adamaylard

I think this could be a really good opportunity for Image.  They have an opportunity to act more like editors and less like publishers for someone willing to publish all digital.  Image could take a small cut for the submittal process and for having your work branded as Image also possibly advertising, as the creator you'd get more eyes on your book because people would know your book is good because Image is putting it out (assuming Image actuall picks mostly good books, which is a big assumption) There wouldn't be that much risk for Image to put out new books and once you sell enough digital copies it would then be easy transition to hardcopy TBs. 

Everyone seems to be in agreement that this is bad for Diamond but why hasn't Diamond already created a system akin to Longbox? It could have been just another channel of distribution for them.  They could have linked it more thoroughly with hardcopy sales.  They already have a relationship with all publishers.  However I am glad that they didn't do this as I am not a big fan of Diamond.  If Longbox ends up hurting them the I feel it is their own fault, they don't even have a digital copy of previews yet, I mean come on!

I for one would start reading monthly issues, right now I pretty much only read alternative/indie books from publihsers like Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly etc.  but for $0.99 I would buy a couple "mainstream" books, I really don't care about collecting them so digital would actually be preferable