So, I Talked to a Local Comic Shop Owner

[digitalvalium1]

We started talking while I was in the store and she mentioned that a local creator has a book for sale. I looked at it. It was poor quality. But it started me thinking. According to the shop owner, who has a display set up right by the door, which is actually really helpful, the book in question does get interest, just not many sales. They have a sales on commission agreement and she said she would extend to me the same terms.

I'm unsure about this for several reasons, but I am considering it. What have been your experiences selling locally? Have you been able to maintain your anonymity? What were the pitfalls that you didn't expect? Anything would be helpful at this point. Fill me to the brim with your experience and hard-fought wisdom. Please.

[inkorporate]

I had 3 books like that for sale in a couple of store. I sold maybe 50 copies. It was a while back so I'd say at the time my work looked a bit amateurish, but there were many other books on about the same level as me. The store was well known for supporting local talent. So I'd say that it's good to get your work out there so that it's seen, even if you don't sell much.

[DeadAccount]

I sell locally! The previous town i lived in had a tiny comic shop and they had a sell or return policy, meaning you'd get paid after the books have sold. They sold pretty ok there and I did get a few payouts from that (plus, being a small comic shop he took a very small percentage)
I've just sold to a bigger comic shop - and they're more legit and well known and pay up straight away if they like a book and think it sells, but I also had to give them a bigger retailer discount (they actually asked me which discount i offer, so i ended up looking up what our local UK shop ask for and it get up to 40%. Ended up offering 35%)
I think the cut can be a problem, since often it leaves you with no profit margin. If my printing costs are 50% of the book costs, and then the comic shop takes 40%, obviously you earn very little from that if at all, that's why I haven't tried to hit up every shop in the UK and just focused on the local communities.
Oh and watch out for how the shops display indie works. Sometimes they tuck them away in some dark corner and they don't sell at all. I'm lucky both shops I sold to were very keen on indie stuff with the current shop even writing reviews and promoting indie material! But yeah, definitely research the shop and ask around before you commit.

[digitalvalium1]

Granted it's an economy of scale. The larger the scale, the greater the sum at the same percentage. Thank you for the insight.

[hushicho]

I'd say go for it if you can get it! It's good when local shops support local creators. I'm also not sure why you'd want to maintain your anonymity -- it's not like comic creators tend to be mobbed by crazed fans -- but I'd imagine it's easy enough if you simply adopt a nom de plume and don't publicize that you're the same person.

Good luck with it!

[agentfink]

I've done that with a few stores. The ones I've dealt with pay upfront-- typically half the price I am asking (say I have a book I sell for 5.00, they pay me 2.50) cash right then and there. They sell it for 5 of course. Another store wanted to pay me print cost, which was 2.35-- but that was because he wanted to make more profit and he is taking a chance on my book not selling. At the end, I sold 5 books to one store and maybe 10 to another store (which we settled with store credit-- since I shopped there!) Other stores are also more than willing to carry your book if you are willing to strike up a deal that works for both parties!

Your LCS can be your best friend! Go for it. If they support local comics, that's one more way to get readers.

*all in all, I was in 3 stores--- 5/5, sold out, 10/10 sold out-- and I am not sure about my stats for the 3rd store.

Have you been able to maintain your anonymity?

Sorry didn't see this part-- no one is going to stalk you at the register or anything. Pen name if you don't already have one on your book-- but I want people to find me so my name is on the cover. They like what they see, they can look up and read on facebook or the other social platforms I use to promote.

[revisionstudios]

I'm also curious why you would want to maintain anonymity! Part of local marketing for me is getting into the community and making personal connections. Word of mouth goes a lot further when people know you and get invested in your work that way.

It also lets you have a bit of edge when talking to comic shops. I'm particularly tight with one of the ones I sell at, and they paid $10 for each copy of my $15 book. Other places were a bit more strict and needed 50% off for wholesale because that's the industry standard, so they paid $7 or $8 per copy. Our book cost was $4.50 ea, so, we're still making some profit but it's less than what the shops get.

It must be different in the UK, but in the US I consistently hear that you take your base cost and multiply it by 2 to get your wholesale, then multiply that by 2 to get your retail. So in my case:

(4.5 x 2) x 2 = 18

We're technically undercutting ourselves as is, but we knew that we couldn't compete with market value. Comparable books like ours are sold for $10-12 so selling them for $18 was out of the question. Indies in general will unfortunately have higher costs because we can't do the huge print runs that established publishers can. So when you're selling to shops, who may need a 50% wholesale cost, you have to weigh the pros and cons: you may not make much actual profit, if at all, but sometimes it's more important just to get eyeballs on your work and gauge interest.

I would also recommend you take a look at the comic shop's events and see if there's anything creator oriented. One shop in my town hosts a monthly art jam, where local artists get together for a 10 hour open house to just sit down and chat while they draw. Another shop has a monthly creator's workshop that is kinda similar to the art jam, but more specifically for writers and artists either working on projects or looking for project partners! I try to go every time.

The ones around here also host artists for Free Comic Book Day. We set up tables in the comic shops and sell sketches, prints, and/or our original comics. It's a pretty fun time!

[digitalvalium1]

I have other publications and professional standing that could be harmed by association. Compartmentalization is a necessity for many, and generally a good idea for most. Social standards have eased, but they aren't loose enough for me to do as I please.

It's often, and I think you know this well, the unwritten rules that are traps for the outliers in the system.

[digitalvalium1]

Thank you for the information. It's invaluable. I think you're undercutting yourself more than you realize. Distribution and transportation costs accrue quickly. There is also your time to consider. Cottage industries generally lose money. If I may offer a grain of salt, business demands that you charge your cost, even if it's higher than another's. Consider that your books have both hard and soft value. Hard value is the paper, ink, labor, etc. Soft value is the content. Sell towards your soft value. Those who appreciate what you uniquely bring to it will not mind the expense.

I've thought a good deal about distribution costs, trying to reduce investment. For this reason I was looking at POD but the costs and quality control are atrocious for createspace. I've used them for non-fiction and collections and was not happy at all.

[Anthea]

I've been doing this for years! It's been a great way to make money from my work and become more know in the Irish comic community.
I'm sure if you want to keep yourself anon it should be easy to do. Just don't place your name on your book and keep working with the shop owner directly. That being said, I've never had the need or want to keep myself unknown and separated from my work or it could be more complex.

[revisionstudios]

No problem, I'm glad you found it helpful.

And yeah, I definitely agree with you there. I know we're shorting ourselves more by not going for the soft value (thanks for the terminology!) but for now I'm happy with the price and care more about getting my book into people's hands. We're still making a much more sizable profit with the full books (for the first few years we were selling issues) so I think we'll still be doing a lot better monetarily this year than previous ones. Besides, I estimate needing a 1k print run in 2018, which will slice that price per book cost in half anyway. It's a process!

POD was never worth it to me for the reasons you listed, but I understand why people do it and why it might be their only way at first. Unfortunately I don't think there's a way to avoid at least some sizeable investment upfront if you want good quality... but you've also gotta be real with yourself and ask if what you're ordering will sell, otherwise you'll be sitting on a lot of inventory. It's a really tough balance to figure out and it varies for every comic. I know I've ended up wasting some money; tough lessons to learn but at least I know better now. (P.S. If you're looking for an affordable place that does low number orders, try Ka-Blam. You can even order as little as 1 copy to see if you like the quality.)

Also, I'm sorry to hear you're in a position where publishing a comic could put you in a sticky professional situation elsewhere. I'm sure you could successfully keep it separate with a pseudonym, it may just be more hassle when it comes to marketing online if you take advantage of social media accounts or blogs. Totally doable though!

[digitalvalium1]

I was looking at Ka-Blam, so thank you.

[DeadAccount]

I've been using a pseudonym for my comic work and it worked out fine, so it's really not hard to maintain anonymity with this stuff? It's not like the comic shop is gonna ID you and tell everyone your real name.
If anything, I have the opposite problem - I've been meaning to start working under my real name, but everyone knows me as "Claire" and refers to me as such Started to become a bit of a problem once I started doing conventions and stuff.