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
• 
“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.”
That’s probably best, since you’re behaving like an ášš.
Discussion on this thread has covered any number of challenges in succeeding in today’s marketplace, with much of the emphasis being placed on audience resistence to titles that are new and different. Yes, sometimes retailers screw the pooch, but just as often retailers try to push a title and fans don’t want to know from it because it’s not standard superhero fare. Plus the initial impetus for the thread is derived precisely from trying to push “Fallen Angel” in and through other sources. To come away from reading all that and saying that retailers are being blamed for the market’s woes indicates that you cherry picked the negatives. Which tells me that, probably, you either work in a comic book store or for the White House.
PAD
I’m kinda proud that I got a lot of people to pick up the book – mostly because of my constant “promotion” over on Talk@Newsarama. This book is so great that I just know that most people are going to like it – if they give it a chance. And a chance is all I ask for. I think it’s sad that international sales don’t make a difference for diamond, because I live in Germany and I’d like to give out issues in “real life”, too. (I already did and everyone liked it enough to wanting to buy the trade.)
I’ll make the trade my staff recommendation at B&N.
You mean the stuff that sells tons more than the US books? You don’t think there’s some lessons to be learned here?
I think you’re comparing apples and oranges.
The manga and anime books sold, imo, is a direct result of the slew of garbage anime that’s thrown on tv.
Whatever anybody shows, whether it’s Pokemon or DBZ and beyond, people are sucking it up.
And unless I’m missing some sales numbers, this isn’t the case with your run of the mill comic book, super hero or otherwise.
PAD,
As I stated in an earlier post, I tried the first few issues of “Fallen Angel” and it was not my cup of tea. however, seeing how passionate you are about it has made me decide to give it another shot.
Having said that, here are a few questions/suggestions on how to help “Fallen Angel” (and other books you may write) succeed:
1.) Do you know if, despite the “mature” material, if the trade will be made available to libraries? Because if it is I would encourage everyone – starting with yourself – to, first thing, ask your local library (at least one, I will try several) if they can order it.
As President of my local library’s Friends group (funraising/events arm) in Philly (I’ve temporarily moved away, but am still on top of things), it amazes me how many trades they get. Of course, these are usually of characters the librarian is likely to know – Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. But if you articulately present your desire for them to get a copy and assure them that it is quality stuff that OLDER readers will enjoy, i can practically guarantee you they’ll order it for you. And it won’t cost YOU a dime!
Please let me know. There is a big meeting about Philly’s libraries in May, and it’s quite possible I could get all 53 Philly branches to order a copy apiece, especially since you’re a former Temple student.
If everyone else posting who wants to save Fallen Angel could do the same thing by contacting their local librarian and/or their local Friends group and convincing them to get a copy for the library, well, imagine how many copies that would be! And, again, it wouldn’t come out of your pocket, but the library’s budget of Frinds group’s budget!
2.) Have you thought about doing a massive PAD book signing tour? I’m serious. I don’t remember there being too many book signings at the individual stores in Philly. But personal contact is always best. It creates an event, causes “buzz” and allows readers to say “Fallen Angel? What’s that? I don’t know, but Peter David’s going to be here, cool!”
Then, when they ask the retailer, even if they don’t come to the signing, they’re made aware of the book.
You could say you’ll do a signing – where you’ll sign anything – for any retailer who orders 100 copies of Fallen Angel (you’ll obviously have to let the retailers have a bit of lead time). One weekend, it could be Philly on Friday, Allentown on Saturday, and Scranton on Sunday. I think Michael Turner did a similar self-promotion for one of his self-published books, and he gave the retailers who reached the 100-order plateau an exclusive piece of art. maybe you can do something like that as well.
I think such a tour could be really successful. No one else can sell or market you like you can sell or market yourself.
If you think the idea has merit, let me know. I know a couple retailers who would be particularly receptive to such an idea.
That’s All For Now, and Good Luck.
Jerome
Peter,
Y’know, there’s no reason to get all defensive and bìŧçhÿ. I was just asking a question. I obviously wasn’t aware of your concerns about distribution and promotion of the book. You could have just explained that without being an áššhølë about it.
“Y’know, there’s no reason to get all defensive and bìŧçhÿ. I was just asking a question. I obviously wasn’t aware of your concerns about distribution and promotion of the book. You could have just explained that without being an áššhølë about it.”
Number one, I was being straightforward and honest. Number two, if you think that was defensive and bìŧçhÿ, then you don’t know from defensive and bìŧçhÿ and I suggest you could check out some postings on just about any political thread. Number three, I’m trying to foster and encourage sales and the only thing you could think of to do was try and throw water on that. And number four, since you accused me of being dishonest and are now trying to act like a wounded party, I’d say you get to wear the Brown A all by yourself, okay?
PAD
If you don’t mind me chiming in, I was thinking that what might help Fallen Angel is a webpage or website dedicated to Fallen Angel, that people could go to for background information, discussions, and possibly even minor spoilers for upcoming issues.
I only just started reading Fallen Angel recently and noticed that the comic makes a lot of references to relationships and events that have taken place in the past. While I understand that it’s a literary device, I must admit that I found it a bit distracting.
You might consider creating a webpage off of this website, summarizing characters and past issues. If anything, it’ll give readers something to do to get more involved in the story.
Just an idea,
Scott
I think you’re comparing apples and oranges.
The manga and anime books sold, imo, is a direct result of the slew of garbage anime that’s thrown on tv.
Whatever anybody shows, whether it’s Pokemon or DBZ and beyond, people are sucking it up.
You are not correct. What sells for manga is a wide variety of material, from romantic comedies to sports books to almost everything that the Big Two is not selling (though I note that much of it is akin to the trade books that smaller publishers ARE selling…and selling quite well). Much of it is not related at all to what’s being shown on TV. And much of it is being sold to people entirely outside the audience that usually buys in the direct market (like…um…women).
I really think you need to inform yourself on what’s going on, and not make such uninformed statements.
By the way….
Don’t judge even the manga versions by the anime. For example, I find the Dragonball Z books to be much more tightly written than the anime, and are on a par with the better US superhero books.
[i]you get to wear the Brown A all by yourself[/i]
would make Hester Prynne almost proud of her scarlet one, I would think 🙂
[i]You might consider creating a webpage[/i]
hmm…Peter, I know you’ve got Glenn around for these things, but if the concensus is that this might help, I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at it (probably not the best verbiage to use in a post that references the Brown A). could likely churn something out over the weekend.
The fact that I don’t know how to italicize text notwithstanding of course…
What sells for manga is a wide variety of material, from romantic comedies to sports books to almost everything that the Big Two is not selling (though I note that much of it is akin to the trade books that smaller publishers ARE selling…and selling quite well). Much of it is not related at all to what’s being shown on TV.
An illustrative example: of ICv2’s top 25 manga for Q1 2004 (http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/4721.html), only 6 are related to properties shown generally on TV. (I don’t count the Anime Network here, since at the moment that’s on-demand.)
PAD,
If you have a opinion on my ideas, please let me know. I may be meeting someone from the library tonight.
Thanks
I like the website idea. The Rex Mundi website is half the reason I checked that book out. I think Fallen Angel could benefit in very much the same way. As could any other PAD project. Here’s a link to the Rex Mundi site to get an idea of how cool a site could be: http://www.rexmundi.net
Making #1 available free on the web could go a long way as well. That’s the other half of the reason I bought Rex Mundi and it’s why I get Invincible too. Two awesome reads I wouldn’t have known about or given a chance otherwise.
The website idea is a very good one, I think.
only 6 are related to properties shown generally on TV
Well, last I checked, 6 out of 25, while not a majority, is still “alot”.
The point being made, however, is that the stuff on tv DOES influence the sales of the rest of it.
The argument should probably also include how accessible manga and anime is compared to your average comic book.
The local Sam Goody has a rack of manga books sitting nearby the anime dvd section (oddly enough, the adult dvd section is in betweeen).
I don’t see a single comic book, trade or otherwise, in the store.
Well, last I checked, 6 out of 25, while not a majority, is still “alot”. The point being made, however, is that the stuff on tv DOES influence the sales of the rest of it.
No, it doesn’t. This is smaller than the ratio of media SF to written SF available on the racks. You’re not going to argue that media SF is influencing the sales of non-media SF, are you? I think it has more to do with the quality of the work itself.
The argument should probably also include how accessible manga and anime is compared to your average comic book.
Yes and no. “yes” in that wider distribution helps in sales. And knowing how to get better distribution is a good thing, no matter what. “No” in that sales of manga is just simply good, no matter where you area; when you compare sales of manga vs. US books in the same outlet, manga is better.
The point being…why exclude manga from any discussion of improving sales? It has a lot of lessons and things to learn from.
“It has a lot of lessons and things to learn from.”
Lesson 1: Adult readers will not shy away from complex characters, complex storylines, and heroes who aren’t always “heroic” (cf the kid in Initial D – can’t remember his name).
Lesson 2: It’s okay to have adult characters act like adults – with mature reactions to situations, and with what are euphemistically described as “adult situations”.
Lesson 3: Teenagers who are exposed to nudity will often experience nosebleeds. (Not too sure about that one – I don’t remember it myself – but, whatever…)
The argument should probably also include how accessible manga and anime is compared to your average comic book. The local Sam Goody has a rack of manga books sitting nearby the anime dvd section (oddly enough, the adult dvd section is in betweeen). I don’t see a single comic book, trade or otherwise, in the store.
Supposing we grant your point that manga only sells because of TV exposure. (I agree that it influences it, but it’s not the only factor…and 24% is not “alot,” and not just because “alot” isn’t a word.)
How many recognizable comics properties are on TV and in the movies? X-Men, Spider-Man, Justice League, Superman, Batman, Teen Titans…surely people would buy those because they saw them on TV, right?
So your Sam Goody anecdote demonstrates that manga are relevant to a discussion of comics sales…because why isn’t Sam Goody stocking comics? There’s demonstrably a lesson to be learned from the success of manga, even if it’s only “comic companies should be trying to sell their stuff at Sam Goody.”
Jerome,
Why don’t you do a story for it in the Daily News?
If Peter is a Temple guy, then you have that Philly connection right there.
Introduce the readers to the character and talk mainly about the TPB as being a great jumping on point for new readers.
I only heard about “Fallen Angel” because I was a rabid “Supergirl” devotee and it was pretty strongly promoted among the other SG fans…but yeah, I never really see ads for it. Stupid marketing execs.
I’m doing my part by making sure Mike my Comic Pimp (http://www.grahamcrackers.com) orders many many copies of the book, and I’ve actually gotten about a dozen other Graham Crackers regulars to follow it. So see, word-of-mouth DOES work. Obviously decent marketing would work better, but even so. Tell your friends, buy them copies to hook ’em, and buy the trade even if you have all the issues, ’cause dollars talk.
George,
I’ve pitched the idea, but right now my editors are unsure.
In the past month alone, I’ve done stories on Hellboy, Punisher, Bill Plympton and Avi Arad/ upcoming Marvel movies and an interview with Kyle Baker/release of “The Truth” TPB (which was of particular interest due to our very high black population and readership).
My editor just did a story on DC’s Fraction, since the guy doing it has Philly ties, and the book is obviously not something the average reader is going to know about – like “Fallen Angel”.
Additionally, I have also pitched and am trying to fight for the folllowing, which are almost sure to be greenlit:
Stories on Spider-Man comics to coincide with the movie, an interview with Joss Whedon on X-Men and the future of the Slayer-verse; and an interview with Eliza Dushku (who is coming to Philly for WizardWorld. WooHoo!).
That’s quite a bit for a general interest newspaper. there are also a couple of other things that are being mulled over.
Ironically, I had the go-ahead to do a story on the Spoiler-Becomes-Robin thing, but DC refused to give me any info because they felt such story would be false advertising, since the change was not going to be long-lasting. Wich realy ticked one of my editors off.
Finally, I did 2 stories on PAD last year to coincide when the Hulk came out. One was a PAD interview, the other was a Top 11 list of Best Hulk Stories Ever, with PAD capturing 8 spots!
So there’s the Big Obstacles To Overcome”
There are higher profile stories that may be of more interest to the general public, and as far as helping people with local ties, they are more likely to want to help someone new.
Which is why I think a comic book-signing tour would help tremendously. It creates an “event”, puts the spotlight on local businesses, generates quotes from fans, the retailers, and of course the writer himself. I can almost guarantee if PAD were to hit a few Philly stores on a “Fallen Angel” promotional tour, then a story would be greenlit for the Daily News. Same thing applies for a visit to Allentown and “The Morning Call” and a visit to Scranton and “The Scranton Times”.
It just helps a lot.
I have all the sympathy in the world for you guys trying to get your comics noticed and trying to keep them from being cancelled, but… I’M NOT MADE OF MONEY! Trades are cheaper for me than single issues, and, sorry, if following a series leads to its cancellation, then so be it. I don’t like how the “waiting for the trade” people are being characterized. We’re trying to save a buck! We’re not rich! Suck it up!
How many recognizable comics properties are on TV and in the movies? X-Men, Spider-Man, Justice League, Superman, Batman, Teen Titans…surely people would buy those because they saw them on TV, right?
And consistently, what are some of the best selling titles in comics?
I think this will all come to a point of saturation anyways. Comic sales aren’t what they used to be, yet there are still far too many titles out there to even attempt to keep track of (imo).
The manga will go through it also. It’s the hottest thing on the market, but eventually people will get tired of it.
Craig,
I don’t think “saturation” is the problem. marvel was publishing 140 titles a month in the woo-hoo ’90s. Not to mention all the Inage and Valiant titles. Granted, this was during a speculative era. But the fact that so fewer titles are still struggling is a sign – to me – of deeper problems.
Many people do not even realize that comics still exist. Those that do look at them as kid stuff for the most part. And the lack of local newstands and mom and pos really hurts. The newstand where i got my first few Hulks that got me interested in comics is now closed. There are few comic shops, and they cater to people who are already fans.
It’s a big, industry-wide problem. We are simply not getting many younger fans or just new fans.
My big thing is that too many people are focussing on content as a problem in comics, when I think it’s the distribution structure that keeps sales lows and acts as a depressant.
In a lot of ways, the direct market works against sales growth. The outlets are constrained, it’s biases towards fans (and works against casual and impulse buyers), and it aims to older teen and adult males, to the exclusion of other audience segments. Yet adopting the mantra of “newstand distribution” and ” lower prices” is no answer; one reason the direct market grew to power is that the newstand distributors left comics because the prices were TOO LOW.
That’s why the growth in manga is so important in my eyes. They’ve established a market AND a format that can be exploited by American publishers….AND they’re selling to segments that are new to American publishers.
First time poster….I’m buying the trade because I can’t buy the monthly. I’m 120 miles (!) from the nearest comic book store. So I’ll do my part through Amazon.
I’m looking forward to reading it.
Don,
120 miles! See, this highlights the problem I was thinking of earlier.
There was a rumor going around that Barnes and Noble was going to open a string of comic stores soon.
Heavens, I hope it’s true. We need people to have greater accessibility to comics, and for those comics to be pushed.
“Discussion on this thread has covered any number of challenges in succeeding in today’s marketplace, with much of the
emphasis being placed on audience resistence to titles that are new and different. Yes, sometimes retailers screw the pooch, but
just as often retailers try to push a title and fans don’t want to know from it because it’s not standard superhero fare. Plus the
initial impetus for the thread is derived precisely from trying to push “Fallen Angel” in and through other sources. To come away
from reading all that and saying that retailers are being blamed for the market’s woes indicates that you cherry picked the
negatives. Which tells me that, probably, you either work in a comic book store or for the White House.”
Not to get into anything too heavy, but the quote used in the original post was a part of a total of 3 out of 9 paragraphs therein related to, directly or peripherally, the topic of retailers. That’s not cherry-picking, that’s responding to a topic discussed in relevant portions of the original post. The implication is also there that it is necessary to push the TPB through other sources due to the failings of (some) retailers.
Call me names if you must (I’ve been called much worse), but please do get off your high horse for a moment or two and take notice that each and every reader may take something different as the emphasis of any post.
And yes, I am a retailer, and have been for a quarter-century.
While I may well be alone in this (though doubt it), but after that time, the most financially viable course I’ve found is that it is not my job to just promote YOUR book, but to promote ALL books. With the glut of titles out there today, if a publisher stands behind a title enough to do something to push it, that is a guideline I can use to give a little extra push as well. I note that DC did little or nothing to promote the ‘Dangerous Curves’ line — if they are not willing to put their full faith and credit behind those titles, then I must take that into account.
And we DO carry Fallen Angel, and have never, ever, sold out of an issue, and have them all still available. I chose not to respond one way or another to the TPB part of the original post — not responding to that part does not imply disagreement or agreement, it just means that wasn’t addressed in my reply. If a customer wants the TPB, they are, of course, welcome to purchase it. I hope you sell thousands of ’em, but must be realistic about the state of the market (more specifically, my local market).
There’s a new “Fallen Angel Appreciation Thread” over on talk@newsarama. 😉
“While I may well be alone in this (though doubt it), but after that time, the most financially viable course I’ve found is that it is not my job to just promote YOUR book, but to promote ALL books. With the glut of titles out there today, if a publisher stands behind a title enough to do something to push it, that is a guideline I can use to give a little extra push as well. I note that DC did little or nothing to promote the ‘Dangerous Curves’ line — if they are not willing to put their full faith and credit behind those titles, then I must take that into account.”
I would think that the quality titles that are underpromoted by publishers would be the ones that are most in need of more retailer promotion. The Jim Lee Superman book will get comparatively ridiculous amounts of promotion everywhere, whereas something like Arrowsmith or Wildcats could benefit more from even the tiniest attention.
-Ralf
Jerome Maida
“There was a rumor going around that Barnes and Noble was going to open a string of comic stores soon.
Heavens, I hope it’s true. We need people to have greater accessibility to comics, and for those comics to be pushed.”
Heavens, I hope it’s *not* because I like working for a store that’s not part of a large multinational corporation. While yes, more comic shops = good makes sense, if these are chain stores backed by a large company which can use it’s weight to get bigger discounts from publishers (which chain bookstores, most notably B&N have done in the past) and thus undercut existing small retailers and drive them out of business, I’m not at all for it. Yes, it’s great that stores like B&N are carrying trades and it helps keep industry profile high, a line of specific comic stores owned by them would be a disaster. What if one of the big two publishers threw all their weight behind that kind of deal, cutting exclusive deals with them for products and discounts? What happens to the independent stores that have tried to support the industry for years? Most small bookstores can’t compete with a chain because they don’t have the capital or backing to afford to markdown every book 20%, 30% or 40%. Last time I checked Amazon still hasn’t turned a profit. How can small store compete against a company that can sell without having to worry about profit?
Lemme sum up…more comic stores is good, but more independently owned stores featuring a full, diverse line of product for all ages and tastes is best, and the only way to have a healthy, sustainable industry.
Thacher,
I understand your point. I really do, and i hope you and your store continued success. The reason I made my statement is for the simple reason that I feel many stores are already struggling, and in many cases, it’s their own fault.
Look, I love the industry. I always try to give local stores pub. I am known as the “comic book guy” for the Philadelphia Daily News. But I know of no other industry where the retailers (in general, mind you) have such defeatist attitudes about the industry as a whole, still have a “clubhouse” instead of business mentality and openly bash product they don’t personally like. I actually had one ridicule me for picking up “Emma Frost”.
As another example, there is one famous privately-owned store that actually had five stores in Philly less than ten years ago. Now they are down to two. Visit them during Free Comic Book Day and you’ll understand why. Instead of going all out and making a push to attract new readers, customers go in and ask about Free Comic Book Day, and are pointed to a table with stacks of them. Then the customers find out they have to spend $10 minimum to get their “free” comic!
Contrast that to the most successful store in Philly, which spent MONTHS promoting it and made it a day-long party.
Stores like the latter will always survive due to loyal customers they have worked hard to maintain.
But when there’s tons of cities that don’t even have comic stores, that’s a major problem.
Do I wish tons of independently owned comic stores would start popping up across the country? Absolutely.
Do I realistically expect it to happen?
No.
If business were booming, I could see being afraid that a “corporate chain” would take away a huge part of the pie. But right now the pie is so small and shrinking, SOMETHING must be done to enlarge it.
Also, the benefit of a “corporate” store is they would actually be more interested in actually seklling comics than bad-mouthing Chuck Austen, PAD, Christopher Priest, Joe Q, or whoever else they personally don’t like.
That’s all.
Jerome,
Which exactly is the most famous store in Philly? And which has the $10 minimum on FCBD? I wanna know so I can avoid the latter. And if the former isn’t already getting some of my business, I would like to start. Thanks.
Brian,
The successful store I was talking about is Atomic City/Showcase Comics on South Street. Those guys are really cool. They give out comics at movie premieres, donate a lot to libraries and stuff, and just a lot of other cool things that not only are fun, but good business for them in the long run. In fact, Marvel launched “The Truth” there.
I’d rather not name the store that’s gouging people, since I have yet to catch them in the act. Let’s just say it’s in Center City. That kind of narrows it down. I have heard complaints from over 10 people two years running now. But I haven’t caught them in the act (I think they recognize me as a writer) yet, and neither has another store that heard about what they were doing.
If you get to Atomic City, say hi to Martin and Mike for me:)
Yeah I’ve been to Atomic City before. Its been awhile though. The only Center City place I’ve been to is Fat Jack’s and I’ve seen them giving the Superman 10cent Adventure comic away for free, can’t imagine they’d gouge people on FCBD. The place I regularly go to is Brave New Worlds in Jenkintown. Top notch place all around. I went to FCBD2 there and they didn’t care how many books ya got, all they said was “try not to be greedy.” In other words, don’t grab a whole stack of the same comic so that they’d have enough for everyone.
Brian,
Yeah, Brave New Worlds sounds cool. Atomic City is the same way. They will let you take a bunch, as long as they are different and they don’t think you’re hoarding a bunch.
In fact, when I got some stuff for FCBD to give to my local library, not only did they give me the leftover free stuff, but they gave me regular issues of Supergirl, Spider-Girl, Peter Parker, Daredevil and many others. Their whole deal is to be good to their current customers while ALWAYS looking for new ones. This is something I wish more stores would do.
Showcase in Bryn Mawr is pretty cool as well. The owner donates a bit as well.
Possibly the worst is Comics and More at King of Prussia Mall. I remember asking if they had any leftover copies of “The Call” and “411”, the latter of which I loved, for our big library Open House. The guy said he couldn’t because things were tight. The next week, Isaw issues of “411” on sale for a DOLLAR each! He’d rather take sell them at a loss than donate them, get a tax write-off, and possibly attract new customers! It is that kind of inane thinking, that is, in my opinion, killing the industry.
PAD,
Are you going to be at WizardWorld Philly in three weeks? Because if you are, it would make a story on you and Fallen Angel a more saleable pitch if you are going to be in town, especially since it looks like we’ll be doing a WizardWorld package.
Also, please let me know about the other ideas I mentioned earlier in the thread.
Thanks.
Preferred 10-to-1 over the Serra Angel by intellig
If you read comics, and you’re not already, buy Fallen Angel! I realize it’s not going to match everyone’s tastes perfectly, but I think you owe it to yourselves to at least take a look at it.
Posted by Peter David at April 27, 2004 02:00 PM
The majority of potential readers out there *still* don’t know the book even exists.
Hello Peter,
With Previews Magazine and the Internet, how is it possible that a book published by a mainstream publisher can go ‘under the radar’?
I am aware that there is a portion of the customer base that are ‘walk ins’ and will buy what is only on the store shelf but I would consider them to be a small minority. I’d venture to say that 90% of the folks who buy their comics from a comic bookstore already know what they want and are going to get. The reason being that they have browsed the Internet or skimmed through Previews.
If not, then this leads to Micah Wright’s comment; ”I’m about an inch from giving up to the idea that other than about 50 good stores, the Direct Market is a cultural wasteland catering to the juvenile power fantasies of a dying breed of 40 year old geeks.”
Actually, I don’t know from Previews, and I have no idea how to find info on new comics on the Net (the publisher’s websites are a poor joke, IMO). Usually, the way I find out if I’m going to like a title is, I leaf through an issue and see what I can see about the characters, writing, artwork, and general feel.
Sadly, there are precious few comics stores that permit their customers to browse. They tend to keep the comics locked into mylar bags, and woe betide the simpleton who tries to find out anything about the book besides its title and cover art! Thus, unless it were commended to my attention by a thoughtful sales clerk, I would be unlikely to pick up “Fallen Angel”, “Stormwatch: Achilles”, or in fact any title that didn’t seem a sure thing.
Jonathan (the Other One),
Most of the stores you go to don’t let you browse? And even have the new releases in mylar? My goodness! Where do you live? As much problems as I’ve had with many local retailers in Philly and Scranton, not a one wouldn’t at least let customers browse!
Jerome,
The Showcase Comics in Granite Run Mall is also top notch. If they don’t have a book you’re looking for, they’ll call around to their other locations to see if they have it and if they do they’ll send it to that shop and they’ll call you when it arrives. Speaking of which, I still gotta pick up my Phantom #2…
There was once a Comics and More by Roosevelt Mall, don’t know if they’re connected to the one at King of Prussia, but I don’t remember them ever being very helpful. I only started going to them when my favorite shop ComiCards closed down and I didn’t know of anywhere else to go.
As for PAD at WW Philly, as of right now, his name’s not on the Guest List.
I won’t be at the Wizard convention. Wizard doesn’t invite me to their conventions. I’m not sure why, but it just doesn’t happen. The only reason I was at the Philly one last year was because I called and asked them. Otherwise I guess I’m just not important enough for them.
As for how comics can fly under the radar: Easy. The general rule of thumb is that, if you’re pushing a new product, the potential customer has to have ten to fifteen “exposures” (or “impressions” must be made) before it makes any sort of real dent in the customer’s consciousness. The books which sell well are the books that have ad upon ad upon ad out there.
“Fallen Angel” was the subject of a Newsarama article and a single Previews write-up. It was also featured in a flier that DC put out once. No ads in comics. No ads in CBG or magazines. Zero coverage in “Wizard.” That means the average comic fan had a maximum–MAXIMUM–of three exposures to it. That doesn’t even begin to cut through the signal-to-noise ratio. With three, four, five issues out, people would say, “Fallen Angel? What’s that?” Whether it’s believable or not, it’s true.
PAD
I am aware that there is a portion of the customer base that are ‘walk ins’ and will buy what is only on the store shelf but I would consider them to be a small minority. I’d venture to say that 90% of the folks who buy their comics from a comic bookstore already know what they want and are going to get.
Ack. I think that’s a sign of a sick industry. You HAVE to have a fair chunk of your audience be casual or impulse buyer, particularly for low cost items like comics
Well PAD, you may not want to follow Micah Wright’s ideas anymore, given the latest revelations.
Oh, and there seems to be a rumor going around that you’re saying people should SWITCH their orders from their comic shop to Amazon. I don’t see you saying anything of the sort, but I thought I’d give you a heads-up.
In any event, I’ve bought the singles, but I’m trying not to get too attached to any series anymore given the short life-spans involved. I’d be sad to see FA go, but there will be other PAD comics.
Posted by Jonathan (the other one) at May 2, 2004 01:36 PM
Actually, I don’t know from Previews, and I have no idea how to find info on new comics on the Net (the publisher’s websites are a poor joke, IMO). Usually, the way I find out if I’m going to like a title is, I leaf through an issue and see what I can see about the characters, writing, artwork, and general feel.
Hello Jonathan,
I would suggest the following web sites if you want to get some decent info on upcoming books instead of the hyped up ads you find on the publishers’ web sites;
http://www.previewsreview.com/
http://www.comicsworthreading.com/previews/index.html
Hope this helps
Posted by Matt Adler at May 3, 2004 01:46 AM
Well PAD, you may not want to follow Micah Wright’s ideas anymore, given the latest revelations.
You mean that bit from the Washington Post?
Geez, he admitted as such before on his forum. Anyway, it doesn’t discredit what he has to say about the industry or take away anything from his writing.
Bottom line, I just find it hilarious that he lied about being a Ranger.
Brian, it’s becoming very clear from other sources that Wright posted his admission in his forum because he knew the Washington Post story was about to appear. The Post notified his book publisher beforehand.