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This book would be released in a format similar to the "manga" paperbacks found in chain bookstores across the country. (It might also be produced in a larger magazine-style format, depending on publishing options.) While it would be nice to have a publisher pick up this project and publish it and pay me and the artists involved a decent sum of money, the harsh truth is that I have not yet been able to "sell" the concept to a publisher, and probably won't be able to without a finished product to show. I also do not have the resources to publish on a large scale. Thus, I intend to use a Print-On-Demand service to publish the book; more professional publishing options may occur later. Lulu.com and Comixpress.com are examples of possible avenues for this type of publishing - not only will they print the book, but they also have options for selling the book online, which would be a great saver of time and effort. The economics of these sites means that widespread distribution through Diamond or other comics distributors is not cost-effective. Lulu, however, does have some options that may make bookstore distribution possible, if not particularly likely. But though small POD publishing like this is not likely to generate a lot of sales, it is possible to produce a professional-appearing product using this system. Once the first complete issue of this product is completed and is being published, it will be a much more effective marketing tool to show to potential publishers than a few sheets of paper with a typed, imageless proposal. Subsequent issues would demonstrate a commitment to the project. Over the long run, if the book develops a small following, sales of the individual volumes may generate a modest income. After all, none of the volumes need go out of print in a POD system. The potential profits if sales are good could be considerable, and would go directly to the creative team. If publishing shifts to a more professional publisher the creative team would likely have to accept a reduced portion of the cover price, with the trade-off being that a larger publisher might be better suited to sell a larger number of copies. Another possibility, though a very unlikely one, is that sales through the POD system become good enough to warrant publishing on a larger scale without going through a separate publisher. This would require a lot of money and effort, however, and would be unfeasible without a great deal of pre-existing success on the part of the comic. |