[...] be too greedy. All comics should be suitable for all ages, so no fear there. Not all publishers are allowed to participate, especially if they do [...]

[...] A couple of notes following up on my failed attempt to get more information about how Free Comic Book Day works. [...]

[...] I’m really glad that Johanna Draper-Carlson put the leg-work in to try and peel away some of t…. I’ve never understood the lack of transparency or accountability that surrounds this event, [...]

That’s something we’ve considered, yes.

[...] Spurred on by the rejection of Keenspot’s submissions, Johanna Draper Carlson tries to get to the bottom of how decisions concerning Free Comic Book Day are made — and who [...]

Our Free Comic Book provides us with a great promotional tool for our books, which are sold in comic book shops, through Diamond, and traditional book stores. We also overprint and give them to elementary, junior and high schools across the country and at the comic book conventions we attend each year.

If anything, I think we get scrutinized more by Diamond, since we’re not a traditional comic book publisher. Our content has to be good in order to attract the attention of retailers who buy the comics in the first place. They must like what they saw this year, because our orders were up over 33% from the previous year.

So, yeah, we’re excited about that.

Alison: Yes, very much so. The retailer sets the tone for the store year-round and the event.

Craig: I’m very sorry to hear that. I think that the event ends up being aimed more to big-name properties (superheroes, Disney, etc.) and much more difficult for the non-monthly, non-franchise books.

Prior to FCBD, Wahoo Morris Book 1 was being carried by 111 stores. My goal was to raise awareness and get into new stores.

695 stores ordered a total of 11000 copies of the FCBD, but my post FCBD sales were 29 stores ordering a total of 32 copies.

The FCBD book I published may have helped the stores already carrying the book sell through their stock, but considering that stock is an average of 1.5 copies with an average .3 reorder after FCBD, I have to say that for me the promotion was a flop.

Can’t say that I won’t do it again someday, but I took a chance by matching the price of the lowest Silver Level books investing more than I was comfortable spending in the hopes of a payoff. It was an expensive experiment for me.

Bill W: No.

Adam: Not quite. FCBD is to promote comic book STORES in particular. Which, yeah, does sometimes result in conflicts.

Bill D: Common assumption, and I think you’re probably right.

… I don’t think anything sleezy is going on, just that the different horses are trying to pull in different directions at the same time.

Yes.

“Does it attract new customers,”

Absolutely.

“or just existing customers who want special edition comics of titles they’re already interested in?”

I guess a few. Maybe one in thirty at our shop last year.

“Does it turn into sales for the participating publishers,”

Oh yes.

“or for participating retailers?”

Very much so.