EXCLUSIVE: Diamond teams with iVerse to offer in-store digital comics sales
Bam, the other shoe has dropped: as long anticipated, Diamond is starting a program to offer digital comics sales. Comics will be offered day-and-date exclusively through participating retailers -- with a 30-day exclusive for these stores. Products offered include regular downloads for $1.99 with "Digital Plus" comics -- extras offered with a print purchase -- for $.99, all in hopes of becoming a revenue stream for stores and publishers alike.
Must read: Gareb Shamus
With all the changes at Wizard over the last year or so, CEO Gareb Shamus has been a tough interview to nail. Our own requests have gone unfulfilled for months, although everyone involved -- including Shamus himself -- has been friendly and professional about the matter. Thus it's a great get for Valerie D'Orazio at MTV Geek to finally sit him down for a chat that covers the positives and negatives of recent Wizard moves. The entire interview is recommended but many observers are unlikely to be swayed by these kinds of statements:
A little more on the Creator's revolution
There's been a lot more chatter on the internet about the ideas touched off last week by Eric Powell and Steve Niles. Here's one...
Borders update: Bankruptcy looming, store uneasy
According to Bloomberg, Borders is inching towards bankruptcy, to the surprise of no one. They are looking to file next week and close as...
Apple goes from savior to overlord with new app purchase enforcement
Apple's app stores -- the middleman of all middlemen -- have been the target of a stampede of old media magazines, newspapers, books and comics as the vehicle for sales in the new digital era. But several recent moves make it clear that Apple isn't in this game as a helping hand for anyone. Or, to put it in a more neutral light, Apple is a PARTNER, not a platform.
The uh-oh feeling started yesterday when it was revealed that Apple had rejected Sony's e-reader app. This app like the Kindle, Nook, and other "storefronts" sent buyers to a website where they could make purchases without incurring Apple's 30% fee.
Borders update: Can't pay the rent
In today's Borders Death Watch™ News the troubled chain is suspending payments to vendors and landlords.
The Creator's Front for Diversity in Comics puts out a hilarious video
Just to send you off on your weekend, here's Eric Powell of THE GOON with a hilarious and yet sobering video on what is really going on in the comics industry.
Amazon says ebooks outselling paperbacks
MEANWHILE, over at Amazon, some notable statistics emerged from this week's Digital Book World conference. Perhaps most strikingly, Amazon says that Kindle book sales now outpace paperbacks:
In reporting its latest earnings, Amazon
Borders gets financing but publishers balky
It's been a while since we checked in at Borders, the financially troubled book chain. The latest efforts have been towards getting financing and...
The Bonfire Agency heats up, Part 2: Steve Rotterdam
[Yesterday we chatted with one half of the Bonfire Agency, Ed Catto. Today we grill Steve Rotterdam on the nerd marketing equation, Bonfire's research and consulting activities, and whether Patton Oswalt was right about too much geek being a bad thing.
Steve Rotterdam served as partner and Chief Creative Officer at the East West Agency before joining DC Comics as Sr. VP Sales and Marketing for three years. His background gives his take on the comics industry and where it is going an informed and unique perspective.]
ComiXology to let retailers sell digital comics
Problem solved!
ComiXology, the leading digital comics provider, is going to let brick and mortar comics shops set up affiliate storefronts on their sites, building on comiXology's existing programs for retailers, such as digital pull lists and so on. Prominent retailer Chris Powell explains, “Having seen comiXology’s Retailer Tools and Pull List services, we trust comiXology’s technology to help us thrive in a market where customers are interested in both print and digital comics. ComiXology will help us provide the one-stop shopping that customers are looking for. Digital comics can be a great tool for reaching out to new or lapsed customers, and retailers should not be afraid of this new format. Instead, they should look for ways to make the digital format complement their existing print business."
The Bonfire Agency heats up, part 1: Ed Catto
The Bonfire Agency is a new entity that is looking to do a lot with the nerd world. Co-founder Ed Catto talks about what he;s learned on the way and what Bonfire can do in this exclusive interview.
