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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 5, 2019 9:28:35 GMT -5
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Jan 5, 2019 10:49:23 GMT -5
The retailers can only get some of the variants if they buy "X" numbers of copies of the book.
So the variants are used to inflate sales, or force retailers to buy products that will never sell.
The model is kind of like Beanie Babies in the '90s... create false scarcity and hope your audience is stupid invested enough to play along. And, just like Beanie Babies, this is a totally sustainable business model that will last forever. It seems like you can't throw a stone without hitting a Beanie Baby millionaire now-a-days.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2019 14:17:06 GMT -5
In a non-returnable direct market, sure, because preorders determine print runs and they sell out the print run and variants make the print runs significantly larger. If comics were sold on a returnable basis and companies only got paid for copies that ended up in the hands of end customers and not retailers, it would be a different story. Variants (and new #1's) are a symptom of the direct market sales model, which in itself has become the problem, they are not a cause of the problems, they are a result of system that cannot deliver the product to a wide audience for broader potential sales creating a need to maximize sales within the closed market. -M |
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Post by Icctrombone on Jan 5, 2019 14:20:01 GMT -5
This explains why when I go to local shows, they have hundreds of recent comics for a song.
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Post by Randle-El on Jan 5, 2019 23:19:26 GMT -5
I feel like variants are the direct market equivalent of eating a bunch of candy for energy versus eating a good, balanced meal. Both will give you calories to fuel you. But whereas the complete meal will give you some nutrients and help sustain your body in the long term, the candy will just give you a quick sugar high and then you'll crash.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2019 23:29:32 GMT -5
You took the words out of my mouth ... and I couldn't agree you more Randle-El of what you've just said here. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 0:27:57 GMT -5
I feel like variants are the direct market equivalent of eating a bunch of candy for energy versus eating a good, balanced meal. Both will give you calories to fuel you. But whereas the complete meal will give you some nutrients and help sustain your body in the long term, the candy will just give you a quick sugar high and then you'll crash. The problem is the customer base doesn't buy well balanced meals, so even if you make them, they won't sell enough to keep your business viable. The audience grew up eating candy tailored to them and will only pony up their dollars for more junk food. I've said it so many times now, but comic fans get the comics their buying habits deserve and the shape of the market now is because they have been responding to the comic fans buying habits (only) for the past three decades. -M |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 18:34:37 GMT -5
I feel like variants are the direct market equivalent of eating a bunch of candy for energy versus eating a good, balanced meal. Both will give you calories to fuel you. But whereas the complete meal will give you some nutrients and help sustain your body in the long term, the candy will just give you a quick sugar high and then you'll crash. Post of the year (and we're only in January)! |
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