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economy and comics.

Posted by leo on January 23, 2010 at 9:52am in INTRODUCTIONS
aloha everyone! leo from hawaii here, just wondering how is this terrible economy affecting comics in general? how about web comics? do you think people will spend 3-10 bucks on a comic or graphic novel?
i know the boreders book store on the big island is sinking because people are not buying books. howzit going where you live?
aloha. 
le0

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  • Martin Murtonen May 18, 2010 at 6:30pm
    ...and Buzz, there is nothing stopping anyone from producing that type of product today. Nothing but will.
  • leo May 17, 2010 at 6:43pm
    I cannot express how sad it makes me when i think of how comic books and books in general are going the way of old records and vhs tapes. i used to be in the animation biz and it broke my heart to see tradional animation dwindle. ( i know it has not gone but its not what it used to be!) and now to think that comic books too... im not stupid im not about to hold on and not adapt to the new digital world, i do have a webcomic that is 100% digital so i am no stranger to computers. but man i really miss the ol hand drawn days. it really breaks my heart. just goes to show that our hope should be in Christ alone not in art or anything temporal.
    le0
    www.aydellon.com
  • Ron Neal May 17, 2010 at 6:19pm
    This is a great thread. In my opinion I do like to view comics on line. But I love to hold and feel and smell a brand new comic in my hands. There is nothing better. I can still smell the ink on my first Fantastic Four. I really hope they do not go away.
  • Calvary Comics May 15, 2010 at 10:03am
    Well, Bob, from where I sit this appears to be 'transition time," so it's not like print media is going to disappear overnight or even in the next year, but it is happening. All the best to you in your driving tour! And Leo, nobody said you can't create comics, especially evangelistic ones, and put them online, or even publish them if you have the available funds. Creativity should never be stifled by economics---but we should be aware of the present situation so that we can make intelligent decisions that will allow us to make a return on our investments to fund future endeavors.

    Kind regards in Christ Jesus,

    Alec
  • Bob Luedke May 15, 2010 at 9:11am
    ...at least that's what I'm hoping as I embark on a nationwide driving tour to sell some! lol.....

    bob-
  • Bob Luedke May 15, 2010 at 9:10am
    Think it's the same story all over, Leo (with some exceptions of course). But most book/comic retailers are suffering because of this economy and to some extent with the advancement of digitial ways to get materials.

    But "they've" been predicting the end of the comic industry now about every 10 years or so going back to the 1950's, and I think through it all it will survive, because a percentage of the people just like to have a comic (or book) in their hands and that's not going to change anytime soon.

    bob-
  • Martin Murtonen May 14, 2010 at 11:19am
    According to marketing Guru's Al Ries, Jack Trout, Laura Ries (and maybe some others) things always diverge. When a new technology comes onto the market, it doesn't necessarily replace the original technology or approach - even though it may become more popular than the original.

    There was and is still a place for Black & White Photo's in a full color world.
    There is still a place for camera with film in a digital camera world.
    There is still a place for Radio, even though there is MTV. (It didn't kill the Radio Star)
    There is still a place for traditional film in movies, though everything is going digital.
    There is still a place for Vinyl in a CD market.
    There is still a place for CD's in a Digital market.
    There will always be a place for the written word in a digital market.

    When technology fails -i.e. My batteries die, my contraption breaks or gets run over, the power is out...A book still works - my digital book not so much.

    SO - Digital books/comics is a new medium - but will never replace the physical book. At least not completely. There is room for both, and there is room for innovation in both spaces. It's the people who capitalize on the new technology - and get there first that will make money.

    I think using the digital space to garner interest in the product and selling in conjunction with the physical piece is the way to go.

    Give people a digital version - if enough demand requests a physical copy provide it then. OR if you have enough funds, provide both - and give people the option of getting the physical, the digital, or both at the same time.

    WHERE DIGITAL SHINES IS FOR THE SELF PUBLISHER. You can produce the product for sale for basically the cost of your effort to produce it. Then you can turn around and sell it immediately as a digital download. Bing. Bang. Boom. Done.

    No worrying about having a thousand copies sitting in your basement, no worrying about high printing costs, no worrying about shipping and handling etc.

    You do have to worry about illegal file sharing - but in the end, it takes more effort and money to chase those folks down than it is worth.

    People will be willing to pay for the amount of effort that's been put into a product. If you put a lot of effort into your (digital) book, and you feel it's worth $15 sell it for that much. Or if you feel it's worth $5 sell it for that much. Also consider how much you would pay for said product and in what format (i.e. Physical may be worth $15 - but you have to take into account cost of shipping, paper etc. The digital may be worth $5 since the "book" is 100 pages.)

    Then the other side of it is - the only way you will sell your book is if people know it exists. This is called "Marketing". Then it is up to you to put the effort in to get those books or digital copies out to your audience.

    If Borders is sinking because no one is buying books off their shelves, they're doing their own marketing wrong. They are
    a) Not creating an incentive for people to come to their store to buy
    b) Carrying the wrong books because they aren't listening to the customer
    c) Relying on the classic method of "If you build it they will come" which returns to a)

    Also, if the authors of the product aren't being picked up either, then the product isn't relevant to that persons life at that time (if ever). In a down economy, one of the first things to go is the frivolous. $6.99 on a book? Or $6.99 to feed myself? Then it's up to the creators to innovate reasons for people to buy their product.

    The digital vs. physical book is not an "either or". It's a "which one and why and for what purpose". They are not at odds with each other. Understand the benefits and negatives of each, and use to your advantage accordingly.
  • Calvary Comics May 14, 2010 at 8:45am
    Just one last thought: I'm reminded of similar transitions (though less dramatic) in times past, such as when CDs came on the scene circa 1985, and by 1990 vinyl had been phased out. Interestingly, record company execs have been lamenting the death of the CD since Christmas 2008, since so many listen to music for free via the 'net or their ipods, etc. With print on its way out and digital fast becoming the standard mode of reading, we need to keep pace with current methods of getting our work out there and netting some kind of financial return. Wowio seemed to be just one possibility, but I don't see anyone making the wages there that they would with a professional publisher. A new business model is obviously what even the secular marketers are scrambling to set up; we'll see where the dust settles.
  • Joe Chiappetta May 13, 2010 at 8:42am
    Whatever actually happens, it will be most interesting to see how it unfolds. I believe God will humble all media outlets--digital too. In fact it's a theme in the sci-fi novel I just released.
  • leo May 13, 2010 at 8:11am
    When radio came books were supposed to die. than movies and books were supposed to fade again, now the internet and everyone is saying the written word will be a thing of the past. i wonder if comics fall in there?
    le0

    Calvary Comics said:
    Print media is dying a rapid death. The "go green" crowd couldn't be happier. Digital is the future. I expect we'll see cursive handwriting disappear from use as well. It's already a rather antique flourish. Secular comics are selling terribly. Take a look at these January, 2010 sales figures, as reported by Diamond. Remember that these numbers are inflated, as most books are returnable:

    http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2010/2010-01.html

    Only two titles sold over 100,000 titles, and that's it. That's terrible! DC used to cancel any comic in the early '70s that sold under 200,000 copies. I understand that it was a different price point and different economic situation, but in the end, numbers are numbers. Superman used to sell a million copies per month in the late '60s. Mad magazine used to sell 2.5 million copies per issue in 1973 (and has just gone quarterly; I predict it will be altogether cancelled in a year or two). Millions of North Americans used to read comics. Today's core audience in the U.S. is about 250,000, if not less. Don't be fooled by the attendance numbers of the San Diego Con and the like; the hype/draw isn't comics per se. Shonen Jump used to be the top selling manga mag five years ago, selling 300,000 copies per issue; it sold only 3,014 copies in January, 2010.

    Mainstream secular comics, as a friend in the industry recently said to me, are strictly "research and development" for the comic book-related movies. Their function has changed. And for the most part they haven't really been kid-friendly for decades, anyway.

    Buzz, I'm familiar with the late E. C. publisher Bill Gaines' "hot dog economics," but it's still hilarious, because there's a(n onion) ring of truth in it.

    Print media isn't gone just yet---I intend to publish at least two more 'hardcopy books' within the next twelve months---but the writing's on the wall. Remember, fellow Christians, we're just strangers and pilgrims here. What we have in Christ is eternal and not fading away (like the world around us).
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