A previous post of mine pissed off a new commenter. The post was this one: https://waxydan.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/closing-comic-book-stores-we-need-to-try-something-new/#comments and you can read his comment there. And, if you like comics, you really should read his comment and get in on the discussion.
Comics mean a lot to me. So I thought I’d reply both in the comments and in a whole new post. Basically I said that the industry is dying and stores that are unfriendly to new readers (especially females) have to a) become more accessible and b) take advantage of the current trend for comicbook movies.
Ron Ferraro, who I notice runs a store himself, got pissed at this and pointed out (with no small amount of accuracy) that the blame should really be laid at the feet of the publishers and the assholes at Diamond Distribution. He’s quite right. BUT… in response…
I’m not a store owner but I’ve had friends for over 20 years now who are so, while I can’t claim to be intimately familiar with the industry, I’m far from “completely unfamiliar”.
First off, while you might be correct that “the comic stores that have closed are probably the smarter ones”, but I’m going to discount that. Not that I have evidence to the contrary or anything like that; I’d just rather not accept the medium dying. So you might well be right in that statement, but I don’t accept it. Not by evidence or a force of argument; I’m just not happy with there being no more comic book stores.
Secondly; I’m well aware of the stranglehold that Diamond has on the industry; it hits stores badly, it also affects independent creators and, ultimately, every reader as its practices stifle creativity and that’s not good for anyone. And, indeed, I should get around to posting how I feel about Diamond and how I feel about the inaccessible stories published my the big publishers.
*But*… I do not think that a retailer has the power right now to immediately affect the practices of Diamond. You suggest three things that publishers and distributors could do differently. All of which I agree with, but none of which a comic store owner can do tomorrow morning.
What they can do is sell copies of Watchmen. Which I notice the chain bookstore, Waterstones, is selling out of. A whole stand full of it and it’s selling out. But I also notice that my local comic store doesn’t appear to stock it (well, it does if you ask for it, but passing trade aren’t going to do that). The train station at the end of the same road has people reading every morning but they didn’t buy it in that store. Nor did they buy their Dark Knight DVD’s or Sin City trade paperbacks there.
They can also push the Minx line and some manga series harder and try to get in new *female* readers. Something that, again, I notice some larger chain bookstores are doing. And they’re doing it with exactly the same rotating comic holder that I see in the specialist store. No bigger or smaller stock. Just better promotion. Every time I go into a chain bookstore with a comic book section; I see women browsing the shelves buying the same books that are for sale in my local comic store. I have *never* seen a female reader in the store. I know three in my area; they all shop on Amazon, eBay or in Waterstones and they all cite the same reason; they feel like unwelcome intruders in specialist stores. Two of them went to look for a copy of Persepolis a week after the movie was released; it wasn’t in stock. The Minx stand is literally gathering dust and its going to cost that store hundreds when they have to bin all those trades.
There are two comic book reading clubs in my area. I know of a few others across London. I don’t know of any stores are associated with them. While I understand that apathy sets in after a decade or more of struggling to stay open I also think that the store owners themselves appearing intersted in the medium, in what regulars are reading, and *especially* what new readers might be interested in seems like a good idea.
What about buying *direct* from independents? It worked in the ’60’s and publishing’s only gotten cheaper since then.
Or they can put little “staff recommends” stickers on their shelves. They can get some synergy going with the local arthouse cinema. They can get mentioned in the local paper when a major movie is released. They can open a Facebook group and get discussions going. They can sell some of the back stock on an eBay store. They can try a podcast; I listen to Around Comics every single week.
Or they can do none of these things and go out of business. Or they can wait for the big publishers and the distributor to radically change their practices… and likely go out of business while they wait.
It’s worth a shot surely?
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