Home > Letters to CR

Evan Dorkin on the Percentage of Shops that Order Stuff
posted January 16, 2006
 

The fact that a small percentage of shops orders most if not all small press offerings is news as old as the Direct Market. Based on sales figure estimates and print run mentions, there was a time when Jim Hanley's Universe was ordering 10% of the print run of some independent books. I don't know how this isn't basic, accepted knowledge at this point.

It should be included in a "Welcome to Comics" brochure for prospective publishers and creators, along with "don't over-extend your product line", "don't count on making a living at this", "don't expect credit from the printer when you start out", "Your mother and your friends might love you, but Diamond doesn't" and "comics is also a business".

I could have used a brochure like this twenty some-odd years ago, myself.