Making a comic book can be tough work, especially when a creator has to do it as a hobby while holding down a day job. It’s thankless while the book’s in progress, but finishing it is quite an accomplishment. For the small or self publisher though, honing their comic-making talents is only half the battle. In order to make the comic any kind of financial success, the creator has to develop an entirely different skill set: marketing. No matter how amazing a comic may be, readers will not be drawn to its greatness by magnetism. They have to hear about it somewhere, and it has to be available to them somehow. This segment of Small Press Month will examine the trials and pitfalls of building a readership.
When faced with a complex challenge, the best way to develop a strategy is to start at the goal and work backwards. In the case of indie comics, that pretty much always means having their books sold by the direct market. (Bookstores and digital sales are also possible goals, but this article will be limited to physical single issues.) The easiest way into comic shops is through a distributor like Diamond, but being listed in “Previews” does not ensure the listing will receive orders. Drumming up interest in the book is still on the shoulders of the publisher, and the four best outlets to do that are conventions, a website, social media, and the comic press.
Let’s examine each link in the chain, focusing on its importance and the problems it presents to small publishers.
The Retailers
The importance of the direct market to comic sales is obvious. Ever since the direct market formed, both mainstream and independent publishers have relied on it more and more to support less-marketable titles. Although the trend is reversing itself thanks to growing OGN and trade departments in bookstores, specialty shops are still the only way to find most monthly issues.
When asked, pretty much every comic shop owner will say the small press portion of the industry is “very important”, and they’ll have a variety of reasons why. Being an important part of their bottom line is not one of those reasons. Like nearly all their other product, retailers buy their small press books on a non-returnable basis. If they can’t sell it, they’re out money. Bigger companies can offer bigger discounts on their books than small companies can, although discounts are somewhat nebulous and are calculated based on a number of variables. It’s not uncommon for the retailer’s cost for an indie book to be 20% or more than a Marvel book with the same cover price. That means selling 100 copies of a Miscellaneous book instead of 100 copies of “Avengers” brings in $80 less profit. Likewise, having 100 unsold copies sit on the shelf puts the retailer $80 further in the hole.
Risk reduction is a big part of succeeding in business, and small press books that haven’t been pre-sold are often seen as too risky. For that reason, retailers will typically only order enough copies to satisfy their customer orders, plus a few extra if it seems popular. An indie comic (or its creator) will have to be “hot” before most retailers will take a chance on being well stocked. Sometimes, even that isn’t enough. When “Saga” first debuted, not even Brian K. Vaughn’s name was enough to inspire confidence. After repeated sell-outs and reprintings, Eric Stephenson had to shame retailers into properly stocking their shelves. If top talent at a premier publisher has that much trouble, you can imagine what smaller ones go through.
There are other retail options for some books, like Hot Topic, but they can be very unreliable. Their customers typically buy comics on impulse, which means they’re not dependable readers. The secondary outlets can also be flaky on orders, which means any reader who comes back looking for the next issue could be out of luck. Plus, non-direct market outlets operate on returnability, which means the publishers who sell to them need to keep cash on hand to issue refunds.
The Distributor
If a small publisher can get its title carried by a distributor (usually Diamond), it gains immediate access to a nationwide network of comic shops. Because distributors make money by selling product from their catalog, it’s in their interest to help small publishers be successful. To that end, each publisher listed in “Previews” is assigned a Brand Manager. Brand Managers work with publishers to take advantage of a variety of perks, such as categorizing a book as a spotlight, staff pick, or ‘certified cool’. Comics can also be included in the thematic marketing “Previews” runs on occasion, like spotlighting horror books for Halloween. There’s also standard advertising, which Caitlin McCabe, one of the Purchasing and Brand Managers at Diamond, describes as “cost effective.” (Keep in mind, one man’s cost effective is another man’s cost prohibitive.
As sweet as landing a spot in “Previews” sounds, it isn’t always easy to do. There’s a cost associated with the logistics of distributing a catalog-worth of material across an entire nation, and that means Diamond has to be selective about what it will list. If a product doesn’t generate a large enough return, Diamond can lose money by carrying it. To protect itself, Diamond has two stages of curation. The first is during the submission process. Before a new title is listed in “Previews”, the publisher has to submit a copy of the finished product for review. If Diamond’s selection team doesn’t think the comic is of high enough quality, it will be rejected. The second stage comes after the book has been solicited and orders have been placed. If the wholesale orders don’t meet a certain minimum ($2500, or ~$6000 retail), the received orders will be canceled and Diamond will not stock the book.
Being turned away at the second stage does not preclude re-listing at a later date. The most obvious step publishers can take to improve their wholesale orders is raising their cover price, but that strategy is short term and will have diminishing returns. Higher cover prices mean higher whole sale prices, and that means retailers will be less inclined to order anything above what they’ve presold. A second option is to repackage the monthly comics into a higher priced graphic novel. This was the method used by James Turner’s “Warlord of Io”, one of the first and highest profile books to be turned down when the minimum was raised in 2009. The downside to this option is the greater amount of time between starting the work and any amount of compensation or reader feedback. The third – and most stable – solution is to increase awareness and demand for the comic through channels outside of Diamond.
If a small publisher wants (or needs) an alternative to Diamond in today’s market, the best choice may not actually be a distributor, but a sales representative. Tony Shenton makes his living as a one-man promotion machine. He specializes in mini-comics, but has also worked with larger companies such as Fantagraphics and Boom!. If he sees potential in a creator or project, he works with over 130 comic shops around the country to generate orders for it. By taking advantage of his experience, reputation, and established relationships, self-publishers can relieve themselves of some of the troubles of marketing. Shenton can also offer some valuable advice to self-publishers even if he doesn’t carry them. Then there’s a handful of distributors who focus on niche material and backlist material that doesn’t meet Diamond’s minimums, such as Last Gasp, AK Press and Parcell Press.
The obvious draw back to a non-Diamond option is the lack of penetration into the market. Most of the shops Shenton communicates with are regular buyers of indie press books, but those stores are a small fraction of the direct market. The same flaw affects the other distributors as well. Retailers have always preferred to work with as few distributors as possible to minimize paperwork for orders, shipment lists, and invoices while maximizing any volume discounts. Even in the late 80s and early 90s, there were many retailers who had accounts with only one distributor. Some locations, like GOSH! Comics or The Beguiling are willing to utilize dozens of distributors, but most are Diamond only.
Continued below
The Retailers, revisited
Diamond is not the only method for getting a comic into a comic shop, just the largest and easiest. Some self-publishers and prominent small publishers like Adhouse cut out the middle man and sell directly to the retailers. If the risk of unsold copies is still an impediment, self-publishers can offer their books on a consignment basis instead. Consignment eliminates all risk for the retailer, which means they’re much more likely to stock a book. By upfront sale or consignment getting a comic in shops this way is a slow process. Terms must be negotiated on a store-by-store basis, and diligent record keeping is a must. Dennis Kitchen used this method when he started Kitchen Sink Press and found quite a bit of success with it.
Before the internet, small publishers doing their own distribution were mostly limited to stores within their personal travel limits. Now, they have access to any retailer willing to respond to an email. The digital records offered by old emails also make it easier to keep track of each store’s arrangements and past sales.
Conventions
For the small publisher trying to build readership, conventions (and in-store signings) come with opportunities that can’t be matched on any other way. They provide creators the chance to talk one-on-one with potential readers and tailor their pitch accordingly. Providing background details on the book’s production from a personal and professional standpoint help readers connect to the material on a deeper level, which increases the chances they’ll take a chance and buy it. Plus, having a booth at a convention with prominent signing may catch the eye of a reader (or retailer) who will remember it if they see it in “Previews” or elsewhere in the future. Name recognition is always good.
For most small time creators, conventions aren’t a money making proposition. Even the ones centered on small press like SPX or APE can rarely offer a self-publisher the chance to do more than break even after travel expenses, printing costs, and the fee for table space. Most creators are willing to endure the financial loss for the chance to bond with their fans, but even that can have a downside. Once a conversation has been struck up with a potential reader, it’s important to avoid making them feel guilty if they don’t buy the book. This is especially true if the creator decides to delve into behind-the-scenes information. There’s a mile of difference between “I’ve been working on this story since I was 9” and “Working on this comic ruined my marriage, and I had to mortgage my house to pay the printing costs.”
Websites
A website devoted to either a comic or a creator can pay big dividends in the long run. Letting readers browse through samples, previews, or entire issues for free lets them get a feel for a creator’s abilities without having to make any investment. Partnerships with other webcomics offer free, targeted advertisement that can grow readerships for both comics. Several print comics got their start on the web, including “Axe Cop” and “Strong Female Protagonist”.
The downside to websites is the time, money, and effort required to create and maintain them. When first started, they also suffer the same problem print comics have: an audience has to be built. Unless the creator or publisher already has a strong online network they can rely on to give the website an early boost, it might be best to use the website as a reference point for readers who have heard about the comic through other means rather than a starting point for random surfers who followed a link.
Social Media
Having a social media account, either tied specifically to a comic or just for the creator, is a great way to connect to readers. Keeping fans in the loop with respect to the creation process is a great way to give them a stronger emotional connection to the book. This is doubly true if the publication schedule isn’t regular and there’s been more than a month between releases. If it’s used in conjunction with a website, social media can also alleviate some of the pressure to keep it constantly updated. Plus, there’s always the chance a fan will share, retweet, or otherwise pass along a post or link and introduce the book to a new audience. And it’s all free.
In fact, the costless nature of social media has prompted some creators, like Madeline Flores, to forgo other outlets and use Tumblr as her primary source of distribution for “Help Us Great Warrior”. She was able to develop enough of a following that way for Boom! to pick up the book for a new monthly print series.
The major pitfall for social media is the risk of sharing too much. If a reader wants updates from a creator on the new issue, then the creator had better not make a habit of sharing pictures of breakfast and complaining about the day job. Running an account for a comic also requires some discretion – sharing an opinion on a controversial topic may draw attention and support from some new potential readers, but it can just as easily backfire and alienate current readers faster than a bad issue of a comic. It’s also important to remember that, while there are important issues the industry needs to address to improve itself, it’s not a good idea to carelessly and publicly air grievances with others in the comic industry unless a creator is absolutely certain he or she will never want or need to work with those people (or their friends).
The Comic Press
As mentioned earlier, Retailers are more likely to order a small press book if it’s considered ‘hot.’ That can seem a chicken and the egg problem to publishers trying to get their books into stores – stores aren’t interested unless it’s hot, but it can’t be hot unless it’s selling, and it can’t sell unless it’s in stores. One way to jump start this self-feeding cycle is to get a comic into the hands of people with a soapbox and an audience.
It’s unlikely USA Today or The LA Times will run a review of a Miscellaneous book, but there are lots of comic-centered websites (hi!) willing to run articles covering comics that are submitted to them for review. For the most part, it’s free and comes with zero-risk. If the comic isn’t any good, decent comic sites won’t run a negative review of it. After all, why bother telling people to avoid something they wouldn’t encounter otherwise? The creator may even get some much needed constructive criticism back from the reviewer. On the other hand, being liked by a reviewer can translate into additional interest and new sales.
On a positive note, the people who read comic websites are interested in hearing about new books. Going purely by Multiversity numbers, a review of something uncommon like Duffman #1 is viewed by the same number of people who want to read a review of Amazing Spider-Man #3 or Guardians of the Galaxy #14. Do page views translate into sales? Certainly not. “Duffman” sales were nowhere near “ASM” or “GotG” numbers. Do page views translate into stronger brand awareness? Absolutely. Even though there’s no way to prove it, you can be sure some people were oblivious to the existence of “Duffman” prior to that review. That kind of awareness can make the difference in a reader browsing an indie comic instead of ignoring it, and browsing it may lead to buying it. Plus, multiple positive reviews of a book across different sites may convince retailers the book is less risky.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve read it, most of this article probably feels obvious in hindsight. Nothing in it was secret or hidden, but it’s also not a list of things many comic readers consider all at one time. So, what can you as a reader do with this information? That’s up to you, but I hope the context will make you a little more receptive to listening to a pitch at a convention or browsing something new at your comic shop. The smaller the publisher, the harder they’re working to get your attention.
