A chance to participate in FCBD is hard to resist. Will retailers remember the antho when a webcomic’s print books are ready for distribution, which could be months away? That was my hope, but: Will they remember it negatively? I think this might be a problem.

If there were webcomic books for retailers to sell, then I would have no problem with a free sampler. But I don’t believe that’s true of most of the contents of the anthologies, is it?

I suggested a compilation of titles in the pipeline to the Graphix editors numerous times last year; hopefully they will do something for 2008!

On another note, it may be a few more seasons before we can truly measure the impact of free online comics on sales of those same titles or sequels to those titles in stores. I’ll stay hopeful–just can’t help myself.

I’ll continue to disagree with your reasoning. My personal intention for putting out an FCBD comic is for the mutual benefits I outlined above–and that includes the belief that eventually offering a store a product people will purchase is a mutual benefit, not merely a mercenary one, but that’s how my mind skews. Of course I can’t prevent someone from having the philosophy that the benefit is only one-sided, and that offering webcomics samplers is not an attraction for increased traffic and for bringing in new readers unfamiliar with print comics. As a side note, I had no control over nor knowledge of the cost for the ComicGenesis book, but gave it a go by including my comic. Perhaps in future years ComicGenesis can find a way to be cost-effective and find a way to speak to retailers’ concerns.

Also, of course, I will continue to believe that the inclusion of webcomics in the general comics industry dialogue is a benefit to all facets of the industry (publishing, retail, online). In some discussions, yes, webcomics have the unfortunate reputation of being leeches. It would be lovely to receive reviews from the greater market on the merits of individual offerings rather than to be dismissed as a group with no worth to the publishers or the retailers. I do see a rising tide amongst more felixible publishers in support of the (relatively new) online world and its legitimacy as a way to increase sales across the board by growing new readers/customers. We’ll see over time how the trends trend.

Shops do indeed pay more than a nominal amount for these books (although less than they pay for for-sale issues). The ComicGenesis book cost retailers 39 cents a copy (plus shipping), which means they’re charging more than the Sonic The Hedgehog book and the Spider-Man book combined, or more than three times when retailers pay for the Legion book.

And that the thought that they would be forced to include these books that aren’t designed for their benefit in order to compete on selection of giveaways just builds the depiction as leeching items rather than something that builds FCBD as a whole.

The goal is mutual benefit… which is not the goal of the webcomics samplers.

I disagree, for the reasons given in my post above. Things that draw people into stores–including people who might never have gone into a store, or people who only read webcomics and would like to start trying print comics–offer mutual benefits for everyone, retailers, publishers, and creators alike. Particularly for web publishers who will be moving into print (i.e., producing things retailers can sell, offering a commodity that draws in a segment of readership who can then discover other types of comics once they’re in the shop).

I say this while not knowing whether it is more than a nominal fee for retailers to stock these FCBD comics, but my thoughts were that retailers should consider this not only as advertising for the FCBD producers but as advertising for their stores as well: “Such-and-such store will have the biggest varieties of goodies to give away on FCBD, so go there instead of that-other-store.”

The creators represented in the samplers had no control over the paper stock (I did ask what would be used and never received an answer). Some of us are, yes, using the day for advertising, just like, oh, everyone else producing a comic for FCBD. And some of us also produce printed minicomics or graphic novels (on real nice paper) and would like comic shops to recognise us when we tiptoe timidly to them to peddle our itty bitty wares.

I’m of the opinion that webcomics and free versions of both out-of-print and new-to-print comics on the web support retail sales. Evidence (anecdotal) indicates this is in fact this case. Rising tide, all boats, that sort of thing. It’s certainly how I plan to market titles in future.

I will readily admit to feeling occasional pangs of, “But if I want to write for girls, maybe my comic shouldn’t have quite so many boys….”