I do wish that before asking a question people would read the posting they are asking the question about. Does that make sense? Read from start to finish, cogitate on the contents of said post. Then ask a question.
But who said this had to be easy?
Oh,right. Me.
"Why don't you take advantage of the current UK comic mess and start publishing comics?"
oh, no. Must not swear. Firstly, I do publish comics but I'm guessing the question refers to comics that get out into comic stores? Well, firstly, monopolies are illegal because they allow one specific business to dictate costs and prices as well as dictate what you are allowed to buy. It's a make money fast then move onto the next thing to push. It makes an industry very unhealthy. Oh. Diamond Distributors and UK comic stores. Well, there you go. I don't need to write any more about that. Diamond can take me to court over the whole monopolies thing....?
Anyway, Diamond has a vested interest in getting stores to buy and then sell on Marvel and DC with a bit of Image and that other company thrown in -it ain't losing a penny from The Walking Dead crap exploitation if it can help it.
Look around, Diamond has refused to sell one UK title after another because they are Independents and Diamond cannot see huge waves of cash coming in. And since small publishers are practically giving their comics away to Diamond if they are accepted why bother?
Have I approached Diamond? Yes. In 2010, 2011, 2012 and the final "stop wasting our time" was enough to show just how corrupt that whole system was.
Go directly to the comic shop? Tried it. If the store owner didn't just say "No. We won't sell it" and you cornered them they went into major panic attacks and had to rush to the toilet. Even think -think- of taking on a comic Diamond was not selling and pushing....seriously, two store owners literally crapped their pants and there was "Diamond might 'accidentally' delay our orders"/"Diamond won't like that -this is my livelihood!" and so on and so on.
Let's make this clear: these are stores belonging to individual (spineless) businessmen. Admittedly most are just Marvel and DC comics fans catering for their mates and other Marvel and DC comics fans but it is their business. Their shop.
I recall, back in the 1960s and 1970s how small shop owners -newsagents, greengrocers, etc., would tell a big distributor that if they could not supply a specific item then they'd go to someone who would. And the distributors were not stupid, they relied on the shops to keep their business going. And the producers/manufacturers needed to distributors to keep THEM going so that product appeared.
In the 1980s I worked (temporarily organising stocking systems) for Alexandra Overalls who supplied work-wear around the world. One day I heard a distributor tell the boss that his company would only take the top selling items and that they would be paying less and he was full of himself and quite rude about it. So, the boss picks up the phone and dials...he dials a rival distributor: "Reg, can you take over distribution from the end of the month and I'll throw in a 2 per cent cut? You can? Thank you." Silence. Then the distributor tell the boss how he cannot do that because his business relies on the distribution of the work-wear. The boss, I paraphrase, says to the distributor: "I manufacture. You distribute and we both need the shop outlets. We both make good money. But you do not dictate how I run my business nor tell me you'll delay or no longer act as distributor -particularly in the one you took."
The distributor later made redundancies and business fell off.
The point is this: a distributor does not dictate to you what you can order in to YOUR business. I've seen the UK Diamond shops order list and that is what they do. And the number of times I was in small or larger stores and items were not delivered -say 10 ordered and a note was included with 6 copies saying, basically, "too many orders. Lump it or leave it" and damaged books. I was even privy to listening in on a number of occasions as a shop owner talked to Diamond about books not turning up, being damaged and other problems. Diamond's "F*** you!" attitude did surprise me.
When I told the shop owner he ought to find another source for his comics he almost fainted then went into a panic.
Hey, I was there during the "Distributor Wars" of the early 1980s and no distributor came out of that smelling of roses. One even coaxed a shop owner to order in certain titles via another distributor as they were selling well but they could not get the books - and then reported the other distributor and store for "obscene publications" -if you were around back then you'll know who.
So, distributor won't take the books. The comic shops won't take the books. The options?
Book stores? Well, if it isn't a graphic novel and if it doesn't come via THEIR distributor they are lost. In Bristol for instance there is one book dealer -old books. Everything else are the "remainder books" shops and charity shops. Up until the late 1990s there were ten around the city I used to visit. No more now.
It is why I have made it clear that investment needs to come from the business sector or a businessman who can handle the distribution side of things as well. I am not loaded with cash and this is why I do not order in a couple thousand books and store them in the back room (uh, "warehouse") in the hope of orders coming in. It has to be financially backed by someone with the cash and ability to get the distribution going.
The alternative is to wait for the complete collapse of the comic market and then move in when shop owners are desperate for sales to keep their businesses going. At that point they would NOT be calling the shots.
Let's be fair about this: comic shop owners in the UK have treated small and independent comic publishers like shit for a few decades because "You aren't Marvel or DC so who is going to buy your crap? F*** you!" Oh, how different during that period when the Icelandic volcano meant shops not getting new stock in -distributor and shops wanted Indie titles then -and threw most in the bin after Marvel and DC were back in stock.
I went into all that here: http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/more-comic-shops-need-to-close-down-and.html
The idea of supplying "hip/cool" comic stores in Europe with free copies so that if and when they sell you get nothing but another order and then the SHOP decides how much they will pay you? I dealt with this as well as what it would cost me here: http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/this-is-deal-you-send-us-free-booksthat.html
You see, many years ago people bought, liked and read comics. We had fanzines with letters of comment (LOCs) and comic stores or places that sold comics stocked these. The store owners -except at Forbidden Planet where rudeness and greed were the main principles back in the 1980s- talked to fans. If we went by today's standard where fanzines are dead but we have internet forums with anonymous little tools who hide and snipe away even at the positive things in comics, where store owners and distributor are just governed by greed then Love and Rockets, Eightball and a slew of other great comics would never have been seen in the UK.
I point the finger without any hesitation at Diamond Distribution, the comic shop owners for their greed and need to control what their customers can see and buy but also to the majority or lobotomised fans who leap up and down because "There's a new batch of number ones!" coming out. Buy, buy, buy. Try to sell, sell, sell. Do not ask or even try to find out about any comics other than Marvel and DC -"their characters are in movies and on TV so the comics and toys are going to make me rich in a year!" You are morons.
Do your research. Read all the articles, watch some video blogs -like the ones recently posted that show you what is going on. You are brainless piggy-banks for Disney, DC and the distributor and shop owners. Look at what companies other than DC, Disney (Marvel), that other company and Image are producing and you will find so much great stuff out there that it will blow your mind. Image and its boss talk the talk and that's it.
Small Press seems confined to little cliques and, sadly, all producing the same type of thing.
In the US you are lucky that you can get your hands on a lot of Independent titles. Your store owners, okay, I've heard the stories but the store owners who adapt now are the ones who will be surviving. Ask for Indie titles -point them to CBO posts. Go to the conventions or one day events and check out the Indies!
Comics is a fantastic medium and has so much to offer but the culprits who are trying to destroy it are known.
I'm not even saying "Buy my books to show you support Indie comics!" -I am saying go out there. Go online. Look what is available and if you can't handle black and white then you are not into comics or comic art anyway so you are excused. Go away. The real comic art lovers -lovers of great fun stories: black and white or colour: YOU are the ones we need.
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