Huge announcement yesterday. Alterna will be opening up a new distribution arm come 3Q 2020. For those who are not aware, comic distribution has been monopolized by Diamond Comics, with detrimental results. Talk to any retailer and they will tell you how frustrating it is to work with Diamond. As infuriating as it is, they have no other option so they just grin and bear it.
No longer. Alterna currently has reach to approximately 200 indie shops, with 60 already ordering direct. That's likely to rapidly increase as the 1,800 shop strong network of comic shops catch wind and see the results of new competition in distribution. Alterna posted a 1 hour informative video about the program...
...but we took notes for the TL;DW crowd.
Video Notes:
Alterna Distribution to start 2Q/3Q 2020.
Will be available for both comic books and "items"
Two options to sell:
1) Advance Payment: Alterna will buy X copies and pay 40% of cover/MSRP up front
2) Delayed Payment: Alterna will pay 60% of cover/MSRP once the product sells
Retailers will get tiered discounts depending on total order volume by dollar amount
Website will allow sorting by genre, publisher
Alterna will be hiring as needed to fill orders
Orders will be delivered within a week
Program will work very well with crowdfunding
This is not Diamond and will not be a pre-order system
Distribution will sell direct to readers and retailers
Alterna is not exclusive, can use other distributors
All sorts of indie creator products welcome, comics, toys, video games, stickers, hats, shirts, "all kinds of stuff"
There will be no wasteful print/physical catalogue (e.g. "Previews")
Ship-to-store will be an option, resulting in free shipping for readers
International shipping will be available but a challenge, will be able to overcome that with time
As more product becomes available, more and more stores will become involved (currently stores only want to deal with one or two distrubtors to minimize paperwork, until customer demand pushes them to change and add another)
There will be no committee review of your comic
There will be no gatekeeping of your comic
The distrubtion webpage will list all comic shops and what they are ordering, title and quantity, so readers/buysers know what they have in stock at the shop and can go buy it there rather than wait for shipping
The system will help all ages comics reach young parents
Statements:
"I'm open to anything"
"If you have a product that takes off, let's do it"
"I will only ask you two questions. Do you have a product ready to go and if not, when?"
Contact Info: alternacomics@hotmail.com