Although fans might be waiting a while for digital comics to become the overnight success that’s been promised for the past few years, a recent announcement by Amazon.com gives us a new vantage point as to how readers in general are taking to the world of digital books.
Last week, longtime online bookseller (and everything else seller) Amazon announced that their e-book sales numbers have overtaken the combined sales of print books. Although these are just numbers for one retailer and one e-book format (Kindle), Amazon is the U.S.’s largest online retailer and outstrips any other book chain when it comes to sales. Although Amazon failed to release specifics of how many Kindle and print books were sold, they will say they sell roughly 5% more e-books than print books and that’s a benchmark.
But what does it mean for comics?
Although the Amazon Kindle hasn’t proven to be an ideal format for reading comics (yet), this announcement speaks more broadly to the changing buying habits of the American public – all of whom are potential comic readers. No concrete numbers have ever been realized about total digital comic sales versus their print editions, but Dark Horse’s recent announcement that it’s new Dark Horse Digital platform reached 70,000 downloads in its first two weeks is something remarkable. Dark Horse doesn’t say how many of those 70k downloads are sales versus free releases, but 70,000 in two weeks means 5,000 per day or a comic downloaded every twenty seconds.
The two major bottlenecks in the path to a larger readership for American comics has been availability and the negative stereotype of comics being juvenile reading. With the latter being neutralized to some extent by comic book movie successes and the growth of mature non-stereotypical comics, the issue of availability is still something the American comics industry has grappled with it. With the downfall of newsstand distribution, the growth of graphic novels and the bookstore market has been a lifeline for publishers and the idea of a new beachhead being formed on the digital front is nothing but good news.
But before people come out saying digital comics will kill off print comics, IDW President Ted Adams recently gave some upfront numbers and perspective on what it means for a publisher like him. According to Adams, digital comic sales account for only 1% of their revenue and it's not taking away from his print sales.
"[Digital Comics are] still an insignificant part of our total net revenue. We are a print publisher," Adams told ICv2. "We’ve been aggressive in the digital space, [but] we can clearly say that it has not been cannibalizing our print sales because our print sales have been up substantially in the same period where our digital sales are up. I can tell you that at least from IDW’s perspective, the success that we’ve had with digital distribution has not cannibalized our print publishing revenue."
Adams' insight offers a rare glimpse of actual numbers into the murky depths of digital comics. With all publishers and digital distributors keeping their cards close to their vests in terms of comic sales, it's hard to really see the true shape of the digital comics. But one things for sure, and it's this: it's bigger than yesterday, and it's going to be bigger every day for years to come.
Disclaimer: iFanboy is owned by Graphicly, a digital comic book seller.
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Although I appreciate IDW coming out with the figures in this article, their app (still only in iOS last time I checked) sucks compared to comixlology, graphicly, darkhorse or the marvel app. I realize their books are avaialble through graphicly (though I don’t know how many compared to their ‘native app’) but this may be one reason why their sales only account for 1%.
I would also wonder what the sales breakdown for digital are for one of the bigger publishers. To throw another wrench in the equation, I wonder how the Marvel MDCU subscription base is doing compared to issue sales in their app – though not a true apples to apples comparison since the MDCU isn’t app based and relies on flash in the browser.
While I haven’t read a digital comic (outside of some DC previews), I don’t believe it will catch on to the extent of digital books. Books, typically, are not collectibles. Part of the comic reading/buying experience is collecting a series. Sometimes, digging through your local comic shop in search of a back issue can be quite rewarding…as is the smell of a new comic. (Man, I LOVE that smell!)
Anyway…while it may be intriguing to read a select few titles digitally, I believe this old-timer will stick with paper and ink.
The Amazon news is interesting, but in light of this being the 4th time this has been announced (and the second time in the past 4 months! Last time they based their number off of sales on Christmas Day, which had its own set of problems) I’m a bit skeptical about the news. ONe thing that has been popping up in regards to this number (Amazon’s current ratio 100:105) is that it represents more copies of fewer items being sold, which flies in the face of digital market projections. Another problem – and one that has plagued digital comic sales – is that free materials are frequently included, which skews the statistics. Amazon, when approached about these numbers in the past, refuses to comment on how free books are factored in. (From a consumer standpoint, free Kindle books are counted as a sale against my account despite no charge having occurred.)
All that said, I have no problem with the digital market catching on. But It’s in no way the panacea that fans think it will be. Right now, I use my Kindle for out-of-print niche books and long biographies, however the reading experience isn’t the best. I’ve read a few digital comics (JL: Generation Lost, Walking Dead) and felt that the hack job the guided view did to them was about as anti-art as you can get. So I’ve been unimpressed by digital comics so far. I’m not a fan, but I don’t begrudge their existence nor wish to stand in their way. I just think we need to approach them with a critical eye, which so far has been lacking in the “All in” fans of digital comics.
The publishers need to stop dipping their toes into the digital waters and plunge in head first with day and date releases of all their comics. All!!!
And graphic.ly needs to get it’s head out of the sand and release an app that allows you to actually delete comics from the app instead of having to delete the whole app from the device to get rid of them@!!!!
I’d love to see the sales figures for Invincible and The Walking Dead. Based on my experience, the only person/company that can state “We’ve been aggressive in the digital space” is Robert Kirkman. Day and Date is the most important element in this game (by FAR). Anything else isn’t “aggressive” in any way, shape, or form.
We won’t see how successful digital can be until these companies give this an honest effort. I eagerly await the day when they let me give them my money. I’m not sure why they don’t want it, but I’d love to give it to them. Robert Kirkman has been happy (I assume) to accept my money and I’ve enjoyed giving it to him.
I’ll tell you when- when current management steps down and new management at the big two
say Sorry about it- to diamond and the LCS.
And not a day before.
Technology is not the problem- price point isn’t the problem- it’s existing relationships.
Contrary to popular arguments, though, not everyone has a tablet type device or a smartphone. That’s a big investment to make to read comics digitally in a convinient way.
I actually really like digital comics, but I hate digital books. I like the way the comics flows digitally. I like being able to zoom in on a panel. I won’t give up my books. I got a philosopy ebook from amazon and cussed it a whole semester.
you can’t sell whats not available. Of course its the fans fault somehow. As long as diamond controls the market with an archaic system, comics will stay steady on their decline.
Digital could be a savior for smaller books. Stuff like Thor the Might Avenger might still be here and be profitable if it didn’t have that print overhead dragging down its margins.
The Comic industry is taking the same passive approach towards digital that American Car companies took towards hybrids in the 90s and 2000s… they put out a half assed effort and said “see we tried, the consumer doesn’t want this..new product they want the same old thing”. The company that led the charge owns the market.
I could potentially see a time when digital outsells single issues. Single issues through digital would give them more of a disposable tv episode-like feel. But I can’t see, at least in the short term, digital coming close to overtaking collected editions of comic books or graphic novels. As others have pointed out, there’s a big difference between a visual book that you can pick up off your shelf and look at, as opposed to a novel that most likely you will never read or pick up again. Not to mention the whole collectable/rituatistic manner of most comic fans. Traditional book readers approach their hobby entirely different from us kooky funny book people. To them, unless it’s an amazing book, it’s a much more disposable medium.
I’m just going to put this out there: DoubleFeature > all other comics apps. It is everything you want in a comics reading app but never realized you did.
Reading comics digitally still leaves a lot to be desired, for me personally. If I want to look at a double-spread, it will be tiny on a tablet, if the app even allows that. The pages are too small, and I’m more interested in viewing at full size than I am in zooming in to view details. Flipping back to a page before seems clunky, and that’s something I usually do a lot when reading comics. While I haven’t read a lot of digital comics, the few times I have, the experience has done nothing to make me want to do it again, let alone all of the time.
For reading a book, which is text-only and moves at a slower (page-turning) rate, I can see the advantages. But they’re still not enough to make me rush out to buy a tablet, stop reading print books, or turn in my library card.
Cheers.
Ugh. I know this will be considered “old fashioned” but I’m not remotely interested in the digital comics craze. After viewing comics on different devices there is nothing that makes me want those versions over a print book. First I don’t think having it on my iphone is worth $1.99. Granted, I’m still a guy that does collect books to a degree, but that said digital comics are comics for the fast food era.
I know I’m in the dwindling minority but I still loving having a print book, going to comic shops, etc.
The fact that IDW titles are not available on comixoligy’s ap are absolutely stifling their digital sales numbers (though I’m sure there revenue per download is higher with their own ap, comixology has clearly emerged as the early powerhouse for digital comics–their numbers are the ones I want to see)
@keith7198 –i think its great that you have that preference and i’m sure you’re not alone. BUT i think it would be even better if the consumer had the choice. Same product, different delivery systems. I think the industry would be much better for it.
Why would digital sales of comics make a dent in print when they’re priced the same? Them saying, “Hey, we sell digital books” isn’t enough. You have to do more. Marvel trumps that they were the first to do digital comics with their subscription services, but guess what? It’s trash and always will be.
@keith7198 Try not and think of digital comics on a phone. I think of digital books either on a tablet or sometimes on the web, using a big monitor. Once you ignore reading on a phone, things become more acceptable to the “old fashioned”
@nudebuddha great point, $499.00 just to read a comic IS a lot of money. That’s why I’m wondering if Amazon will make some deals with comic companies and put out a super cheap tablet.
I’m a comic fan since a child (now 32), but used to spend ruffly $200 a year on comics. I started to read comic digital in 2010 and discovered tons of new series I never would have before; now spending $50 a month.
Some series I don’t care to collect in print and are happy to just own digital. Other series which I think are special and I wish my kid to read one day I buy now in print.
I spend now approximate $30 to $40 in print trades (the unwritten, RASL, and older miniseries as Elfquest, 300, SinCity, etc…) and $10 to $20 in digital issues (walking dead, invincible, morning glory).
digital is a good way back to comics.
I wanted to write a bunch more about the depressing state of digital comics, so I wrote it over yonder. http://tumblr.com/xrs2nz1b2s
I really wish Amazon would just buy Comixology and start pushing digital comics. I think then the publishers would be more willing to offer day/date releases and full catalogs. There is nothing more annoying than wanting to purchase digital Uncanny X-Men only to find out that the most recent issue is three years old and has year long gaps in the catalog.
@UberHiro I think the reason Amazon is able to promote their eBook over print sales is that they control the entire experience. You’re right, if Amazon starting to sell digital books as if from their own library as they do eBooks, that kind of promotion could be huge.
Amazon is unique in that they’ve had success selling the digital version for a HIGHER price point than the printed book. I’m seeing it more and more for bigger titles. Very fascinating.
@wallythegreenmonster I understand where you’re coming from and do respect your opinion. But while choice is good it could lead to no choice at all. We all know the comics industry isn’t the most lucrative business to be in. Many, many comic shops are struggling to get by. If there is a hard movement towards digital, it will without a doubt hurt the number of print books purchased. This, of course, then hits the local comic shops. Obviously this won’t happen overnight but it’s a real prospect.
@slim Comic shops won’t be selling digital comics. Of course it will effect the industry, just maybe not the people you are thinking about. Also, I clearly stated I have viewed digitals on different devices. While convenient, it’s not overly impressive. So I’m happy to be considered “old-fashioned”.
@keith7198 –i have an adapt or die philosophy. Its so bizarre how marketing and sales decisions are made based on how a bunch of very very small independent businesses will react. That is a recipe for irrelevance. Its not the publishers’s responsibility to keep these shops in business. Thats something every business owner needs to figure out for themselves. Diversify or something.
I’m a firm believer that the more purchasing choices the consumer has the better that product will sell. I see it day in and day out in my line of work. There is no one way to sell media these days. Comics need to get out of the 20th century.
@keith7198 I understand what you mean. I think there IS a market of readers that are ready to jump AND pay for digital comics on a tablet….at the right price. Seems to me publishers choose to ignore those.
I think there will always be two camps for print and digital. I just get all miffed when they’re blowing potential sales to readers that WANT to buy.
Maybe the companies are scared of alienating the primary thing that is keeping the comic industry alive: the local shops.
In my mind, the end is already in sight for these stores. They will almost all be gone soon.
@ScorpionMasada I have no doubt the ONLY reason the publishers aren’t doing everything they can is because they fear the vocal uproar from comic shops.
@slim Which is why I think a big retailer like Amazon is the way to go. They will have the scale to reassure the publishers that the lost store sales can be replaced or even augmented by digital sales. Plus, digital comic sales tie in nicely with all the other stuff they sell. Want a Flash t-shirt to go with your Flashpoint comic? Want the Iron Man 2 Blu-Ray with Stan Lee commentary to go with your Iron Man Omnibus? How about a free digital Tron comic when you buy the Tron Legacy MP3 album? It could be a net gain for the publishers by cozying up to Amazon.
Great discussion here, all viewpoints are well represented. Let me reinforce the notion that collectibility has destroyed/is destroying the comic book industry, because of the idea of a floppy single as an object of value is a canard. Phil Seuling had no idea which unintended consequences were going to be wrought back in 1972.
My understanding of the situation is that Marvel and DC tried Day-and-sate on the small scale (Iron Man Annual, 1 Month to Live, JL: Generation Lost) and they performed abysmally, so lesson learned. Is it wrong to base a major sales decision off such minor data points? Sure. But, if one of the few people to talk about their digital sales in any real terms tells you it only amounts of 1%, perhaps the issues behind what’s going on with comics sales aren’t just same-day availability.
@PraxJarvin Of course the problem is availablity. What books are available when and through which outlets are keeping digital comics from growing. The audience is there, the major companies just don’t seem to want to serve them.
@Conor Is the audience there? I know you shill for a digital comics copmany and it behooves you to say so, but does it truly exist? There doesn’t seem to be much more than anecdotal evidence. Sales on things that do ship day and date are either cosely guarded secrets, or such massive failures they’re never talked about again and never followed up anything. I think as you’re fond of saying… were talking about a niche of a niche of a niche, here.
But digital comics – like digital books – are clunky replacements for physical things. And there aren’t exactly rave reviews. There many people who don’t just want a bad system forced upon them because some hipsters want to read books off their iPads.
@PraxJarvin how will they know but throwing out non-AAA titles like those? I would think real tests would be putting out the new #1s that DC is planning after August. That would be a huge deal. See how things go after 5-6 months of relaunched Batman and Superman. Not an Iron Man annual.
@Magnus because they don’t think the audience is there means they can’t send over PDFs to the app makers and sell digitally? I’m not saying that’s your opinion, but it may be DCs and Marvel’s. It’s silly.
There is no negative to either publisher to put out AAA titles same-day at LEAST at their cover price. NONE. Then experiment by dropping the price a dollar the next month, or the next week.
@slim Right now, the Nook Color seems like the best option in terms of price and convenience. Even then, though, it’s $250, just for the device. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Digital comics. I would love to see a cable type plan where you have access to certain “channels” for a monthly fee and the option for “pay per view” on other issues.
@Magnus Putting aside the fact that I’ve been talking about digital comics since before Graphicly even existed, of course the audience is there. We hear from them every day. People read scans online in numbers that outpace the book sales. Many of those people are just thieves, yes, but some people just want to read comics on their computer or do not have a comic book store within a hundred miles. Why not serve them with the availabel technology? Of course digital comics are not going to dominate the market right out of the gate, but then 20 years ago people didn’t really buy trade paperbacks. Things change and businesses that want to thrive (or even survive) have to recognize new customer bases and serve them. Throwing out two books on one platform is not serving them.
You might think digital comics are clunky but many don’t. I don’t. I love them. It’s a matter of taste. You don’t like them? Fine. Don’t read them! Why deny those who want them? That’s what I don’t understand.
People who want to read comics on iPads are hipsters? That’s so patently ridiculous as to almost warrant mentioning. But I will mention that digital comics are not confined to iPads. They are multiplatform and what we’re finding is that the vast majority are reading them on their desktops.
@Magnus I would think whenever digital comic reading becomes the norm, the ones reading print comics books would then accurately be described as “hipsters”.
@conor “what we’re finding is that the vast majority are reading them on their desktops.” See, now you blew my mind. And that’s my bias, and I know digital is multiplatform, but I would thought the tablet would be the thing driving it forward. Either way, I want it.
The digital comics discussion always turns into a “DON’T TAKE MY GUNS(floppies) AWAY!” kinda thing. No one is taking the floppies. Just another avenue and heaven forbid an attempt to attract new, younger, technology savy readers to comics. There are also many creative opportunities within digital comics for storytelling. Maybe comics can evolve as an art form? Opportunities!
As far as tablets, you don’t have to like them, but that is the way of the future. You can follow the chatter…its all about mobile—tablets, phones. That is where the growth is. Thats where the money is being spent hardcore. School districts and private companies are issuing tablets..my wife and i work for two separate companies who have both issued us iPads for work in the past few months.
There are a lot of troglodytes in comics. We all hate change, but sometimes change can be a wonderful opportunity to do something new and exciting.
I would love to know what is the number #1 selling graphic.ly comic is right now. Not a free comic, but one you have to pay for.
Cause I also notice that people/companies say: “Digital outsells paper” and “Digital sells a lot of copies”. But I’d love to what the actual number is. Instead they just give us a top ten list and not say what the actual figures are.
So can @conor, @josh, @ron, or anyone else at graphic.ly seriously give us what is the number #1 comic selling right now (that you have to pay for) and what the full figures are? It can’t be that hard surely.
@TheNextChampion Sorry, that’s proprietery information that we’re not at liberty to release.
@conor: You’re joking right?
So that means you can say whatever you want and we’ll have to take your word.
Yeah…..That’s a major problem.
“Graphic.ly sales for the month of May are up 1000%”-Representative
“Wow that’s amazing! Can I see those figures?”-Comic Fan
“……No.”-Rep
“But you can see regular, printed sales every month.”-Fan
“Yeah but that’s paper! With digitial we don’t tell you anything, just think of it like our government”-Rep
@TheNextChampion Noooo… that’s actual normal for business. You’ll see one day.
@Conor: No….I’m pretty sure most sane companies releases their figures. Hence why we freak the fuck out everytime there’s a ‘Doomsday’ article on why sales are down for the month.
@TheNextChampion Okay, you really don’t know what you’re talking about. Businesses, especially privately owned businesses, have proprietary information that they do not release to the public. It’s standard.
@conor: So again, because of these standards, I can’t believe a word of what your saying when it comes to sales. How am I suppose to believe you when we can’t see these figures? You’re not answering that part of the problem.
@TheNextChampion That’s your perogative, but note that I haven’t said anything about Graphicly sales.
@conor: You’re right on that, I shouldn’t have just bogged down on one company. It’s everyone and not just a single company. So sorry about just blaming you guys on a bigger problem.
@TheNextChampion just for your own edification companies can’t make representation to the public with respect to sales that are false or otherwise intended to affect stock price. There are laws dealing with this kind of stuff, including Sarbanes-Oxley.
That’s why Amazon can’t say they made $3 billion dollars if they didn’t actually make $3million dollars.
As a consumer you aren’t “owed” any of the information you think that you are. Graphicly doesn’t have to tell you anything abou their sales no matter how entitled you think you are to that information.
I agree with Conor. There is a market for digital comics and digital comics can be profitable. The Marvel rep at the digital comics panel at NYCC said they were already profitable.
@TheNextChampion No company on Earth would release information of that type unless they have a very specific reason to do so (like Amazon). The benefits of releasing it don’t generally outweigh the costs.
“Hey, you guys want to release all our sales data to the public?”
“Absolutely. Let’s mail it directly to our competitors, with a cover letter that says, ‘Here you go, fellas. Here’s where all our weaknesses are in the marketplace.'”
There is no sigh loud enough.
Just think. Just for a second.
@TheNextChampion And those sales numbers we see every month are from Diamond (unless I’m mistaken), not the actual publishers.
I don’t read Graphic.ly comics on my ipad at all, in fact I only read Comixology stuff on my iPad, for one simple reason. I can’t delete comics from my 16 GB iPad in the graphic.ly app! I don’t have unlimited space available to keep all the comics around forever, and it’s super annoying to have to delete the entire app to delete a comic when I’m done reading it.
@IroncladMerc I didn’t even know that! I stick with Comixology bc the selection is sooooooo much better.
@wallythegreenmonster I think the business model you refer to is effective but the comic industry is quite different. I guess I have a much more sympathetic view for the shop owners but I think the uniqueness of the industry should cause the publishers to want the shops to be successful. Remember, comics aren’t like they once were. When I was a kid, comics were available in drug stores, supermarkets, etc. That extremely rare now. Comics are predominately found in shops or by subscription. If these shops go under, it will extremely hurt the consumers ability to get the product. So while you may gain some readers by going digital you will undoubtedly lose some as well.
Also, I have no “Don’t take my guns” mentality. I’m a realist. I’m also technologically savvy. People who don’t care for looking at comics on a computer, iPad, or iPhone screen aren’t always lacking in these areas. You’ve kinda branded this group as old change-haters who just don’t understand the technology or upside. That’s simply not the case bro.
@slim I can see where you’re coming from and I’m very respectful of people who love the digital option and their frustration with how slow the publishers are moving. But I think the publishers understand the slippery slope. They realize that shops and subscriptions are their connection to comic readers. They also know there’s nothing else to fall back on if you squeeze out alot of comic shops and then the digital comics movement doesn’t meet expectations.
If I felt both print books in shops and digital books could co-exist and both prosper, I think it would be fantastic. But as someone whose preference is strongly print books, I’m just concerned that there will be a price paid by print titles.
I’d like a Netflix-like service for digital comics. I’d definitely subscribe to that. I could see how one of the problems would be needing multiple apps since you couldn’t get every publisher under one service. That would mean multiple subscriptions, which would defeat the purpose. I’m just stating what I want as a consumer.
@keith7198 –well yeah there are good points there. I dunno i just don’t see why the comics industry are the last to the party when in the past, the comics industry has bee one of the most progressive media forms around. Just about every other form of entertainment media has embraced and found success with digital delivery, while comic books are ‘waiting and seeing’ themselves into irrelevance.
Comic fans like their things the same way. If you don’t believe me, read a thread about a costume change or franchise reboot. Freak Out City. I think thats where a lot of this resistance comes from. The Wednesday warrior crowd is a creature of habit.
I love print. I design stuff for print for a living, but i’m doing more with apps and digital stuff. There are new opportunities there for creativity and i love it. There is no rational reason why comics have to be the only media holdout to run away from digital solutions. Magazines and Newspapers had this debate almost a decade ago. The technology is catching up to the ideas. Times are changing…Comics need to wake up to the 21st century.
@wally Except of course that physical print subscriptions have risen by 20% in the past 2 years, which runs contrary to other digital modeling.
I don’t know about you guys but 4 Star studios does it right with doublefeature for .99 cents. I wish all digital comics were like that. PDF or ipad version with pencils , inks and finally images ,commentary for every page.
@wayne2001bc That’s what I said, but I said cable instead of Netflix. Comixology or Graphically would be in position to do that with multiple publishers. But I’m sure there’s reasons for it not being viable. Also, how about an app for the PS3? I would try that.
@nudebuddha –i think you are on the right track. Diversity of delivery options=win. I can’t imagine how awesome reading a digital comic on a 40″ or larger LCD would be.
@wallythegreenmonster It’s always an interesting discussion. I do see why comics publishers are a little more careful than other forms of media. I think the “comics crash” of the early 90s may still be in their mind. They’ve never really fully recovered from that. Movies have helped bring comic characters to people’s attention so that’s helping. They may want to make sure they don’t put the final death nail in.
But, I think you guys make a very valid argument that they may be moving to slow and using to much caution. Like I said, it’s always an interesting discussion.
@thenextchampion I think you’re confusing private companies and publically traded companies. Companies that are traded are required to report specific information to their shareholders, because those people have a stake in their company. And along with that there’s sometimes more measures of transparency over the required to say to people “Look how well we’re doing, buy more stock.” Do you really think Marvel would tell you those things of their own volition? They’re a public company (NYSE:MVL previous to the Disney aquisition now NYSE:DIS. DC is owned by Time Warner, NYSE: TWX)
Graphic.ly is not, at this time, a publicly traded company. And in the decision of whether to be private or public, not having to report specific sales information to you as their company is growing is, most definitely, one of the upsides.
also i think Publishers, Distributers and Retailers are getting lumped together here as one thing, when they are all very different.