Comments on: How to Be a Manga Publisher

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:05:20 +0000

Tiamat, we disagree on the impact distributors and stores have. In the US comic market, the impact isn’t small, it’s huge. By their choices, they can determine what gets published.

By: Nat Gertler

Nat Gertler — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:29:53 +0000

“If your publishing volume 5 of a series, and volumes 1-4 are out of print, that alone should tell you you need to order a new run.”

Not necessarily, no. Getting a book back to press can be fairly costly, and doesn’t have the quick return of initial orders that printing a new volume has. If reprinting 1-4 will get you 2000 additional customers for those volumes and for 5-6, then yes, it makes business sense. If it will generate 100 additional customers, then no, it doesn’t. You settle for only getting the existing customer base from 1-4 for 5 and 6.

By: Nat Gertler

Nat Gertler — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:10:06 +0000

Yes, they’ve been caught not living up to that policy. I’m just saying that I’m not sure where Erica’s getting that they don’t reuse bookstore returns in the bookstore market (as opposed to reusing them in the DM, which was your counterexample.)

By: Tiamat's Disciple

Tiamat's Disciple — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:02:30 +0000

Johanna you misubderstood my post. What i was saying is that if your publishing a series, and it’s current, you have to ensure that there are at least some copies of the previous volumes available.

I’m not demanding that titles be kept in print regardless of profitability, i’m asking that publishers show at least a small bit of business sense.

If your publishing volume 5 of a series, and volumes 1-4 are out of print, that alone should tell you you need to order a new run. How many you order is based on business sense, you lok at how fast they sold, what the uptake was over the previous releases, the market at the moment and so on.

And yes, distributors and shops only have a small impact. I’m not and never said they don’t have none, i said small. And i’m talking from experience as someone who has worked in book shops.

All i’m asking is that publishers use the brains they’re born with and work with the fans. Rather than just publishing a title and washing their hands of it. It’s not asking a lot now is it??

By: Johanna

Johanna — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:41:01 +0000

Since Diamond has been caught sending bookstore returns to stores in the direct market, then they’re not living up to their own policy.

By: Nat Gertler

Nat Gertler — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:34:57 +0000

Actually, not reselling bookstore returns to other bookstores isn’t even the way that it should be done. It’s a standard of the bookstore business that bookstores are only supposed to return books that are suitable for reselling. Of course, it’s a standard that’s often been violated by bookstores that felt they can push it. On the other hand, many returns had never reached shelves in the first place; they may never have left the wholesaler for a retail location.

Diamond’s stated policy was that they wouldn’t reuse bookstore returns in the direct market; I don’t know that they’ve ever said that they wouldn’t reuse bookstore returns in the bookstore market.