The transparent Longbox

Posted: June 24th, 2009 | Author: sean azzopardi | Filed under: News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

I hope it happens it’s a great idea.

This has generated a lot of comment already, so if you have no idea what longbox is, then there are better informed written pieces  here, here, here.

It throws up all sorts of issues, of pricing distribution and cost. All of this is good, and long overdue. The effect on Diamond will be interesting and the knock on for local comic shops. Not in the selling of monthly issues. but back issues. If back issues become archived and available this will impact on this income stream to an extent, so local comic shops will be squeezed at both ends.

Not being sufficiently well informed of major publishers or distributors policy or financial plans I will step away now, and deal with a subject closer to home. I will also finish with a question.

Small press and the pricing of comics 

I have decided to be up front about my production cost/pricing, see where it leads.
When I attended this years Mini Comic Thing, as a punter, I was in the mood for buying. My budget was £40 and reasoning a few swaps as well should see me leaving with a good haul. 

Boy was In for a shock. As I am slow to catch up with most things, so I am with pricing.
My projected 20 or so comics was reduced to 10. Some of these were over priced and
anorexic in page count. Shame on you indie publisher. To justify  3.60 to 5.50 no matter how nice your card stock or printed sealed bag is, It’s still a photocopy – mass produced to be affordable.
Seven years ago, when I entered the bear-pit of self publishing my comics were priced £1.50 black and white £2.00 colour cover. I did try 2.50 but felt a bit queasy about such a massive hike, returning to the former pricing.  
My price for single issues is still £2. Over the years I have seen my profit per 
issue dwindle from a pound to say around 50 or 60 pence .  
So now you know, what i make on an issue .
Now the book 12 hour shift I priced at 6.95. For 148 pages, grey scaled colour cover.
I have sold 160 of these so far. Not bad for an unkown, with no advertising other than my website and the excellent friends/ reviewer/ word of mouth system.
At conventions, I charge £6, and throw in a sketch.
My unit cost per book is £4.

So there you go, the truth is out, if anyone is interested.

I never make a profit at conventions. Apart from London, which is home turf with no 
expenses other than table cost. Or in the case of Londonundergroundcomics not even that. 
(I am not complaining – it is my choice to attend conventions and i realize i am a poor salesman and poor at business.)
The point is that I figured my initial cartooning goal was not making a living but making a 
presence, that will in time, make a living. That by keeping my prices low, more people would take a punt on my product.
( My approach, i am not trying to transpose this outlook on anyone on else) 
Longbox may enable self publishers to keep prices low, and reach a wider audience, 
making product available, always in stock. Maybe generating a regular revenue stream. 
It’s very exciting.

Oh, my question, how do break your prices down, fellow publishers.

–Sean–