The king is undead was the months bestselling graphic novel. While the halt of shipments due to the coronavirus has highlighted the industrys dependence on diamond, several cracks in the systems have long since been laid bare. Directory of wholesale suppliers of comics and graphic novels. A new comic book distributor with big ambitions launches. How to save the comic book industry observation deck. Dc announces new comic book distribution plans superman. Polarity, a diversified global media company polarity ltd. Another mailorder business, and like midtown, a diamond customer. The following list of book distributors and wholesalers features the largest distributors at the top, followed by distributors in alphabetic order scroll down for book distributors in canada and uk. Though they have plenty of comics they continue wit. We not only produce your comics but our parent company, direct impressions, has over 25 years of mail and distribution experience. While they monopolies in some ways, dimonds model is eroding in terms of its representation and control of market distribution. Steve geppi addresses coronavirus effect on distribution.
Heroesworld were not equipped to deal with nationwide distribution. The publisher is creating a new distribution network for print comic books. You and your team retain full rights to the intellectual property. As comic book industry grows, smaller publishers learn to. Lunar was a little more circumspect and has an anonymous ip registration, however their phone number and domain registration are in indiana, which is also the home of dcbs, a huge mail order comics company. Marvel and dc are taking steps to save comic book shops. Kablam digital printing comics, paperbacks, manga and. Marvel comics was the months top publisher overall. Publishers like marvel, dc, image, tko, dark horse, and archie are all. In a letter sent to comic book retailers and product providers friday, diamond notes that it is monitoring the situation regarding the covid19 pandemic and trying to find that delicate balance. I believe business plans are essential for every business venture, especially comic books.
I worked in comic book distribution for nearly a decade mostly for diamond. Business plan 101 for comic book publishers the marketing mix. Digital distribution has opened the market to readers who would never set foot in a comic book store, and allowed readers and publishers to take risks sampling titles that fall outside the. As a result, comic book specialty shops have flourished. Writers and artists continue to produce work, not knowing how or when readers will be able to see. Diamond halts all comic book distribution during coronavirus pandemic. A diversified global media company, polarity connects to the entertainment landscape through the development, production, and distribution of media content. We are also the exclusive distributor to the comic book specialty market for dark horse comics, dc. Printing services for comic book tc transcontinental. If lunar and usc can secure distribution rights for marvel as well, they have a chance of succeeding. As the exclusive distributor to the comic book specialty market for our premier publishers marvel comics, dc comics, image comics, dark horse comics, idw publishing, dynamite entertainment and boom.
They transport comic books and graphic novels from both big and small comic book publishers, or suppliers, to retailers, as. Weve shipped over 150,000 orders and printed more than 3 million comics. Close to 20 years of experience dedicated to providing stressfree printing and production services to publishers in the comic book industry. The oldest comic publishing company on this list is the nowdefunct book publishing. The failure of marvels selfdistribution model alongside capital citys acquisition to diamond led the latter to gain a monopoly over comic book distribution. The history behind dcs comic book distribution changes. Since then, diamond has worked as a defacto monopoly with deals with several major publishers to be the exclusive source for their print comic books. Dc comics announced today that new comic books will once again be available in stores from tuesday, april 28, with the publisher organizing shipping with two new distributors. Sadly todays comic market doesnt sell enough titles to sustain at any retail level. We are shipping all orders on time, but please expect possible delays in transit.
What most of the larger selfpublishing companies mean by printondemand publishing is the combination of digital printing with digital online distribution. The direct market model had distributors buying comics from publishers on a non returnable basis, and selling to specialty stores at a much better discount. The comicbook line was a division of charlton publications, which published magazines most notably songlyric magazines, puzzle books and, briefly, books under the monarch and gold. Entertainment and many others, diamond is your fullservice source for a complete line of bestselling comic books and graphic novels. Several publishers have inquired with the new direct market distributor lunar about distributing their books to comic shops, newsarama has. Its trinitysuperman, batman, and wonder womanare some of the most wellknown and iconic superheroes out there today, making their first cinematic appearance together in 2015s batman v superman. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Diamond has experienced this kind of threat before, both publicly and behind. A list of wholesale periodical distribution companies that distributed comic books at least some of the time. Comicstore owners have shuttered their shops and the distribution of new titles has been frozen. Covid19 is hitting the comic book industry hard, and while the likes of image comics and dark horse wont be releasing any titles for the time being, dc comics has now revealed plans for the. Publishing has always had a razorthin profit margin and a publisher has to sell books to make money to recoup their printing costs. Bookbaby has two different book distribution networks. Lunar distribution is a sister company to the massive mail order provider discount comic book service and ucs is a sister company to new york citys very own midtown comics.
Seuling approached the main comics companies such as marvel and dc with a. Ee distribution offers an extensive collection of toys, action figures, vinyl figures, collectible statues, prop replicas, television and film memorabilia, comic book figures, board games, dolls, gifts, sports collectibles, and much more. So we will produce and ship your book anywhere in the world. The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for american comic books. The comic book industry is currently on hold due to diamond comic distributors being unable to print any comic books, but it sounds like theyre. The comic book industry began mainly to reprint comic strips published in newspapers during the 1930s, but soon the industry changed with the commission of original strips for the format. Just what is the direct market in comics and where did it. Its the volume of sales that keeps a title in print. Book distributors help publishers get their books placed into bookstores, libraries, specialty stores, schools and other markets. In addition to selling printed books print on demand, bookbaby ebook distribution allows you to publish and sell your book digitally, through the largest ebook stores online, for ereader devices such as kindle, ipad, and nook. As comic book industry grows, smaller publishers learn to adapt a merger of two independents, lion forge and oni press, is the latest example of new strategies that are. The submission guidelines for every comic publisher in 2019. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by phil seuling.
The impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic has reached the hall of justice and avengers mountain. Dc comics will continue releasing titles digitally as. A new seattlebased company has been established that one day hopes to offer competition to the predominant distributor of comic books. United states name of distro distro of year started year defunct if applicable website ak press leftwing political material. It currently consists of diamond comic distributors, which has monopolized such distribution having exclusive deals with major comic book publishers. Print on demand book distribution sell books on amazon. So, whatever target market or niche markets in the collectibles universe you pursue, weve got you covered. Both newly created companies, lunar and ucs are outgrowths of existing mail order retailers, respectively discount comic book service and. Our friendly and knowledgeable customer service team is here to help you on your selfpublishing journey.
The comic book industry is dynamic and rapidly changing, leading publishers of all sizes turn to tc transcontinental printing. Marvel and dc are taking steps to save comic book shops disrupted. Last updated by mat inferiorego elfring on apr 12, 2010 10. Most comic publishing companies were established in the united states of america where comics became popular in the mid 1900s. Charlton comics was an american comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name t. Diamond is the only distributor of mainstream comic books. If youre looking for pricing information just click the links in the header and youll be taken to our pricing calculators. A sustainable comic book from the big two is about 35,000 units. The post office and other shippers are behind schedule and some shipments may experience multiday delays. The deal will see dc use lunar distribution and ucs comic distributors who are sister companies of discount comic book services and midtown comics, respectively. It has a bevy of characters with near godlike powers that were some of the first that comics had to offer. And although diamond has plans to resume distribution in mid to late may, dc has setup new distribution deals with two mailorder comic stores that are delving into b2b comics distribution. Some publishers will also sell directly to comic book stores. Over the decades, dc comics has brought to life such superheroes as superman and.
Thanks for the explanation of comic book distribution. Inside dcs new print distribution plan and the new. The industry giants are dc comics and marvel comics, both founded in the 1930s. Other publishers in talks with lunar for comic shop distribution. No matter the size of the run or the comic, comic impressions is your one stop place for all your comic printing and production needs. In the previous article, i discussed the basics of a business plan as it relates to a comic book publisher. Diamond comic distributors is the worlds largest distributor of englishlanguage comic books, graphic novels and related popculture merchandise. My 2012 book comiccon and the business of pop culture mcgrawhill looks at trends in entertainment, media, marketing and technology through the lens of. Thanks to diamond comic distributors nearmonopoly on new comic. Lunar distribution and ucs distributors are sister companies to discount comic book service and midtown comics, two large presences in the mail.
A brief history of comics distribution and that pesky. Comic book distribution proposal 20th century books. Reach readers around the globe with ingrams worldwide print and distribution program, global connect. Unlike some comic book companies, you retain 100% ownership of the finished product, giving you complete creative and marketing control with morris publishing. Diamond became the primary distributor of printed comic books in north america in the mid1990s following the collapse of capital city distribution in 1996. Diamond comic distributors plans to resume shipping comic. Were proud to be one the few comic book publishers that prints in the u. The oldest comic publishing company on this list is the nowdefunct book publishing company, david mckay publications that was founded in 1882 and published comics from 1935 to 1950.
Dc comics announces new distribution model dc comics news. Retailer products we offer diamond comic distributors. The email came in response to comic book retailer ryan higgins, owner. You should watch this part of sfdebris rise and fall of the comic empire in order to understand everything that happened, but basically. So who are lunar distribution and ucs comic distributors.
Kick it oldschool with a traditional comic book sized at 6. Diamond postpones free comic book day 2020 as the impact and spread of the coronavirus covid19 continues to evolve, diamond comic distributors has made the difficult decision to postpone the event to a date later in the summer. List of comic book publishing companies pen and the pad. How can an independent comic book creator distribute his. A brief history of comics distribution and that pesky industry collapse. In the world of comicbook publishing, there are industry giants as well as smaller publishers that are helping to fill the shelves at the local comic shop. Comic book dealers have evolved into fullscale entertainment retailers, offering customers a wide variety of comic books, graphic novels, toys, games, trading cards, apparel and more. Thanks to diamond comic distributors nearmonopoly on new comic distribution, the impact of covid19 is changing how comic books are bought and sold in. Lunar distribution and ucs comic distributors have agreed to work with us to distribute these new comics. List of book distributors and wholesalers nonfiction. Alongside marvel, dc comics is the other of the big two comic book publishers.
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