Comments on: Publisher websites criticized

by: Frank

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:59:24 +0000

Have you guys checked out Comixology? They have a lot of solicits info up from multiple publishers.

http://www.comixology.com

by: Karen

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:41:43 +0000

As a librarian who often has to go to publisher’s websites to get series info or ordering info, I have to agree with Comic Book Bin. Finding any info at all at Marvel’s site is an exercise in futility. Even relatively good sites, like Fantagraphics, don’t include basic info like ISBNs. One can’t always count on WorldCat or Amazon or Books in Print. Sometimes one really has to go to the source–but I’m not sure what audience the sources are designing the sites for.

by: Michael

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:11:35 +0000

It’s worth noting that, in this at least, comic book publishers are in exactly the same league as businesses in other industries. If it’s not an actual store, good luck finding anything useful about the products a company offers from their website.

by: Marc-Oliver Frisch

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:41:55 +0000

One small example: The cover images at Image’s websites are the size of postage stamps. I’d like to recommend the CASANOVA paperback this week, but there’s no usable image of it available.

To be fair, though, they’ve gotten better about this stuff. Until a few months ago, you couldn’t even find their solicitations at their site. That seems to have changed, at least.

On a related note, publishers could probably shift quite a few books more by doing something as simple as cleaning up their Amazon listings, which are all over the place in many cases.

by: Mike

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:35:38 +0000

I will say as someone who has sent out a few press releases for our publications a lot of times other news outlets get aggravated when I have sent an attachment over even something as small as 80k. I try to make a habit of including a link to a location where promotional images can be found to appease all audiences.

by: Chuck Moore

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:43:00 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. I spend more time hunting for associated images than posting actual press releases some days.

It reminds me a little of digging through long boxes looking for a hard to find title in decade’s past. It’s kind of the internet equivalent of comic collecting in a way.

Thankfully artists like to post their work on sites such as comicspace and deviant art. Without them, I can think of two or three press releases in just the last week that would have had to run without graphics.

It’s especially challenging when it’s an indie title you want to cover.