Comments on: Indies, Charts, Diamond http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:32:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Tom Spurgeon http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3367466 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:11:51 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3367466 I heard that the Big Two are mad at people who read the comics they purchase, because reading certain comics has been known at times to make people want to not buy them anymore. I heard that the Big Two are mad at people who read the comics they purchase, because reading certain comics has been known at times to make people want to not buy them anymore.

]]> by: Mathieu Doublet http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3362204 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:13:15 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3362204 Maybe the point is that when you do a chart, you influence what people are buying. When you don't have enough money, you often want to buy what's the most popular and ignore what's not. I think it's more the idae of a chart and not peculiarly the number of sales. On the other hand, if you see numbers of a book you like are low, wou may want to advice it to a much larger number of people. But, most of the times, when you know the numbers, it's already too late ... Maybe the point is that when you do a chart, you influence what people are buying. When you don’t have enough money, you often want to buy what’s the most popular and ignore what’s not. I think it’s more the idae of a chart and not peculiarly the number of sales.

On the other hand, if you see numbers of a book you like are low, wou may want to advice it to a much larger number of people. But, most of the times, when you know the numbers, it’s already too late …

]]> by: Billy Bissette http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3362135 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:53:06 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3362135 Michael, the claim normally levied is that public sales charts cause speculation that books with lower sales numbers are in danger of cancellation, which in turn both causes people to abandon those books and to discourage people from picking up those books. One further element of the claim is that the figures reported are inaccurately low, causing people to believe books are in trouble while they are still healthy. Another element is that the people talking about sales charts do not know all the circumstances involved in each book, which causes further inaccuracies in just what books might be in trouble and which are okay. And there is another element that says that the mere existence of the charts cause people to see the fate of comics in general in a negative light (as is reflected in the recent years of "comics are dying" topics). Of course many others would disagree with most of those arguments on various grounds. Michael, the claim normally levied is that public sales charts cause speculation that books with lower sales numbers are in danger of cancellation, which in turn both causes people to abandon those books and to discourage people from picking up those books. One further element of the claim is that the figures reported are inaccurately low, causing people to believe books are in trouble while they are still healthy. Another element is that the people talking about sales charts do not know all the circumstances involved in each book, which causes further inaccuracies in just what books might be in trouble and which are okay. And there is another element that says that the mere existence of the charts cause people to see the fate of comics in general in a negative light (as is reflected in the recent years of “comics are dying” topics).

Of course many others would disagree with most of those arguments on various grounds.

]]> by: Josh Sinhspar http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3362092 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:13:49 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3362092 Yeah, Im sure the charts are why sales are tanking. Couldnt possibly be their own fault though. No, never that. Yeah, Im sure the charts are why sales are tanking. Couldnt possibly be their own fault though. No, never that.

]]> by: John Jackson Miller http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361792 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:46:00 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361792 The period when no tables were available capturing the entire direct market -- late 1995 through mid-1996 -- was a period of colossal uncertainty for the DM for a LOT of reasons, but the fact that one of our usual tools for understanding the market was gone was surely one of them. Not the most important reason, by far, but it was more than an inconvenience, and more than worth the effort it took to remedy that (the results recorded here): http://blog.comichron.com/2009/06/last-months-of-two-distributor-era.html These tables are a tool that writers can approach any number of ways for any number of purposes, and they mean different things at different times -- today's stock report is tomorrow's historical data point. My angle is pretty much that of an archivist: I record last month not just for what it says about comics now, but what it'll tell us when we're looking back in a dozen years. The Web has brought more focus to the present-day horse-race elements than existed when these tables first started appearing in the 1980s, and that's not surprising; still, I feel the race with the past is by far the more interesting one. The period when no tables were available capturing the entire direct market — late 1995 through mid-1996 — was a period of colossal uncertainty for the DM for a LOT of reasons, but the fact that one of our usual tools for understanding the market was gone was surely one of them. Not the most important reason, by far, but it was more than an inconvenience, and more than worth the effort it took to remedy that (the results recorded here):

http://blog.comichron.com/2009/06/last-months-of-two-distributor-era.html

These tables are a tool that writers can approach any number of ways for any number of purposes, and they mean different things at different times — today’s stock report is tomorrow’s historical data point. My angle is pretty much that of an archivist: I record last month not just for what it says about comics now, but what it’ll tell us when we’re looking back in a dozen years. The Web has brought more focus to the present-day horse-race elements than existed when these tables first started appearing in the 1980s, and that’s not surprising;
still, I feel the race with the past is by far the more interesting one.

]]> by: DRMM http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361722 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:11:08 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361722 Would you please explain why publishers feel charts are no good? Would you please explain why publishers feel charts are no good?

]]> by: Mysterius http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361602 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:07:13 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361602 "To see an ostensible reporter talking about going hand in hat" Is this reporter a magician? “To see an ostensible reporter talking about going hand in hat”

Is this reporter a magician?

]]> by: Michael http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361365 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:19:56 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361365 Also, Jesus fuck, who cut the balls off of journalism in this country? To see an ostensible reporter talking about going hand in hat asking people to please, please let her report the news about them makes me want to cry and/or hit something. Also, Jesus fuck, who cut the balls off of journalism in this country? To see an ostensible reporter talking about going hand in hat asking people to please, please let her report the news about them makes me want to cry and/or hit something.

]]> by: Michael http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361364 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:15:53 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3361364 "It’s no secret that a pretty strong faction of folks associated with the Big Two think that the Marvel and DC Sales Charts are gradually killing periodical sales" How the hell does that work? Sounds like grasping for excuses to me. “It’s no secret that a pretty strong faction of folks associated with the Big Two think that the Marvel and DC Sales Charts are gradually killing periodical sales”

How the hell does that work? Sounds like grasping for excuses to me.

]]> by: Mathieu Doublet http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3360579 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:58:07 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/12/indies-charts-diamond/#comment-3360579 Thank you very much for the explanation and the link. I completely understand your point of view :) Thank you very much for the explanation and the link. I completely understand your point of view :)

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