Manga Magazines vs Manga Volumes

I was just catching up on reading my Shonen Jump subscription and that started me thinking. I was taking in the art of this month’s installment of Bleach and I noticed how much better it looked. Why did it look so much better?
Size Matters
Because of the page size. I hadn’t noticed it before, though I really should have, but the larger pages just look better. You can see more detail and the artwork is better able to tell the story. The Shonen Jump sized pages are the way most if these manga were intended to be published, or at least a lot closer.
I don’t have anything against the trade paperback sized manga. I read ‘em all the time. They provide a great way to follow the stories I love. I have to wonder though, why aren’t more magazine sized manga published?
Is it more expensive to publish a monthly magazine like Shonen Jump or Shojo Beat than it is to stock the shelves at Barnes & Noble with paperback volumes? If so, then why does the monthly Shonen Jump cost $5 when a paperback manga volume costs $10?
Selling Point
Is Viz losing money on monthly Shonen Jump in an effort to promote their manga paperback volumes? If so, does it work? Why wouldn’t the other companies do the same thing? I’d love to see a monthly magazine from the other publishers.
TokyoPop has been doing a lot to build their online community. They even offer free online versions of their manga. Why couldn’t they bundle a few stories in a nice thick magazine every month? They’d be promoting their TPB manga and maybe making a couple of bucks in the process.
Manga, Opinion, Magazine, Paperback, TPB, Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, Viz, Viz Media, Bleach, TokyoPop

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