post-november komikon 2011 komikon post
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| photo by katkat munoz |
some personal notes:
- record number of indie komiks participants: 42 groups, some 100+ new titles (i failed to get my hands on a catalog so i'm not sure about the exact number)
- sales on an individual level seem to be down compared to last year, judging by the lack of "sold out!" remarks from comics creators, although this could be due to the increased competition and better inventory management on part of the creators.
- my own sales were decent but not as good as last year's.
- realization: if you want to make money as an indie komiks creator, release new stuff. pretty obvious, yeah? my sales during summer komikon (when i had no new releases) were about a third of what they were this time around. this year's best-selling group, meganon comics, debuted two new ashcans and a GN. coincidence? i think not.
- on the other hand, weak back-issue sales suggests that the bulk of komikon sales comes from repeat business, a devoted core fanbase. this is good because it means we have a core fanbase :D but it also indicates that there is room for improvement regarding komikon's ability to attract new customers.
- more about back issue sales: i have a theory. let's call it the "back issue by half" rule. if i release a new comic, say #1, and it sells 100 copies, by the time #2 comes out, #1 will sell about half as well as #2. to put it another way:
convention 2009
issue #1 - sold: 100 copies
convention 2010
issue #2 - sold: 100 copies
issue #1 - sold: 50 copies
convention 2011
issue #3 - sold: 100 copies
issue #2 - sold: 50 copies
issue #1 - sold: 25 copies
and so on. i don't really expect the drop to be linear. it will probably be a hyperbolic slope... you know, because people will occasionally buy a full set. hopefully.
still, that's how i judge my stocking numbers for now. bring 100 copies of the latest, fifty of the second-to-the-latest, and maybe 30-20 of the rest. it would be interesting to compare notes with other indie komiks folks about this.
EDIT: gio paredes posts his own back-issue sales experiences, which are quite different from mine.
From my trips to Komikon, there's a lot of people who want to release their comics, but not enough people to buy them. An increase in comic book creators needs a commensurate increase in readers. So far, I don't see evidence to support that is the case.
ReplyDeletethere are other factors involved of course, as in whether the new creators have stuff people actually want to buy. but i do see your point--it's a little worrying to think that maybe supply is outstripping demand. but then, it could just be an off year. times are pretty tight.
ReplyDeletei wish we could get more stats about this stuff.
"supply is outstripping demand" i agree. for those who are worried what i may suggest and remind what Gerry Alanguilan said is to bring out more quality on your work. The art, the story, the layout, the lettering, the page numbers, the paneling, the printing and others are factors that he mentioned and also, i've noticed from the people who bought and passed by my table during komikon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Macoy that it's great to have followers and a fanbase of your work. And its great to get a bigger fanbase and new audience to gain interest. Just keep on your work always out there in the public' eyes.
*I think it's wise to release your work with bigger amount of pages in a GN/TPB/HC edition.
*Colored and fancy covers are quite a plus to customers.
I'll be keeping this in mind for my next Komikon, definitely. Dahil ayoko na rin mag-dala ng isang almost 100 pieces of manga in my backpack. @_@;;; Nagka-muscle ako dun! xDDD
ReplyDelete@norby yep i agree, quality work is the most important thing. not the only thing, but still the most important.
ReplyDelete@kurohiko, glad to hear you're coming back! ganyan talaga, kapaan lang muna kung gaano kainteresado ang market sa akda mo. tuloy-tuloy lang!