ICv2 has confirmed that Tokyopop is raising the price of the yaoi titles published under its Blu imprint to $12.99 in January of 2008.  A spokesperson for Tokyopop told ICv2 that Tokyopop was making this move 'to keep up with the industry and marketplace trend.' 

A check of yaoi titles releasing in January and February indicates that Tokyopop is correct, yaoi releases from Digital Manga yaoi imprints and Aurora's Deux imprint are priced at $12.95, which appears to be, for the most part, the industry standard.  Why is yaoi more expensive than other manga genres?  While retailers who carry yaoi titles report that they do sell well, many comic shops and bookstores can't (or don't) carry yaoi titles, so the homosexual-themed yaoi titles simply don't get the distribution (and hence the sales opportunities) that other manga receive.