§ At PW Comics Week, Ada Price surveys s bunch of comics retailers o see how they’re doing and the old “cautious optimism” line is used again. But “selectivity” may be the word we all deal with the most in these trying times.
Much like their customers, retailers are being very careful with ordering inventory. Thornton said that in the past he would order a book, “if it looked cool, I’d try it out. Now if I’m not 100% sure [I can sell it], I don’t order it.” Meltdown Comics’ Rosa said that rather than order 100 titles, now he only orders seventy to seventy-five. Furthermore he said he is “cautious of taking chances on new things,” so instead of ten copies of a small press book, Rosa said he will cut down and take five or six.
Forbidden Planet’s Ayers echoed the others. “I’ve tempered newer stuff and take less chances, stick to the stalwarts. I’m doing my job wrong if the store is left with lots of [unsold] stuff.” Rosa concurred. “I’d rather deal with a sell out than be stuck with an expensive product that I can’t sell.”
The entire article is really must reading, as it covers what is selling in a variety of locales.
§ And David Welsh has a tidbit about Diamond’s delisting a bunch of Viz manga. It appears this was not Viz’s idea, however:
The same source also stressed “these manga titles are still being published, and will still available through other substantial channels such as Simon & Schuster, Baker & Taylor, Ingram, AAA Anime and others.”
UPDATE: Brigid Alverson goes straight to the source:
MangaBlog: Are these volumes going out of print?
Evelyn Dubocq: No.
MB: What other retail channels will carry them?
ED: Simon & Schuster, AAA Anime, Baker & Taylor, Ingram among others MB: Some of these series, such as Bastard and Prince of Tennis, are still ongoing.
Do you plan to continue releasing new volumes of these?
ED: There are no plans at this time for discontinuing these series
Let me be the first to note: Comicbook stores will either become hobby stores, selling a variety of items to a select clientele; or they will become specialty bookstores, selling a specific format, genre, or subject. Some might even become independent bookstores, with a wide selection, specializing in a few subjects.
There may come a day when you walk into a comicbook store, and the periodical section is not the most prominent display.
(And I just had a crazy idea… some people are waiting for the trade… why don’t comicbook stores discount older issues in backstock?)
Yup, that has already happened here in Boston: You have to hunt to find the comics at Newbury Comics.