Smart Moves at Boom!

Boom! Studios has made a number of important business-oriented announcements lately. I’m excited to see them because I think they demonstrate how this publisher is planning to be around for the long haul.

They’ve named a new Sales Director, Jenny Christopher, a former Diamond Purchasing Brand Manager. This position allows Chip Mosher to concentrate on Marketing while Jenny focuses on mass market and newsstand distribution. (That Boom! HAS mass market and newsstand distribution relationships is a key indicator of what sets them apart. They have an important licensing partner in Disney, and they’re making sure that those comics aren’t only seen in the direct market.)

They’ve also announced two new mass market distributors: Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and HarperCollinsCanada in Canada. These are established, professional companies with large networks. From the press release:

Simon & Schuster will handle sales, distribution and fulfillment for all new and backlist titles to trade and specialty accounts in the United States. The agreement is effective immediately. “BOOM! Studios has a unique line of graphic novels of wide- ranging appeal,” said Michael Selleck, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Simon & Schuster. “They are an excellent fit with our existing list, and we look forward to helping them expand their presence in traditional bookselling and specialty outlets.”

This is purely my speculation, but at a time when Diamond Comic/Book Distributors is looking for reasons to cut product and reduce the services they offer, it makes sense to me that a growing publisher would look for other alternatives to reach a larger audience, especially when their books are more aimed at the mass market (action/adventure, licensed properties) than the traditional comic shop customer.