in it. It’s been a couple of years since the Los Angeles-based Tokyopop experienced a rapid decline in sales and cancelled bunches of books and let some people go amid a massive restructuring.

Now they appear to be hiring again, and good news for them, and for you, if your resume meets their qualifications. 

First up is a Manga Editorial Line Coordinator who will report to the CEO.         

You’ll assist in the “acquisition process, plan and schedule releases, make freelance assignments” and even better “keep fans apprised of new releases.”

You’ll need a Bachelor’s Degree, at least 3 years of professional experience and familiarity with the usual social media marketing techniques as well as Japanese language skills.

Is there a downside? Well oh yes. “This is a demanding position requiring significant overtime on a weekly basis.”

If you know the book market, Tokyopop wants a Book Distribution Specialist to “coordinate the trade and hobby book sales administrative process.”

You’ll be handling all the retail sales processes “to maximize sales and support distribution partners.” It’s a lot of meetings, charts and graphs, coordination among Tokyopop’s other divisions and hand-holding with the various outlets. You’ll need at least 3 years in sales administration and the all-important college degree.

This is also a “demanding opportunity requiring significant overtime on a frequent basis.”

If you don’t have faith in the bookstore business right now, maybe you want something more forward-thinking. The last Tokyopop job listing is for a Director of Digital Business who reports to the CEO.

You’ll be expected to build “a successful digital operation under the guidance of the CEO,” while leading and managing the transition from print to digital publishing “on all relevant and emerging platforms.”

In other words, you’re going to figure out how to create Tokyopop’s digital business so that when the bookstore market collapses, the company can have an infrastructure in place to make a buck or three.

This includes Tokyopop’s “brand-new social gaming and entertainment initiative,” which sounds like a fun opportunity.

You’ll need a Bachelor’s Degree for this too, and a Master’s Degree is even better. If you’ve got gaming, web-based entertainment and Manga/Anime experience and 5 years or more in digital business environments, this could be your future.

Good luck, manga job seekers!

[Artwork: Cover to Scarlet #1 from Tokyopop]