Comments on: Free on the web equals sales? http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:03:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Rick http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-676269 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:13:56 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-676269 There is definitely something appealing about a really entertaining comic which can be viewed for free by anyone with an internet connection (a fairly sizeable audience). One big problem, as I see it, anyway, is getting anyone to notice in the first place! And if they do somehow find it amid all the other "stuff" that's out there and actually come back for more, it has to be good enough to pull them back to spend ten seconds each day reading it. Ten seconds of a stranger's time is a lot to ask these days. These were my thoughts when I started RICK PARKER's COMICS & STORIES last year. With plans to publish eventually, and in agreement with some of the points made by others above, I offer my new free online comic strip OEUVRE, at http://www.rickparkercomics.blogspot.com There is definitely something appealing about a really entertaining comic which can be viewed for free by anyone with an internet connection (a fairly sizeable audience). One big problem, as I see it, anyway, is getting anyone to notice in the first place! And if they do somehow find it amid all the other “stuff” that’s out there and actually come back for more, it has to be good enough to pull them back to spend ten seconds each day reading it. Ten seconds of a stranger’s time is a lot to ask these days. These were my thoughts when I started RICK PARKER’s COMICS & STORIES last year. With plans to publish eventually, and in agreement with some of the points made by others above, I offer my new free online comic strip OEUVRE, at http://www.rickparkercomics.blogspot.com

]]> by: STWALLSKULL » Interesting Links: December 20, 2007 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-641224 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:31:44 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-641224 [...] Free on the web equals sales? from THE BEAT [...] […] Free on the web equals sales? from THE BEAT […]

]]> by: Rich Stahnke http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-627617 Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:52:41 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-627617 Yeah, a company like yours that has an existing catalog of material can make great use of Wowio as a new source of income and as a way to gain more exposure. Yeah, a company like yours that has an existing catalog of material can make great use of Wowio as a new source of income and as a way to gain more exposure.

]]> by: Chris Crosby http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-627598 Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:30:24 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-627598 Definitely, Rich. My company Blatant Comics has had its books on WOWIO since August and we're doing very with them. http://www.wowio.com/users/searchresults.asp?nPublisherId=53 Definitely, Rich. My company Blatant Comics has had its books on WOWIO since August and we’re doing very with them. http://www.wowio.com/users/searchresults.asp?nPublisherId=53

]]> by: Rich Stahnke http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-627015 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:23:41 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-627015 The Wowio service is growing as well, offering creators another outlet for their creator owned material. You can find older books like "Alien Legion" and "Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters" alongside more recent works. The opportunity to read a book for free logically will lead to future purchases of the physical copies of those books at conventions or from publisher web sites. That's one reason I got hooked up with them. http://www.wowio.com/users/searchresults.asp?nPublisherId=116 The Wowio service is growing as well, offering creators another outlet for their creator owned material. You can find older books like “Alien Legion” and “Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters” alongside more recent works. The opportunity to read a book for free logically will lead to future purchases of the physical copies of those books at conventions or from publisher web sites. That’s one reason I got hooked up with them.
http://www.wowio.com/users/searchresults.asp?nPublisherId=116

]]> by: Chris Crosby http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-626857 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:20:34 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-626857 Strange that the article didn't mention PENNY ARCADE, PERRY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP, or MEGATOKYO. Strange that the article didn’t mention PENNY ARCADE, PERRY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP, or MEGATOKYO.

]]> by: Glenn Hauman http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625597 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:42:33 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625597 You mean putting comics on the web, for free, might be a good idea after all? <a href="http://www.comicmix.com/comics/" rel="nofollow">Okay, we'll get right on that, then.</a> But nobody tell Marvel, okay? Some VP's job probably hangs on the fact that they supported the subscription model. You mean putting comics on the web, for free, might be a good idea after all?

Okay, we’ll get right on that, then.

But nobody tell Marvel, okay? Some VP’s job probably hangs on the fact that they supported the subscription model.

]]> by: Daniel Warner http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625502 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:43:04 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625502 Science Fiction authors have been making the case for the positive sales impact of 'free on the web' for the past few years and have had tremendous results. Publishers and creators seem hesitant to adopt the same model with comics because reading a graphic novel online might be an inherently *better* experience than reading a prose novel online thereby not having the same effect on print version sales. Still, experiments are happening. IDW is going to release a free, Creative Commons Licensed version of 'Cory Doctorows Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now' at the same time the print edition is released. I think it is clear that 'free on the web' is the way to go. It is becoming a matter of how best to go about it. Science Fiction authors have been making the case for the positive sales impact of ‘free on the web’ for the past few years and have had tremendous results.

Publishers and creators seem hesitant to adopt the same model with comics because reading a graphic novel online might be an inherently *better* experience than reading a prose novel online thereby not having the same effect on print version sales.

Still, experiments are happening. IDW is going to release a free, Creative Commons Licensed version of ‘Cory Doctorows Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now’ at the same time the print edition is released.

I think it is clear that ‘free on the web’ is the way to go. It is becoming a matter of how best to go about it.

]]> by: Kevin Colden http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625420 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:55:35 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625420 Not surprising at all. Web serialization is the place to be. Not surprising at all. Web serialization is the place to be.

]]> by: JimShelley http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625414 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:51:03 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/12/13/free-on-the-web-equals-sales/#comment-625414 Well, this is certainly very cool! As one might guess from my Flashback Universe site, I'm a big believer in the Free equals Success theory. It's not a new idea in the Software world, but it's interesting to see it carried out in other arenas... Well, this is certainly very cool! As one might guess from my Flashback Universe site, I’m a big believer in the Free equals Success theory. It’s not a new idea in the Software world, but it’s interesting to see it carried out in other arenas…

]]>