Jim Zub seems to agree with my belief in going for trades-only formats
It's absolutely possible. Graphic Novel sales are doing really well, but that doesn't mean releasing a book straight to GN is an instant slam dunk.
— Jim Zub (@JimZub) October 21, 2020
Bookstores are ordering way more GNs, but not necessarily for the same demographic as traditional comic shops. https://t.co/1rjNz1jHrb
Do you have work that comic shops, bookstores and libraries are eager to carry?
— Jim Zub (@JimZub) October 21, 2020
Do you have a publisher/distributor that can get your graphic novel in front of the people who buy for those markets?
If not, then you have to look at alternative/additional sources.
— Jim Zub (@JimZub) October 21, 2020
Serialization ideally allows you to amortize the production cost and advertise your title over multiple months.
Digital has no print cost.
Crowdfunding cuts out the middleman.
Same with in-person convention sales.
There are more libraries (public and school libraries) than bookstores in the U.S. so, if you're able to get on high profile reading lists/award lists, sales through those channels can be substantial.
— Jim Zub (@JimZub) October 21, 2020
Same goes for high profile/starred reviews.
This, again, makes a case similar to what I've been advocating for comicdom as we know it - abandoning what's fast become an antiquated, unprofitable format today priced expensively at 4 dollars-plus (yet with page counts possibly getting lower to 20 or less), and going for what can be relatively cheaper as a whole, rather than the sum of parts. This way, a reader also gets a fuller story without having to worry about missing anything, and possibly spending more to get a paperback collection in order to get the whole story that way.Everyone's trying to raise their profile and increase visibility for what they create.
— Jim Zub (@JimZub) October 21, 2020
Free digital comics, livestreams, giveaways, recommendations from known creators, you name it.
Anything you can do to make the work stand out and convince people it's worth trying.
One more, closely connected statement Zub made worth noting:
Oh, he's right about that. There's a lot of stories I'm willing to buy in trade format, if that says anything, so the argument has to be made further why it's best at this point to go with trades-only, and save money by jettisoning the floppies.Quick clarification:
— Jim Zub (@JimZub) October 21, 2020
Readers are willing to _pay_ for physical books.
The number of digital readers is massive, but most are reading via free webcomic platforms (Webtoon, Hiveworks, etc.) or through pirate sources (which get traffic many times the physical sales of the books).
In addition, an end to floppies could bring about the end of company wide crossovers, and no doubt, that's one of the reasons why the Big Two have clung to the antiquated format till now, because of all the corruption they find appealing in jamming these crossovers down everyone's throats so they can milk the speculator market's dollars dry, along with the aimless addicts who buy out of an absurd habit not based on merit. One more reason why the time's come to stop buying a story even remotely connected to a crossover, because buying them only ensures they still won't get the message we can't accept this anymore, and they'll keep on doing it. But again, let's remember that the Big 2 are on their way down and out, as more people have luckily caught on to how poor their conduct really is.
Labels: libraries, sales, technology
Nothing new. Most of the really interesting comics are either webcomic to graphic novel or else released only as graphic novel. Books like Persepolis or The Best We Could Do or They Called Us Enemy never appeared as floppies.
The reality for the superhero publishers though, is that once they set up the print-ready copy, it is as easy to print as floppy as graphic novel; these days the only difference is the cover. The floppy doesn't add much extra cost on the publishing side, and it keeps the customers coming into the store each Wednesday.
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