Hey Jesus freaks,
I recently discovered Comixology, and have bought a few online comics from their site. I've been pleased with the experience of reading a comic on my computer, but even more pleased with the price. If I buy a comic at the comic store, then by the time shipping and retail has been added it costs me just over $8 to buy a comic here in Australia. If I buy the same comic online it costs me $4, often even $2! Half or a quarter of the price of a physical comic from the shop.
I'm seriously contemplating buying most of my comics as downloads from now on, but I am wondering about whether it will affect the industry in a positive or negative light. I don't have a lot of economic smarts, so I don't know what the effects of more sales online will be, apart from the obvious effect of a lot of retail comic stores losing business, and printers losing business.
SO... all you comic guys out there with some knowledge about this sort of thing, please impart your knowledge/opinion here; what will be the long-term effects of buying a download rather than a paperback comic, and will the ramifications be mostly positive or mostly negative?
Do any of you guys buy download versions as well? I still love a physical comic that I can flip through, but maybe that is just due to nostalgia.
Thoughts?
Replies
Sweet! Thanks, Matt - let me know what you think.
Matt Baker said:
Well josh, I'm supposed to be busily finishing a calendar right now, midnight in Australia, but instead I've bought issue #1 of Araknid Kid and want to read it. I'll reward myself by reading it when I've finished, I guess.
Josh Alves said:
I wouldn't say that I've got it figured out - but I'm trying to! :)
Matt Baker said:
That's really cool, sounds like you've got it figured out! (insert thumbs-up sign here.)
Josh Alves said:
For me - I net more.
Going the self-pub route - I haven't been able to print high enough quantities to lower the price per copy. My comics were print-on-demand, so by the time I printed them, shipped them to me, packaged and sent them to the buyers or sold them at shows - I barely broke even.
I've netted enough income just independently doing the interactive children's books, that each book starts to pay (myself) for production of the next one. And the next book encourages sales of the prior books. And it's building soft-income streams (we'll see how it goes over the next few months - I just completed my first year of full-time freelance and published my first interactive book last December)
So, for the creator - digital is a GREAT way to get work out there and exposure so that each projects builds the next one.
My ultimate goal is still in printed copies though. Ideally, using the digital income to fund it (for a, hopefully, built-in audience).
Matt Baker said:
Steve, wow, really interesting perspectives there, I agree with a lot of that.
I love printed comics, but here's the benefits I see with digital, purely from a reader's viewpoint, not a creator (I agree with Josh's viewpoint as a creator):
1. CHEAPER! I can buy up to 4 comics for the price of one. More reading goodness for my money.
2. I can zoom right in on the art or blow it up full screen; extra appreciation, better colours.
3. A well stocked shelf is cool, absolutely, but after collecting comics for 20 years (oh my goodness, where'd THAT time go?), even though I've thrown out a bunch of them, I've still got 6 boxes of comics to store, not including the favourites on my shelf. Much easier and less space to store them in a hard drive or on the cloud.
4. Out and about, if one has their iPad with them, one can have a choice of hundreds of comics to read without having hundreds of comics in their backpack. (Ok this one is a pretty weak point, as life was just fine before that option, but it's still a point).
But yeah, despite all that I do still love sitting down with a nicely printed graphic novel :)
Steve Crespo said:
Josh, good points. I'm curious, as a creator, do you make more, less or just as much net profit from a comic sold online compared to a printed comic?
Josh Alves said:
It's only a matter of time before ALL publishing goes digital. Cost, of course, is a major advantage for both the creator and the publisher, but also the whole "going green" nonsense is also a huge factor.
I am very wary of digital publishing, and a bit sad over it.
I intend to hold out as long as possible for two reasons...
Anyhoo... them's my thoughts.
I approach this issue from a creator perspective - I love having digital as an option!
I have comics available on Graphicly ( Araknid Kid ) and interactive children's books published digitally ( like this one ) and it's a super cost-effective way to get work out and earn income. And it's quick! I can be done with a book, and have it 24 hours later.
I like buying digital as I think it's a way of "try-before-you-buy". If I really like something, then I'd go get the physical copy. I still prefer flipping through something than viewing on a screen (particularly Trades/Graphic Novels).
I think this trend will encourage innovation on the print side of things - motivating printers/designers to play with look/feels of a book in an attempt to make them "bookshelf" worthy. I've seen some fun stuff done with regular novels - like making the book look and feel like an old journal.