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Today's adventure: We tread lightly on the topic of Wizard magazine and Diamond Distributors.

Two weeks ago, I offered a humble list of “conversation-starters” on the matter of money and indie comics. Here’s a continuation of my list.

6. Stop blaming the quality. When retailers and publishers have had trouble selling their small press/independent/alternative comics, I have overheard the occasional gripe about the quality of these comics. I don’t want to name names, but I’ve taken in a fair share of the old “how-do-they-expect-me-to-sell-this-crap” diatribe. It’s the very nature of any independent venture that the quality will vary drastically from one title to the next. It’s a risk. Sure, there’s a lot of crap out there. And any reader of indie comics will understand (and be a little bit forgiving) when they try something out, because occasionally, it’s exciting when you discover something like Temporary, Living with Zombies, or In My Lifetime. What? You haven’t read these books? Well, maybe you should take a few chances on the books you buy! Just like indie films differ from their Hollywood brethen, so do indie comics. Are we really suggesting that quality is the only thing separating a film like Brick from Peter Jackson’s King Kong, when it comes to ticket sales and the box office?
7. Stop blaming Wizard magazine They are an easy target for many reasons. Some may recall Frank Miller during the Harvey Awards ripping a copy of Wizard Magazine in two, claiming he would wipe his ass with it except the paper was too glossy. He then accused the publication of presenting comics in the worst possible light. While I think The Comics Journal is a better-written magazine, neither publication on either side is making much of an effort to bridge the gap between mainstream and alternative comics. Still because of Wizard’s presence in the magazine racks of Barnes & Nobles and 7-11’s across the country, the sentiment is “If only Wizard featured more small press comics, the world would be a better place.” Well, they could certainly stop referring to indie/small press/alternative comics as “hidden gems” in their “secret stash” (as if no one had ever heard of Scott Pilgrim before). Different demographic, blah, blah, blah. Let me get to my point. Wizard is what it is, and at its best, it can be a fun read. But should we really place the entire fate and fortune of indie comics on one magazine that would rather feature Wolverine on the cover 184 times in a row? And actually, as Wizard increases its online presence, you’ll find many of those editors are quite excited about being more indie-friendly. Give them time.

8. Distribution is an issue. This is a tough one. Retailers complain that the Previews catalog is the size of a phone book. Small press publishers freak out whenever Diamond places new requirements for being featured in the catalog. At the same time, if Diamond gave small press its own catalog, would retailers even order from it? Probably, but I’m assuming companies like Image and Dark Horse would prefer to stay in the “big boys” catalog. Where does that leave the manga? What criteria would be used for the small press catalog? I do think there needs to be some stricter quality control with what gets put in the catalog. However, darned if I know the best way to go about that. And isn’t it the job of the retailer to decide what’s worth ordering, not Diamond? Yes, sorta. But Diamond has an obligation to give them a manageable selection of comics. One thing I know: with the growing popularity of graphic novels, regular bookstores are at a distinct advantage because they can return unsold copies. Comic book retailers can’t do that. The policy needs to change to allow retailers to return unsold graphic novels, just like any other bookstore. If they could, they’d be likely to order more indie books to see if they sell or not. Then you let the free market decide.

9. You need more than advertising. When a major corporation is needing to trim their budget, often times advertising expenses gets cut. There’s a reason why they do that. The link between advertising dollars and product sales isn’t always predictable. You could spend a lot of money promoting an indie comic, and it still wouldn’t guarantee a good return. Something to consider: hypothetically, would a Super Bowl TV ad for a comic book help sell enough copies to pay for the TV ad? I say no way. The best kind of advertising might be more simple. Send advance copies of your book to the retailers.

10. The secret to indie comics making money is… Stop being indie. Yeah, you saw that coming a mile away. The nature of independent-anything is a low budget adventure. However, a day is coming when literary agents will swarm on comic book creators and completely change how we do business. Agents will increase the average number of professionals, and offer publishers a new way to deal with unsolicited submissions. “We only talk to writers with agents.” Right now, there probably aren’t a hundred people in America earning a living solely off their own self-published comics. Do you think?

I could be horribly misguided about much of this. Let me know your thoughts.

Next week: I’ll announce my graphic novel of the month for January 2007. Many of you may have already read it.