[...] came across another mention of my name from a while ago of which I was previously unaware. It seems a comment I made at the Comics Worth Reading blog was picked up by the author of the SLG LiveJournal: “As much as people complain about [...]

[...] August, I covered Transfuzion Publishing’s first announcement, in which they declared their intention to avoid Diamond Distribution and sell direct to [...]

How could this method be used to attract people to new titles?

I know it’s rather late but I’d like to respond to a few things before I comment overall.

Johanna said…”That’s kind of nebulous, especially that last part about “other avenues”. I’m not clear on what makes this effort different from any webcomic creator releasing collections through Lulu.com.

Fair enough in questioning that. But we’re not relying on simply listing on Lulu and driving customers there from our websites. We plan to promote to libraries and I have done a number of library visits and talks to get a good idea what goes on there and I have a good presence in many of them (mainly for the Penguin graphic novel adaptations). I’ve done book trade shows and while I don’t believe the “book market” is the panacea that so many others do (I’ve dealt with them many times…the returns can eat you alive), it can be a useful avenue. The major focus will be promoting the “genre” aspect of the different titles. For example, Jack the Ripper and Red Diaries to sites, stores, and other parties interested in mystery and crime. That’s a simple example and undoubtedly, will have to expend energy and creativity in developing those areas. But the comic shops are already a special interest avenue…and that’s superheroes. Sure, there are exceptions but you can never plan on being an exception.

Also, by other avenues, it means digital distribution in the many differnt ways developing and exploitation, of course.

Johanna said…”but I’m confused why Reed thinks that books sold directly don’t need just as much (or even more) promotion. Simply getting listed on Amazon won’t magically bring sales.”

Of course, we know that. But spending money in the direct market seems to be a total waste. Not promoting in one market doesn’t negate promoting in another.

Since this was announced, we are now being offered by Diamond (February releases) but Wesley summed it up perfectly…Diamond is part of the equation and not the answer. I have no animosity about the whole situation…it’s just the way it is.

Dan’s right about Tales from the Heart. It would make a wonderful collection and if ever came to pass, I think it should be a Slave Labor book as they’re the ones that took the initial chance on unknown creators and an untypical storyline.

And Dan is also right (he’s right a lot)about the polarization of the market nowadays. So, Dan if you do get some print on demand equiptment, I know a publisher who might give you some business…

To Jed…I think most of the publishers interested in the different avenues could give a shit about market share. Marvel and DC have to please stockholders, they’re trapped in the same corporate grab all public companies have to do…not just survive but grow or else heads will roll.

I was never a big believer in “sales”—to me, the profit was always more important. A lot of times, that’s two different games being played in the same market.

I discuss things a bit more in my blog which is at http://reedgary.blogspot.com/

Thanks Johanna.

[...] heartening to discover that other publishers are adopting the Barklage Comic Distribution Plan, bypassing the direct market and other mainstream distribution outlets in favor of website and [...]

[...] SLG Publisher Dan Vado [...]

These new systems sound fantastic, but until we are able to make a claim to legitimacy the indy publisher is all but shut out of market share dollars.

What I see here is that people will go for older titles they’ve been dying to see … what will draw them to new titles?

Jed Walls

[...] “Things have gotten to the point where I am researching buying our own print-on-demand equipment to keep some of our stuff out there and to develop new creators.” – SLG Publishing founder Dan Vado [...]

It’s been disappointing as a fan and a creator to see over the last 10 years the market recover from the dire 90s but yet the wealth and breadth of material available doesn’t seem to find it’s way onto shelves at any of my local stores which were much more supportive of indy comics 10-15 years ago than they seem to be today because they are ordering so much Marvel and DC they don’t have any money left over to order stuff from the non-exclusives (and let’s face it the exclusivity doesn’t help since retailers realize they’ll make more money selling another copy of Justice League than they would an issue of Optic Nerve).

It’s amazing to me that I could find a lot more Slave Labor comics at my local shops 10 years ago when their quality and output wasn’t near what it is today (outside one or two books perhaps) and yet the industry seems to shove them aside. DM shops are a closed circle which is cannibalizing itself while people applaud at how much DC and especially Marvel are eating- paying no attention to how little of the corpse is left!

Meanwhile Slave Labor and other publishers threaten to actually increase the audience for comics but the system is trying to squeeze them out- in the end it may be a good thing when SL and other publishers find a way around the Diamond choke hold but like all such transitions it will surely leave some in the dust and it doesn’t have to happen but that would require people thinking of the long-term health of the industry instead of their next quarter profits and continuing their monopolies.

And I mean that as more than just “Dan Vado is going to spend a lot of money on the industry so I don’t have to.” This excites me more than ll the universes, gladitorial events, television licenses, and celebrity authors put together, and turned to 11.

You go, Dan!

To comment on the direct-to-consumer initiative, all I can say is I understand the motivation. Honestly, on our nearly 22 years of publishing I have never felt a greater sense of disconnect from the direct market than I feel right now. I don’t think I am alone in that feeling. Yet, the audience is out there based on our web sales and our sales at conventions.

Things have gotten to the point where I am researching buying our own print-on-demand equipment to keep some of our stuff out there and to develop new creators.

Wesley Craig Green, publisher
Ambrosia Publishing