[...] ideas to them,too. But… Say Diamond implodes in the next few years, what hurdles are there in comics going direct from publisher to reader? And what other options are there for distributing your comic? Or finding a way to profit from the [...]

Thanks. I do understand that there is a difference between a small press and a ‘vanity’ press (ie, self-publishing). I guess, in comics, we have a tendency to run all the non-DC/Marvel together under one roof.

And I am willing to support self-published works. I ordered volume two of Ed Piskor’s Wizzywig just this week. But I do fear that this new policy will prove an insurmountable obstacle for many.

I tend to have very pleasant experiences in all my transactions, and in the age of Amazon and e-bay it’s hard to imagine why would the average comic reader be any different than the average book reader, or film viewer, or game player or whatever, and fear the e-commerce incertainties that don’t seem to stop any other business to thrive there.

Having said this, of course that loosing a major part of the sales venue will seriously hurt the more comic book store dependent publishers, as forcing their public to change buying habits might be hard. But it’s been many years now since the alternative / independent comic book is dying, and being replaced by the alternative / independent trade paperback. With more or less impact, this will probably do little more than accelerate that natural trend.

Or I might be totally wrong as people that know much more than I do about this things seem to be making it a much more important event than that.

Okay, maybe I’ll concede the point… I do know people who think my job is not a real job, or Wowee, that must be fun, and I’ve even met people who think Cartooning is an easy path to fame and fortune. Fortunately, I think the latter get weeded out real soon.

Honestly, the hard work and dedication get to the best of us, and self publishing just adds to the headaches.

Johanna, you do make a good point about people’s reasons for not meeting expectations, and no, I’m not criticising the desire for quality product. Honestly, the customer should get what they pay for, and has the right to expect a reasonable amount of quality. I have tried several print on demands, print shops, and small presses, and so far have had little to complain about as far as quality of paper or printing so it hasn’t been an issue to me.

The fact that a small or independent publisher is usually working alone just makes it more difficult to guarantee on time delivery or delivery at all. Unfortunately, not enough people know me to make that an issue, but there have been times when I’ve been laid up and unable to get to the post, so I understand.

The entire publishing industry is changing, from newspapers and comic strips to anyone printing on paper. Diamond’s new policies are just adding to an ever increasingly difficult problem.

The problem exists on several scales, so the problems of a small press are going to be different from the problems of a bigger publisher. We need to look at the entire industry and see if there are solutions for all of us, or at least some of us.

There have been rumors that some large bookstore is going to become a vanity press ,or print on demand place. I’m not sure about the details, but perhaps a central location that has many books on file can print them out on demand for the customer? If books are stored in files, perhaps a store like this can afford to carry a wide selection?

This is just dreaming, but at least shipping would be eliminated, samples would be available to show quality, and many publisher’s products can be offered.

The biggest problem would be the same problem we’ve always had… getting our names out there. :0)

Cheers, JOHN :0)

I look around the industry and even the companies who have been around forever, like DC and Marvel. Are having problems getting products out on time, if ever, and the quality can be found wanting. So wondering if “Jane” Delaware, might be able to deliver is reasonable.

Can I be a little Pollyanish on this though?

Perhaps in the long run this will mean a whole lot less of the dreck. There won’t be as many people just going “heck that looks easy, I’ll make a comic too!”

It’ll take people who are both really dedicated and talented to make things work despite the obstacles. So feelings like your common shared mistrust may dissapate as time goes on, and the ones left are the ones who really belong to be doing what they are.

(of course I’m hopped up on antibiotics and such from a BAD flu bug strain, so what do I know)

I think you’re right about conventions becoming more important, just at a time when some are shutting down. And it’s an expensive way to shop unless you also consider it a vacation.

Gary, excellent points about the problem of competing with retailers. Some get possessive of their customers and not order titles when they feel slighted. Others legitimately are concerned about price disparities.

Kenny, Amazon doesn’t carry everything. Lightspeed Press (Finder), for example, no longer offers books through them, nor do many webcomic creators who use POD. Maybe more will start, since they need to seek more alternative markets.

Jason, sounds like something Donna Barr does, an “everything box”. A reasonable price gets you everything she’s got in print.

I think I read that all correctly, at least.

Amazon Marketplace: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=1161232
Amazon Advantage: http://advantage.amazon.com/gp/vendor/public/join-advantage-books

The cost of the complete fulfillment is a shame. It sounds like a barrier to being a solution to the Diamond problem.

Amazon does offer a complete fulfillment service but you get slaughtered in warehouse, picking and packing and service fees. You’d have to be moving a lot of product.

Starting this month, the United States Postal Service will begin offering a *small* flat rate box at the $4.95 rate. It’s perfectly sized for smaller trade paperbacks, and should have enough depth to fit two or three thin ones.

All of the flat rate cardboard envelopes and boxes that USPS offers can be ordered and delivered to your business at no charge.

I was thinking the same thing. Anybody know the profit margins selling through Amazon? I know that in some cases, they even reimburse an amount on shipping, and they have the option to have your books stocked in their warehouse or to ship it yourself. But again, it’s been several years since I last dealt with them.

Smaller publishers will have to start adopting tactics used by smaller music labels. And I’m not referring to webcomics in place of mp3′s.

Small press companies may start to develop “book of the month” systems or annual subscriptions. For a set cost you’d receive the entire annual output of a label.

I know Fantagraphics already has their 20 / 20 program but there’s room for more elaborate schemes. I’ve seen small punk and metal labels offer different levels of fan club memberships. For $200 / year you get every CD, t-shirt, poster etc… Burlesque of North America (a screen-printing collective that has a rapid fanbase) offers up a yearly sub for $1200. They mail out a package every 6 months with every poster, print, t-shirt and variant that they produce.

A company like Avatar Press could capitalize on this. $500 / year gets you every variant cover, trade, t-shirt, print, coffee mug or whatever gets released that year. To save on shipping a package could be mailed 4 times a year. Only their “1000 true fans” (made up number) would engage a publisher on this level, but it sure as hell would contribute to the bottom line.

I think you’ll see a lot of business owners trying out innovative ways to sell comics. Some will fail but the ones who test and learn quickly will likely survive and prosper.

I guess I don’t understand what need going to a retail store or selling direct to customers is filling that Amazon isn’t.

Anyway,I’ve ordered directly from creators twice, Paul Grist and the Love & Capes guy. They were nice experiences but I already knew I would enjoy the books.

I would be hard pressed to do that with unknown work, and I wouldn’t want to do it too often.

It looks like its going to be really hard for new works to be successful. It’ll take a lot of promoting through various avenues. Plus creators will really have to get out to a lot of shows.

I hope none will be relying on the comics as a means to support themselves while they do this though.

Holy cow! That went up fast. A standard manga weighs no more than half a pound, but books like “Blankets” weigh almost three! I’m guessing the weight of a book is going to become much more important as well. And it’s difficult to find lighter, high-quality paper if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. Not many printers offer the option of newsprint like they use for manga in Japan. That’s something I’ve been searching for myself (from some place in at least a decent distance) for some time now.

Obviously, you can compensate the direct consumer by offering free shipping but that can be taken advantage of (ordering one title at a time, for example) so the preference would be to discount the title.

If the books don’t go through the distribution channels, well, then that obligation you had is no longer a concern.

I use priority mail for shipping as it is easily traced, you can include other information (flyers, etc.) which you can not on Media Mail. Although likely not to be subject to inspection, I’ve had some that were and thus, returned. With media mail, although the first book will carry a rather expensive charge, there is none for additional books…depending on whether you’re doing the envelope or box.

I think a lot of publishers, well, me for one, have not really pursued the direct mail route (although offered) because there is a sense of responsibility towards stores that are carrying the product. Of course, that is certainly subject to change now.

I have not been contacted by Diamond regarding the minimums but will start exploring options such as developing a newsletter.

And as most people have stated already, this applies mostly to books, not floppies…that is a whole ‘nother matter mainly because of the cost versus shipping ratio.

there’s a difference between Vanity Press and Small Press, but you are right, we all need editors. Some of us don’t have that option, so appreciate it very much when people take the time to write and tell us what they think of our work. This is another time cost, as Johanna says, but helps everyone in the long run. There’s nothing worse than someone looking at your website for 30 wseconds, and judging you.

Ed,
That goes back to the Professionalism that I had mentioned. Everyone in this biz needs to act professional, and wear the hat of a businessman. I have a slew of business cards and other promotional material, but unfortunately I cannot attend conventions.

Apparently, conventions are the best resource for a small press comics company, and may play a bigger role in the future.

JOHN :0)