I’ve been reading with interest on Newsarama.com the travails and frustrations of Micah Wright, whose “Stormwatch: Team Achilles” was canceled (with numbers that were, frankly, not much different from “Fallen Angel.”) Which gave me an idea, but I’ll get to that later. What struck me the most was that his experiences in boosting readership paralleled my own. He said:
When the monthly book was cancelled a week later, I noticed that a lot of online readers were saying things like “I’ve never even heard of this book… is it really as good as people here are saying?” That’s a bit depressing to hear… that someone’s never seen a copy of the book on the shelves of their Local Comic Store? Interestingly, another group of people expressed disappointment because they were following the book exclusively in trades. A third group of people were saying “Ðámņ, I’ve been seeing the new art team online and I was waiting on that third trade to jump onto the series.”
I’ve talked a lot online about lessons learned from this series… one of them is this: no nine-part story arcs while the book is still young. People whose store didn’t carry early issues can’t find the first part of the story so they wait for the trade.
Fans never heard of it, retailers didn’t stock copies to be seen. Boy, is this familiar. I can assure Micah, though, that the lesson he learned is pretty futile. “Fallen Angel” launched with two done-in-one issues, followed by a four parter, followed by a five parter. Made no difference. People who *found* the first issue said *they* were waiting for the trade.
But speaking of the trade, that’s the most intriguing aspect. According to the article, pre-orders are now very brisk on the third trade paperback of S:TA. In fact, fans are acting in concert to order copies. Only problem: The book doesn’t actually exist. DC cancelled the trade. So the tactic is of questionable effectiveness.
The trade of “Fallen Angel,” however, has not been cancelled. However, the quantity and, even more important, the speed with which the book sells is likely going to determine the future of the series.
If you’ve already bought the issues and don’t want to pick up the TPB in addition, I can totally respect that. If, on the other hand, you want to, so you can give it to a friend or something, hey. Great. Heck, as always, send it to me with a SASE to PO Box 239, Bayport, NY 11705 and I’ll sign it and send it back. And if you’re planning to buy the trade anyway… order it now. Bump the numbers up. Spread the word. Get some buzz going. What can it hurt?
Hopefully our esteemed webmaster will put a direct link to it (so you won’t have to slog through the astounding number of books, CDs, DVDs etc. that are all called “Fallen Angel.”)
Let’s see how high the Fallen Angel can fly.
PAD
• 
Well, I just ordered my copy. If its half as good as I’ve read, I’ll love it.
Already preordered Fallen Angel TPB and ST New Frontier After the Fall from amazon.com. Can’t wait to read the continuing adventures of the new frontier crew. I know it’s off topic, but could you please give a hint what will happen next?
I own the single issues but I’m planning to buy the trade nontheless. Maybe even two copies.
I already pre-ordered “After the Fall” quite a few weeks ago from Amazon.com, as soon as I found out that it was listed.
I pre-ordered the Fallen Angel collection yesterday, this time from Amazon UK. Living in England, NF is the only exception where I am willing to pay for the additional postage so that I can get the book as soon as possible.
I am hoping the new NF book will sell so well again that there will be a second printing. And I am hoping that the Fallen Angel TPB will not only sell well but get more people to buy future single copies.
I’ve purchased the individual issues as they came out. I really enjoy the series. I just ordered the TPB. Good luck PAD. I’m looking forward to many more issues.
I already ordered it. Even with the singles, I’m willing to support books that I think deserve a wider audience. Just one question, what is an SASE?
Dom
SASE = Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. 😉
I ordered it, even though I wasn’t going to, have all the single issues through a subscription at my retailer (PLUG for Outer Limits in Waltham, MA), and don’t know what I’m going to do with it.
Please, PAD, be careful what you ask for. 🙂 🙂 Your rabid fans could do major damage… Use your powers for good…
Desperately waiting for Tong Lashing to come out in paperback,
-=Alan
Peter,
Did it ever occur to you that the reason the sales are low is because the majority of readers just don’t like it? Doesn’t seem honest to me to try and force the numbers just to keep the book going if it really doesn’t deserve it.
John,
If the majority of readers just don’t like it, then this appeal isn’t going to do much good anyway. I can’t really see the harm in trying — it’s not like anyone’s being forced to buy the book, right?
I’ve already got the issues and don’t need the trade, but if I can think if someone who’d be interested in it (and who I haven’t already gotten to), rest assured I’ll order it.
TWL
Or even better, go pre-order the trade at your local comic shop. This will help encourage your local retailer to order more of the individual issues, and the trades, and is better than supporting the giant of Amazon.com, since Amazon.com doesn’t sell individual issues, and trades alone don’t keep a series going.
Try using the Comic Shop Locator Service – http://csls.diamondcomics.com/ – if you don’t know where a store is.
Cause you know, reward those stores who have spent money, and taken a risk on this title. EVERY SINGLE issue sold was to stores, and on a non-returnable basis (unless I’m wrong and DC newstanded this book). Comic shops took all the risk, reward them with your business, and support your favorite authors at the same time.
Just ordered it. It is a fantastic book, honestly.
“Did it ever occur to you that the reason the sales are low is because the majority of readers just don’t like it? Doesn’t seem honest to me to try and force the numbers just to keep the book going if it really doesn’t deserve it.”
No, that hasn’t occurred to me, and I’ll tell you why:
Based upon the initial orders compared to the total number of people reading comics, the “majority of readers” have never even sampled it. I have retailers who have ordered it who tell me they can’t get people to try it. I have readers who want to buy it who tell me retailers haven’t ordered it.
Are there people who have given it a fair chance and decided it wasn’t their cuppa? Absolutely. And I have no problem with that: Nothing that I write can be all things to all people unless it aspires to be the lowest common denominator. “Fallen Angel” aspires to be the opposite, so some people will fall by the wayside.
But they represent a minority of the readership. So if you think I’m going to roll over because of the attitude of the minority…no. No, I don’t think that’s happening.
Can the full majority come aboard eventually? I believe so. History proves that some of the most popular TV shows in history had slow starts. If the network executives who made the decision to keep shows like “Cheers” and “Seinfeld” around after unimpressive first seasons had espoused the philosophy you put forward, they’d have both been gone.
Of course, the majority of quality but slow to build shows do get cancelled. So I’d rather be proactive than reactive.
And I’ve been nothing except honest about all of that from the get so, so frankly, I resent your insinuation.
PAD
[quote]
Did it ever occur to you that the reason the sales are low is because the majority of readers just don’t like it? Doesn’t seem honest to me to try and force the numbers just to keep the book going if it really doesn’t deserve it.
[/quote]
but what if it *does* deserve it? what if it *doesn’t* deserve the lack of attention/publicity that other books get just because they have today’s hot artist working on it? or a guest appearance by today’s hot character(s)?
Because FA is not a ‘mainstream’ book (ie no Superman/Batman/etc guest appearances and no Jim Lee artwork), it doesn’t get ordered as much by retailers…so it doesn’t get the shelf space it (arguably) deserves. So you go into your comics shop to pick up your weekly batch of books, and totally overlook the 2 copies sitting amid the hundreds of copies of Superman/Batman or Teen Titans or Outsiders (etc).
For those of us who enjoy the series…we show our support of it by buying it each month. If we enjoy the book (which logic suggests we do, since we continue to buy it), we don’t want to see it cancelled. So for the most part, we’re willing to buy the trade (or an extra copy of the trade) to demonstrate our support.
Who gets hurt? DC won’t suddenly up the print run by hundreds of thousands. At the very least, they’ll keep it the same. In which case those of us who enjoy the book get to keep reading it. DC gets to continue selling a title. PAD gets to keep collecting a king’s ransom of a paycheck . Who loses?
If, on the other hand, we don’t ‘force the numbers’, DC has a cancellation on their hands, a relatively small but loyal following of the book lose out on getting to read it, and PAD has to go on welfare for losing Fallen Angel money.
It’s not about cheating anybody. It’s just about supporting something you believe in.
I don’t think anybody’s suggesting that you buy the book if you don’t like it. The suggestion is to buy it if you want to see it continue…OR to buy it if you’ve never read it before…maybe you’ll find that you want to add it to your monthly order 🙂
< /$0.02 >
um…there was a little < g > in the original post after the “king’s ransom of a paycheck” statement.
yes, yes it was supposed to be a funny.
Just out of curiousity: Will the trade have any extras?
I’ll provide the first “status” report: Last night the Fallen Angel trade’s Amazon Sales Rank was over 1.6 million, as of 12:15PM EST 4-27-04 it is 4,584. Hopefully, it’ll be able to hold this level of a ranking for a significant period of time.
I hear a lot of comic creators (and PAD in particular) complain about how some readers wait to pick up a trade instead of buying each, indivudual issue when it hits the stands…but I think this is a pretty unfair complaint. Comic books are just too dámņ expensive to buy unless they’re really great.
No, three bucks may not seem like a lot, but when every title is three bucks and they keep coming out every week, sacrifices have to be made. Personally, I don’t even buy trades because they’re too expensive as well, but I can definitely understand the motivation behind picking up a trade instead of the actual issues. It’s just more cost-effective.
I think comic-creators have to begin to think more like the movie industry. With the market the way it is…and prices ever going up…most books (like most films) are going to tank. That’s just the way it is. It’s not something to be happy about…but unless huge changes are made from within, there’s nothing readers can do to stop the downward spiral of the industry or the demise of certain titles.
So what I’m saying…I think…is stop blaming readers, everybody. It’s not our fault the industry sucks.
And, as I said earlier, I’ll be happy to see Fallen Angel go since you’ll maybe go back to writing a book I don’t find boring.
Okay, folks. If nothing else, let’s get the numbers up and make sure “Fallen Angel” has a long, healthy life just to pìšš øff this guy.
PAD
I’m looking forward to the trade and hoping it does well. Unfortunately, I missed the first 6 issues having no clue about the series existance. Thanks to the advice of a friend, however, I dove in with the seventh and have been monthly since.
“I’m looking forward to the trade and hoping it does well. Unfortunately, I missed the first 6 issues having no clue about the series existance. Thanks to the advice of a friend, however, I dove in with the seventh and have been monthly since.”
See? That’s *exactly* what I’m talking about. The majority of potential readers out there *still* don’t know the book even exists. The only way to get the word out is stuff like this, and then hope that the numbers reflect the increasing interest.
PAD
I knew people who had never heard of Fallen Angel before I let them read a copy of mine.
I seriously think that the lack of promotion from the top(DC & Marvel) is what really hurts these books. Why does DC promote Batman or C&B on JLA…aren’t these books going to sell anyways? Go to Marvel.com and the first images you see are Ultimate Spider-Man…what gives?
Promote the books that need the help and let your top sellers promote themselves.
I tend not to buy trades of books I already own, due to the limits of space rather than cash. I tend to ask the following questions before picking up (or ordering) a trade that collects stuff I’ve already read (with answers of “yes” making me more likely to buy the trade):
Where does Fallen Angel fall on this list? Well, after looking at all the questions and their answers, I’m not going to order the trade for myself. But I have been recommending it to people who are looking to get into new titles.
I apologize, I know it does not involve this specific entry, but I was curious if anyone knows when I new book from the ST: New Frontier series is coming out? Thanks for the help!
Tabor
It seems that most of the people who post here would claim to be fans of comic books in general and more specifically of PAD. If you are into comics and want to find the things you will like and want to keep the creators whose work you enjoy employed, shouldn’t you spend a little effort looking to see what it out there?
I have to go 45 miles to the nearest comics speciality store for my comics. I make sure to go the week of each month that the Previews comes out. Even if your shop finds it necessary to charge the cover price for the catalogue, it is still worth it to see what is coming out. I go through it several times to make sure I’ve found the things I might be interested in. And then I turn my order in to the shop so that they have it in time to order the things I want. When I decide its time to drop something, I pick it up through the last one ordered on my behalf. We’re in a partnership with the store. Most stores can’t afford to be stuck with extras.
Can’t get áhøld of Previews? Pick up Wizard or subscribe to CBG.
“Okay, folks. If nothing else, let’s get the numbers up and make sure “Fallen Angel” has a long, healthy life just to pìšš øff this guy.”
I’m not gonna be pìššëd…just chagrinned to see you writing a series that, frankly, hasn’t lived up to your talents.
Doesn’t sound like a compliment…but I meant it as one.
What can I say? I’m a jerk.
Just got a bit of a shock: Chapters/Indigo Online doesn’t have the Fallen Angel TPB listed. Their bricks+mortar stores carry some of the DC and Vertigo trades, but this isn’t listed with them yet.
What’s up with that?
Yours,
Dwight
Good news, bad news thing going on here.
Good news: I’ve been buying the book since issue #1, have enjoyed it, and I anticipate that I’ll continue to buy it.
Bad news: I’m afraid that means I’m not going to be buying the TPB. Comics already take up more money than I’m really comfortable spending, so I only buy trades that contain material that I missed the first time around. As a consolation, I’m still sticking to my guns on buying books on a monthly basis as opposed to collecting TPBs. Even though it’s usually more costly, it’s the part that I can do to support the books I like. I wouldn’t like to wait six months between installments anyway.
I also occasionally share the books with friends of mine, but they’re in worse financial shape than me, so I don’t think I’m bringing in any new sales, there.
Peter I tried the first four issues and really couldn’t get into it. Heck, I gave my issues to a friend and he’s hooked… Perhaps I’ll try it again… Does the first 8 issues answers the set up issues of #1-4? I’ll do my part by purchasing all the issues I can…
James
Speaking of TPBs, I’m wondering whether it would be a better idea for comic publishers, instead of publishing monthly comics on some questionable titles might not be better served to release these six part mini-series as paperbacks only in the first place.
Anyone know what the industry position on such an idea might be?
“Speaking of TPBs, I’m wondering whether it would be a better idea for comic publishers, instead of publishing monthly comics on some questionable titles might not be better served to release these six part mini-series as paperbacks only in the first place.”
It’s coming. The current comic industry can’t continue to sustain itself for very many more years. I predict a shift to near total TPB type publishing (in bookstores primarity, which means the death of the direct market) or an online subscription for eBook type downloadable comics or something of that nature by the end of the decade.
I’ve been trying to pimp this book hard at my local store, as I know most of the other people who go in there on a regular basis, and I’m friends with the owner. I’ve made a couple of converts, mostly those people who I talk to in there on Wednesdays. I know one guy who read the first few issues and just didn’t like it. But for a town with only on store that serves a 150 mile radius, we have four or five people who actualy read it. I know that the owner is ordering a copy of the trade for anybody who hasn’t picked it up, because he is a fan of it when he gets a chance to read it.
Well, I order the Fallen Angel monthly and I’ve already placed the order for the trade (even before reading this blog entry).
I enjoy the book a great deal and I want to support it as much as I am able.
Thank you Mr. David (and thanks DC for publishing it!)
David
I walked into a comic shop recently and was just getting a general feel for what comics are available these days, since I hadn’t bought one in 2.5 years.
The guy working there asks me what writers I like. I must admit, I’ve never tried that approach – I generally like a few characters and stick with those characters. Which means I mostly read just Wolverine, X-Men, and other assorted X-titles.
It may be part of the reason I haven’t tried Fallen Angel yet. Or it may be that I haven’t picked up a DC title at all since the Death of Superman.
I can’t say that Captain Marvel, a character I’d never read a story from before, would be my cup of tea either.
We’ve had this discussion before, on monthlies vs trades, but I’m pretty strictly a monthlies kind of guy.
I really hate how every time I pick up a comic, it’s “Part X of 6”, because they either stretch or force a story into those six issues so they can dump another TPB onto the shelves.
I do wonder if a general problem of the industry is saturation – too many comics from too many companies.
Wolverine and a bunch of other Marvel titles are twice per month. Is this really necessary? Atleast these comics are generally a little cheaper than the standard fare ($2.25 vs $2.99), but as costs keep going up, it will force the companies to take less risks.
And, quite frankly, putting out a TPB of stories that didn’t see monthly print would be a risk.
Ok, another comic topic, so another post. 🙂
Ebook style comics. Can it be done?
Well, I’d say yes, especially as costs continue to rise. You might find that online subscriptions, before long, might be the only way to get some titles like Fallen Angel, which aren’t “mainstream”.
One thing I’d love to see is for Marvel to take the next step with that collection cd. The one with the 10 comics per series from Hulk, X-Men, etc. It was 100 comics total.
I avoided it, mostly on the fact that I don’t want to pay for issues of stuff I don’t read.
But. Should Marvel take the next step, and make, say, the first 100 or 200 issues of X-Men available on cd, I think it could work.
It’s a way that I, as a reader, can still enjoy these great stories without having to pay a small fortune to read.
I mean, I collect what I buy, but I can’t afford to go out of my way to pay for some 30-odd year old book. I’m more interested in having the opportunity to read them.
Ebook-style comics are not only possible, they’re out there. I’m not going to give instructions how to get them; I do have some, but they exist to back up my paper collection.
But I would love to stop buying paper comics and start buying ebook comics. I’ve had it with bad retailers, fighting with gamers over back-issue bin under their Warhammer setups, obnoxious cashiers, etc. Let me buy the books at home in piece. Plus, instead of storing 250 books in a huge long box, I can store everything on a small external drive. Sign me up!
(plug plug plug – As an aside, other than the ebook thing, if you’re tired of your retailer, why not try mailordercomics.com? Hey, I got my issues of Fallen Angel…why not get yours? plug plug plug)
And, quite frankly, putting out a TPB of stories that didn’t see monthly print would be a risk.
======
Sure. Look how badly that Maus TP sold, or that Sandman: Book of Dreams. Or manga. I mean nobody buys that, right?
Oh wait- you mean Maus and Sandman made the NYTimes best-seller list? And manga dominates graphic novel sales?
Hmmm…yeah, that’s a risk. 🙂
Okay, I’m kidding, but seriously, how much of a risk is it at this point? Fallen Angel is 10K readers, that’s all. What are you risking- that it’ll go to 9? It might go to 9 all by itself.
The monthly pamphlet market is DEADLY lately. VERY few books break the downward cycle after issue 1, and they usually require a special event to do it. Think that will make this title any better? Replace the artist with a hot artist (are there any hot artists left? just curious…)? New cover artist (Stelfreeze has been amazing…)? New writer? (THAT’S not gonna happen…)
The only way that the book is going to thrive is if more people start buying it. Push the TP. Give it to your friends. Force people at gunpoint to buy it. Give a free collectible Fall Angel pack of smokes with every issue. I dunno…but something has to be done.
I rarely buy individual comics anymore. I used to have a box at my local shop that I picked up weekly, but I just don’t have the time anymore. Now I almost exclusively read the trades. Obviously I’m not the only one. Maybe DC and Marvel need to notice this trend and plan accordingly, because I don’t see my buying habits changing any time soon.
One Sunday morning many, many years ago, I was listening to a radio show discussing Classical music. (Hey, I’m not just a comics geek) Somebody called in and, sounding just like a 70s rock & roll burnout, said, “Hey, if it’s not rock & roll, it’s just not music.”
Translated to comics: “Hey, if it’s not a super-hero comic book, it’s just not a comic book.”
Sadly, this is the mind set for too many people these days. This is why the industry is in the shape it is. It is also one of the reasons that CrossGen has struggled.
It’s difficult for any book that is ‘different’ to find an audience. I have been reading Fallen Angel from issue one. I enjoy it, but can’t seen to get anybody else reading it. I’m going to order one copy of the trade and pass it around to see if I can help build an audience.
Comics are too expensive, you say? That depends on your viewpoint. I buy $20-30 worth of comics every week. I read them over several days. That’s pretty cheap entertainment. How do I decide which ones to buy? That’s made simpler by using a couple guidelines. If a comic costs more than $3, I seldom buy it. If it’s from Marvel, I seldom but it. I buy Amazing Spider-Man and Captain Marvel; and CM has been cancelled. Why do I buy so few Marvel comics? Because they have lost their identity. They created the Ultimate universe to appeal to youngsters, yet include Ultimates, which isn’t for youngsters. They created the Max universe to publish Alias, then folded the storyline back into the regular universe. They moved a few books to the Marvel Knights line so as to get more money per issue and now they have moved most of their titles to MK to get even more money. What ever happened to just putting out good comics? They re-created Epic, then shut it down, stillborn. Now they have Icon, but only for a select few. Marvel has gone schizo. So 15 minutes ago.
At the store I work at, I do a “Employee Favorites” shelf-talker (a thing to go on the shelf next to or behind the book in question) on all the books I like that don’t get a lot of buzz/sales. “Fallen Angel” is one of those books (along with “Queen & Country,” “Walking Dead,” “Arrowsmith,” and “Gotham Central”). We just ordered some copies of the trade, and I thoroughly plan and forcing them on people, as well as bundling up the first couple issues we have in a discount priced package to get people interested (#1 – 3, I believe, as we have stock on those, and I want to only collect the initial “done in one” issues).
And yes, to reiterate, go pester your retailer about it. If they don’t want to help you, shame on them, but give them the opportunity. let us shower one another in mutual admiration and money…
Well, it seems to be working. I just ordered my copy from Amazon and, as of 7 p.m. EST Tuesday, you’re in the low 900s. Who knows, maybe this will let the brass actually take notice of the book and give it some more pub.
I preordered the trade. I buy one or two issues of a series to see is I’ll like it. Creators I trust, like PAD, I just wait for the trades. I know this wait for trades mentality is frustrating for companies and creators but thats just how life is. I f it ain’t trade, I ain’t buyin’
Economics, I don’t buy novels hardcovers either. too expensive. I can wait a few months for the softcover. 3 bucks for 9 minutes of entertainment is just too much. The format is not worth it anymore.
I’ve been meaning to pick it up for the longest time (and now this tpb seems like the best chance) but frankly i’m afraid to. It always seems like the books i enjoy end up getting cancelled, and I’ve been following this site for a while now and i see the Passion that Peter has for this book so i didn’t want to Jinx it.
twisted Logic I know but it’s the only kind I got….
Just a few comments:
Some books DO sell a lot more in trade than in monthly form. I think the key point here is getting a book to trade AND having it sell in trade format.
A few publishers have a good trade/no monthly program. Funny…most of those books are not superhero books.
It could be that being a DC book hurts FALLEN ANGEL (with the provisio that Vertigo is not seen as a DC book). Marketing of the book has to reach out of the superhero channels and audience.
**And, quite frankly, putting out a TPB of stories that didn’t see monthly print would be a risk.
======
Sure. Look how badly that Maus TP sold, or that Sandman: Book of Dreams. Or manga. I mean nobody buys that, right?**
Most of the things you’re listing there were originally serialized.
**Maus** was serialized in **Raw**, and it was only based on the reaction that the material got there that got a mainstream publisher to publish a collection.
Manga is generally serialized first. The costs of offering manga in the U.S. are highly underwritten by the serialization of the original material in Japan. The costs of translating the work are far less than it would cost to provide similar new material.
And while that particular Sandman book was not serialized material, it was made to appear a reasonable risk by the long track record of Sandman TPB collections.
“Great. Heck, as always, send it to me with a SASE to PO Box 239, Bayport, NY 11705 and I’ll sign it and send it back. “
Uh…I admit I am slow but does this mean for some of us who haven’t had the chance to meet you in person to get autographs we can send one of your books SASE and you’ll sign it – not just FA?
The trade has been ordered. 🙂
But I do have to agree with the others about electronic versions of comics. I’d be willing to buy individual versions of comics electronically; but for print ones, frankly, I need the durability and smaller size of a trade.
Most of the things you’re listing there were originally serialized.
=========
Yeah, I know, Nat. But they weren’t serialized monthly, and the manga wasn’t serialized monthly in the US, so I technically win that argument. 🙂
Seriously, I do think there can be a market for graphic novels that aren’t first published monthly. Look at Blankets. I’m not saying it’s the route for every work, but it’s not an impossible task.
Ebook-style comics are not only possible, they’re out there.
How about mostly legal versions? 🙂
Seriously, I do think there can be a market for graphic novels that aren’t first published monthly
Perhaps, I just don’t think the comic book market is strong enough right now though.
And if we’re going to have a serious discussion about this, can we not include manga/anime stuff? 🙂
I really don’t see what the popularity is of it beyond a select few things.
The same old song — it’s the retailers’ fault.
Some retailers are good, some less so. Some retailers will carry title ‘X,’ others won’t. That’s the way it is. Get over it.
With virtually no promotion (or even attampts at promotion) for most titles, what does anyone expect?
How many creators have a link to CSLS on their site? Or a listing, state by state, of comics shops that carry their books?
Why, in the name of all that is holy, aren’t people shown paging through comics on Smallville? Or on Real World?
The marketing and the push nowadays has to come from all sources in order to be noticed above the general ad, promo and hype clutter in the consumer marketplace, and cannot and should not be dumped just on the shoulders of beleaguered and financially-strapped retailers.
Will stop before the old blood pressure rises any further.
Perhaps, I just don’t think the comic book market is strong enough right now though.
Comic book market is not equivalent to the superhero market or the direct market.
And if we’re going to have a serious discussion about this, can we not include manga/anime stuff? 🙂
You mean the stuff that sells tons more than the US books? You don’t think there’s some lessons to be learned here? (like….while direct market fans may ignore black and white boos, other readers aren as picky? Or a thick book for a reasonable price will sell quite well? Or a vast company wide, highly interlocked continuity is not necessary for sales)