Only this morning we were noting the lack of information and transparency in the transition from old Diamond to the new Ad Populum verison of Diamond Comic Distribution and Diamond Book Distributors. Now an email from Hermes Press, which publishes mostly art books and historical comics reprints, has sent out an email revealing that with DBD effectively shut down and Diamond Comics Distribution in a state of limbo, they now have no distribution and even books ordered through Amazon may not be fulfilled. 

Hermes is still listed as a client of DBD – the DBD website is still up, for now, but we’re told it is a skeleton operation with only three remaining employees and guidance being given to publishers.

You can read the entire email below, but the key point is that “if you ordered any of these titles or future titles from Amazon especially, or other sites, they will not be fulfilled for an undetermined amount of time as we look for a new distributor. As of now, the only way to get our books will be directly through our website. We know this isn’t ideal for everyone, but it is the only current option while we work through this change.”

Hermes is offering a code of MEMORIAL25 for 25% off preorders, through May 27 at 11:50 p.m. (est) for those who want to order products through them. 

Hermes Press was a very small, niche publisher, and it sounds like they will be forging ahead on their own, and finding a enw business partner, if they can. But they are also an example of the small, niche, diversity of publishers which a once-strong Diamond Comics made possible. We’ll surely be hearing a lot more stories like this in the days to come. 

Diamond Comics Update

For the past 20 years, Hermes Press has used Diamond Comics for distribution to comic shops and websites like Amazon. In January, Diamond declared bankruptcy but continued to operate. This past weekend, as some may be aware, Diamond laid off most of their employees, effectively halting distribution of our products and many others.
 
Good news – we are still waiting on final arrival of George Wilson, Phantom 34, and the Dark Shadows Paper Doll book (expected next week). We have always received the products before Diamond, before shipping out to their distribution center for fulfillment on their end. This is why those who ordered directly from us generally get their products before those elsewhere.
 
Now for the bad news – if you ordered any of these titles or future titles from Amazon especially, or other sites, they will not be fulfilled for an undetermined amount of time as we look for a new distributor. As of now, the only way to get our books will be directly through our website. We know this isn’t ideal for everyone, but it is the only current option while we work through this change.
 
If you are a comic book shop and want to get our products, please reach out to [email protected] directly to discuss options on getting direct shipment and pricing from us. We want to help in any way we can as we know you are also moving through this transition and trying to fill orders.
 
We need your help and support now, more than ever. We are still sending books to the printer and receiving products, and we plan to continue for a very long time.
 
If you need to pre-order titles, especially those arriving in the near future, please do so at www.hermespress.com and use code MEMORIAL25 for 25% off your order, good through May 27 at 11:50 p.m. (est). We appreciate your support and look forward to getting books into your hands shortly.
 
Please note there may be a delay in email responses as we work through shipping, we are a small team who loves what we do and sometimes it just takes a little time. Thank you for your patience.