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What type of ink do you use?
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What kind of bristol board works best for comics?
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What kind of eraser do you use?
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What price should I charge for my book?
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50% more than it takes
to produce (print, ship, store, etc.) it.
--Donna Barr |
Won't charging a lower price increase my sales?
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No. Only good quality
work, and lots of it, and advertising, will increase your sales.
-- Donna Barr |
What marketing techniques are effective for
selling comics?
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Lots of good advertising,
in Wizard, Comics Buyers Guide, etc. Websites, and advertisement
of those websites.
--Donna Barr |
Are there any sources of information about the
comic book market?
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Comics Retailer magazine, published by Krause, is one
good source of info. It's directed at retailers, so you can get
a pretty good idea of what store owners want in terms of support.
Another really good (and sneaky) source of market information
is Diamond Previews, if you use it correctly. Besides reading
the catalog regularly (which will thoroughly educate you on what
NOT to do with your ads), keep an eye on the cancellations, and
check out Matt High's sales figure rankings. This will give you
a picture of where the industry is -- you'll know what kind of
sales people are getting, and will be able to see firsthand how
different marketing approaches worked for different publishers.
-- Mike Meyer
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What exactly does a publisher do?
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The drudge labor. Or
that's what they're supposed to be.
--Donna Barr |
Should I find a publisher or self-publish?
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Depends on what you think you can handle,
or your goals.
-- Donna Barr |
If I do decide to sign with a publisher, what
can I expect?
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Anything and everything. There are some
real vultures out there. Put NOTHING past them.
-- Donna Barr |
How much money does it cost to publish a comic?
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$5,000
--Donna Barr |
What should I pay artists and writers?
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How many issues can I expect to sell of my comic?
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Why doesn't Wizard cover small press?
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As Tony DiGerolamo(Jersey Devil) points out, Wizard does cover
small press. This coverage depends on two things:
1) They have to know you exist
2) They have to believe their readers will be interested in
what you publish.
You can make the first happen by sending press packs to their
editors, following up with phone calls, etc. If they become familiar
with your company and its books, they will cover you, if they
think their readers are interested in what you offer. A professional
publicity presence with regular press releases, advance samples
of work, comp copies of releases, will do wonders. As far as
the interest of readers goes, that's much more of a variable,
but you've got that obstacle to deal with anyway. Just put your
best foot forward.
-- Mike Meyer
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How do I get stores to order my comic?
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Where should I advertise my books?
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Jeff Mason of Alternative Press suggests that you think hard
about who you are trying to reach, and that once you have that
answer, it will be pretty easy to figure out where to advertise.
Knowing your target audience is key to any marketing and/or promotion.
The biggest venue for advertising books is Diamond's Previews
catalog, but it isn't always effective, and it can be expensive.
Wizard Magazine is very expensive, but if your book would appeal
to the fans of Wizard's favorite books, it could be a very good
investment.
For independent material, The Comics Journal and Indy Magazine
are good for reaching your target, and are fairly reasonable
in price.
If your book has crossover potential to other audiences, say
a Star Trek crowd or gamers or Western fans, etc. you might want
to forgo ads in traditional comics industry venues.
Whatever you do, make sure you've read one or two copies of
the magazine or paper you are considering. Don't be surprised
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The Web is also a cost-effective way to promote your book,
but don't expect miracles.
Local cable channels are another potential ad venue, particularly
if you can co-op advertising with local shops. Many local cable
operators have very reasonable ad rates if you schedule carefully.
A 30-second spot can sometimes go for as little as a few dollars,
if the cable system doesn't have a lot of advertisers. You can
tell this by watching the station and looking for an abundance
of "house" ads and public service announcements. That
means they can't sell all their space, and you might have a good
opportunity to get what they call "remnant space" in
the print industry -- basically, they are asking too much for
the space, or wit would be filled; hence, you can negotiate a
lower price, and everyone wins.
--Mike Meyer
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