While it is no doubt worthwhile (and kind of fun) to bash the poor decisions that led to the current Direct Sales Market, I think it would behoove everyone to direct their energies forward. We live in one of those rare historical moments when a new technology is suddenly putting everything up for grabs. The old hierarchal ways of doing business are going out like the dinosaur and we should be applying the spirit of Phil Sueling and friends to the opportunities a networked economy offer for consumers, retailers, publishers and creators. The biggest obstacle in our way is the mindsets we developed along with the old system.

Case in point: When I wrote the Keynote Speech for Comicon.com a year and a half ago, and when I posted the 'Connect Sales Manifesto' a month later, many people took umbridge that I would say "The Direct Sales Market is dead." Now, in late 1999 and 2000 we are witness to the spectacle of comics icon Stan Lee, paying big bucks to Mossburg Associates for a public relations offensive that essentially says the same thing! And its getting big play in the media too (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Francisco Examiner, NPR radio).

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Rick Veitch
Invites You To Read THE DAILY RARE BIT FIENDS
updated every day along with news of the world's most popular artform!
THE COMICON.COM DAILY SPLASHis always refreshing!
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I certainly don't have a definitive answer to this question ("Where have all the indy buyers gone?", but I have a partial one. More people are buying independent comics trade books in bookstores (including online bookstores like Amazon and b&n.com).

I work for a book distributor (LPC Group), and our sales for alternative/indy trades have increased since we took on the publishers we have (we are the exclusive book trade distributor of Marvel, Mixx, Drawn & Quarterly, Top Shelf, Oni, Highwater Books, Slab-O-Concrete and Westhampton House). I know Viz's slaes have increased over at their distributor, Publisher's Group West. I've heard similar stories from other publishers.

The book trade has a long way to go with comics. The graphic novel section in your local bookstore is probably one of the ugliest, smallest, and least well-organized. People who buy graphic novels for bookstores don't really get them. There's infinite room for improvement.

But for books that don't do particularly well in most comic shops, book stores make up a growing percentage of their sales. In this category, I'd put alternative graphic novels, humorous graphic novels, and graphic novels aimed at girls. (I use the term "graphic novel" to describe any squarebound bookstore-ready comic because it is the term used in the book trade.)So some of those indy readers are checking out their local bookstore instead of their local comic store when it comes to getting the indy graphic novels they want.

Rick Veitch spake:
"I'm sure the Marketing Vultures at DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and Wizard are quite indebted to Diamond for helping them shape the business (and art form) in such an immoral, and possibly illegal, way. It doesn't shock me in the least that they've chosen to take this path or that they are blind to the fact that it is one that leads to further contraction and collapse of comics readership and sales. What shocks me is how many people have gone along for the ride."

Says the creator behind Cy-Gor and the next writer for Witchblade.

You pornographers have a problem with that?

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Rick Veitch
Invites You To Read THE DAILY RARE BIT FIENDS
updated every day along with news of the world's most popular artform!
THE COMICON.COM DAILY SPLASHis always refreshing!
www.comicon.com/splash

Insightful info, rebuttals, continuing dialogue, and witty name-calling! You whore!

Most people that I know in Alternative comics are selling about the same as they always did. They do a little worse because of Capital being gone, but I think that the stores that sold indie books the best were not affected as hard by the drop out, maybe. I could be wrong about this, but I think Eightball and Acme and Berlin and a few others are selling as well if not better than ever. I just think the casual buyer, or the store that might occasionally pick something up, are what disappeared. The last indie comic I did, in 98, sold better than anything I'd done since 91.

Rick Veitch spake:
"You pornographers have a problem with that?"

Sir, you are mistaken. I am not a pornographer. I simply promote pornography. I prefer the term "smut peddler."

My deepest apologies for the undeserved slur on your reputation! Let me rephrase the question:

You smut peddlers (who work for pornographers) have a problem with that?

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Rick Veitch
Invites You To Read THE DAILY RARE BIT FIENDS
updated every day along with news of the world's most popular artform!
THE COMICON.COM DAILY SPLASHis always refreshing!
www.comicon.com/splash

Actualy, I am a smut peddler, Darren's a smut enabler.

And I'm a smut co-dependent.

This is one of the reasons I'm adding this Small Press page to my website. Diamond has no clue how to sell indy product. FM Cold Cut Last Gasp are Ok if the dealer seeks them out. What I have in mind here is pushing this page in front of folks who will notice it. Finding product to display on the site is effortless. I dont need anyones "permission" since I'm selling it anyway. I can list any indy book I want. And any one you want too for the asking. This may not be the answer or the solution, but it will be a start. I will do everything I can to make it a killer cross section of whats being published and whats available, and when the marketing kicks in, it should create some sales.

Stores are cool, but they really serve a local market, mail order is cool, but is a static market, depending on where you advertise it, but the web is endless, there are just thousands of people out there who will read your stuff once they know its there.

One advantage also is eBay, and with static auctions coming up shortly, the small press market is poised to expand to the reader base very easily. Static auctions will allow newer and indy books to be sold more easily on eBay, owing to the fixed price structure, stores will be able to list books at, say 10-20% off retail, ist bid wins, dutch lots of 3-5 books at a time. Im quite excited about the ability I will have to tie eBay to the Small Press page in that manner.