I know we try our best, but sometimes I think comic creators don’t make it easy for retailers to make informed decisions about “indie” books.  We don’t have the marketing might of the “Big 2″ (not to mention the only slightly less-Big 3 and 4) and can’t get as much collateral to you guys, like postcards, posters, stickers, etc.  Reaching retailers isn’t always easy, and some creators are limited to those in their area, as too few brick and mortar comic and independent book shops have a strong online presence.

For press/reviewers, I can only imagine how annoying it is to have to go through third-party sites like SendSpace (full of spyware) and YouSendIt, download a preview PDF, and maybe get loaded down with some malware for your trouble.  Actually, I don’t have to imagine it; many of you have told me.  Then you have to determine which reviewer should read the book, if it’s even appropriate for your readership, so on and so on.

This space is all about changing these things, at least from this creator’s corner.

The links below (as well as the menu in the navigation bar on the left side of the page) will bring you to an exclusive Retailer/Press page for every creator-owned project that I’m a part of, going forward.  It will feature:

• Full PDF downloads of the book, hosted safely by NickTapalansky.com
• Suggested audiences based on current pull lists/reading preferences, including some ‘quick pitches’
• Book specs, order information, endorsements, and book summary

 

Reviewers will have the opportunity to not only grab a free PDF of the book, but see if it’s appropriate to their site or personal taste based on the Suggested Audiences; if it’s not for them, they can boot it to their colleagues.

Retailers have a chance to determine order quantities based on existing buying preferences, demographics, and their own experience with the book months before it hits stores.

Access to the sub-pages is password protected; it’s exclusive to you guys as VIP – Email me at Nick.Tapalansky@gmail.com for access (just throw me the name of your shop or the page/magazine you review for and you’re in).

 

This is an initiative specifically for YOU, retailers and press, so if there are items that you’d like to see included beyond the above, let me know: downloadable/printable collateral, specific items for your websites, anything.  We’ll do our best to get it/make it for you.

Please share this with your fellow retailers and press contacts – if this initiative is successful, other creators will follow and make your lives that much easier.

The goal here is to increase exposure of creator-owned comics in a way which supports all of us, creators, retailers, and fans alike; I certainly don’t profess to know the best way to do that, but I think this is a good start.  Hopefully you agree.

Links to Retailer/Press Pages (also accessible via menu on left side of page):

AWAKENING Omnibus (September 2011)