Comments on: Online Graphic Novels Make Great Reads, Cost You Nothing

by: Travis Seitler

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:28:40 +0000

“I need to invest shelf money on companies who want to help me sell books.”

Sheesh! Talk about the tail wagging the dog… I thought publishers were supposed to be primarily focused on getting their material into readers’ hands, REGARDLESS of the vehicle. Silly me.

by: Bill Williams

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:52:52 +0000

I’m not sure about the reason for the US only distribution from WOWIO, but I think it has something to do with an advertisers desire to advertise to a potential customer. As in, I’m not sure that Verison is available in Belgium.

And that Connecticut Yankee book is a novel with illustrations.

Bill

by: Al

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:42:20 +0000

Bill Wiliams, a lot of the free WOWIO comics seem to be limited to USA-only distribution.

But ironically, the comic pdf entitled Connecticut Yankee WAS available for me to download.
Maybe WOWIO will soon see international distribution as a possibility.

by: Rick Parker

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:46:49 +0000

In case anyone is interested, it seems I’m just one of a growing number of artists who has started his or her new free web comic. Mine’s called (RICK PARKER’s COMICS & STORIES) and it’s available worldwide to anyone with an internet connection. Sure, it takes a lot of my time and I’m making no money doing it, but it’s finally great for me to be able to use the skills I’ve acquired over the last 50 years to create something entirely of my own making and without having to submit it for approval to a potential publisher. My goal for the site and my pledge to comics fans is to add at least one new panel each day and I dare anyone to try and stop me. I invite Heidi MacDonald, and all of her readers at THE BEAT to check it out.

by: Bill Williams

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:24:23 +0000

I thought the main complaint was the ‘no prior warning’ part of the deal.

by: Colin

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:06:24 +0000

The main point of contention from retailers isn’t just that BOOM! waited to announce the promotion until the day before it arrived in the stores, but that they are going to be putting all of the issues online at the same time they are released in the stores. Putting the first issue up to get people interested in the store is great. But not all of the issues, especially after taking non-cancelable orders for the books already. But as Pete says, BOOM doesn’t sell much, so it’s not a big deal.

Here is the press release that got retailers upset.

BOOM! STUDIOS AND MYSPACE COMIC BOOKS LAUNCH NORTH WIND

New Comic To Be Simultaneously Released In Stores And Online

LOS ANGELES- January 3rd, 2008 - MySpace, the world’s most popular social network, and BOOM! Studios, a leader in comic book and graphic novel publishing, today announced a partnership to provide the MySpace Comic Book community with free digital downloads of BOOM! Studios’ highly anticipated new comic book series, NORTH WIND. Beginning on January 3rd , MySpace users will be able to download the first issue of NORTH WIND for free exclusively on the MySpace Comic Books profile (http://myspace.com/comicbooks) the next day that issue will hit store shelves. Each subsequent issue will be available on MySpace Comic Books and in stores at the same time.

“NORTH WIND is a fantastic comic book with incredible art and an intense story. It’s a huge project for us and a real stand-out title that deserves its own stand-out marketing program,” said Tom Fassbender, VP of Publishing for BOOM! Studios. “We are huge fans of MySpace Comic Books and we are excited about working with them on simultaneously releasing each issue online.”

by: Bill Williams

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:03:10 +0000

The ad support in a WOWIO book is a single page ad at the beginning of the book and one at then end. It is not like comics from the big two that are littered with 8-page comic inserts and car ads. On the www.WOWIO.com home page, they have a book that you can download without registration. It is an excellent version of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain.

In terms of load times, I find the flash-based online comics pretty irritating too.

Bill

by: Pete

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:32:31 +0000

I’m a retailer. Boom studios sells so few comics, that this is pretty far below the radar for most retailers. If a couple people enjoy the book on-line, then likely they will come in looking for more issues, and maybe the company will survive past the first few years. But again, this is a blip. -pete

by: Comic Book Reader

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:18:47 +0000

I’m not a big fan of the ad supported model for making comic books profitable. There are a lot of other types of books that do this, and for me it just makes it seem more like a magazine, not a book. What I am really excited for is when they begin turning the online versions into mini-flash type movies or swv files so that is a little movement to the online version. That may entice some people… perhaps follow a Radiohead model: customers can decide how much they think it is worth and pay that.

by: Rambling and Linkblogging | Funnybook Babylon

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:25:58 +0000

[...] I’m still trying to figure out the significance of the controversy about Boom Studio’s efforts to promote North Wind. On one hand, the expectations of the audience have changed, as has the nature of the industry. If retailers are interested in long-term viability, they have to start embracing aggressive and innovative (for the comics industry) marketing practices. And sometimes that means losing a little bit of money today (with a free issue) for more money tomorrow (if customers want to pick up the trade or buy the second issue). On the other, Boom handled this really poorly, especially for a company competing in a crowded marketplace. I’d imagine that retailers are just looking for reasons to drop publishers. Not to mention the fact that the percentage of the audience that is likely to check out the free preview is the same audience that is probably more likely to purchase the collection on Amazon. And I don’t know if the sell-out of the first issue really solves the dilemma, because the increased interest in the book may come from “the increased awareness brought about by offering the comic online for free”. If this becomes standard industry practice, a promotion like this wouldn’t be a story. I think that a similar dynamic applies to all entertainment industries. When a company (or brand or artist) is small, it’s a lot easier to take this kind of risk. It’s also easy if the brand is strong enough to experiment with price structures and delivery systems. But I don’t know if this model would work for other kinds of publishers, or will be as successful when it becomes more prevalent, and it kind of annoys me when commentators ignore this. [...]

by: Torsten Adair

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:40:51 +0000

Boom can make amends by making the issue returnable and by offering the Free Comic Book Day title for free to retailers.
Were I comics retailer, i would have links to every free webcomic on my site. print a coupon from that web comic, get a discount on the paper edition. With the website, i could track interest and possibly offer events if there was interest, or sponsor a strip in the college paper.

by: alex

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:47:32 +0000

It’s not really about bringing in fans, losing readers, fear-of-the-new, or any of that.

It’s about a publisher making something available for free to consumers after retailers have committed to paying for it, with no prior warning.

The Radiohead example would be more apt if they had pre-sold all of their albums to stores, and then put the album up for free on the day of release.

In the end, I don’t think it’s going to matter much or effect sales. It’s just one of those things you wish had been on the table when you cut the check for the books you ordered.

by: Bill Williams

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:10:35 +0000

There are loads of free comics on WOWIO including the Alan Moore/ Chris Sprouse SUPREME comics, Gold Key STAR TREKs and the entire Crossgen catalog. I have put our books and comics by Bill Willingham, Matt Sturges and more online there and they have been doing very well.

The publishers that have a hard time getting covered in the media or carried in stores are finding that ad supported free comics are profitable ventures. There are even a few free digital- only comic- publishers out there now.

In practical terms as a publisher, WOWIO has brought dead product back to life. Some time later this year, we will hit the point where we will have more digital comics in the hands of readers than we hit with the print versions. With the novels, that is already the case.

I think that in the long run, free downloads bring in more new fans than they lose. But every publisher has to make their own decision before inviting the wrath of the retailers.

Bill
Lone Star Press
http://www.wowio.com/users/searchresults.asp?nPublisherId=81