Experts thought the rise of Amazon meant the death of bookstores. We saw Kindle as the book killer and Comixology dealing a similar fate to print comics. But experts are often wrong.
Amazon has been instrumental in the demise of Waldenbooks and the crippling of Barnes and Noble, but recent economic reports show growth in the independent book market over the past few years (See Small Bookstores Are Booming). The sense of community and the serendipity of wandering the shelves is something Amazon can't replicate...yet.
But what does this mean for independent comic publishers? It won't eliminate Amazon from most long term distribution models, but it can be another avenue for you to expand your audience beyond the comic book shop and build a stronger fan base. You'll have to do some research on the bookstores in your area to find the shop that works with your stories and your business model, but there are worse ways to do research than wandering the shelves of a bookstore.
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Have fun.
G
PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR COMIC PROPERTY, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 AT gamalhennessy@gmail.com FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.