Ilan Strasser of Fat Moose Comics in Whippany, New Jersey, saw our news of the launch of Kandora Publishing's new comic line (see 'Kandora Publishing Announces First Titles') and sent us this comment (see 'Ilan Strasser of Fat Moose on Kandora Launch'), which elicited this response from a Kandora creator (see 'Writer C. Edward Sellner on Kandora Launch'), which prompted Strasser to comment further:
In response to C. Edward Sellners' comments about the Kandora launch, let me try to explain my position a bit further. I would love to try the Kandora line, as I have long been a proponent of a diverse marketplace. But regardless of how much diverse product I offer, I sell only a small percentage (10%-15%) of non-mainstream product in my store. This has been true as long as I have been in business no matter what level of promotion my staff and I have provided for alternative titles and publishers.
According to Mr. Sellner, Kandora is determined not to make the same mistakes CrossGen did. CrossGen said exactly the same thing when they entered the market, even going so far as to say that their business plan was devised to specifically avoid publishing mistakes made previously by others. In the end, mismanagement led to the death of the company and its good intentions.
If Kandora wants to make a positive splash in the marketplace, then it should consider releasing the first year of their four initial titles at $2.25 each (equivalent to Marvel and DC's lowest priced mainline books), with no change in content, page count, etc., etc. If they do so, I will order 10 or more shelf copies of each in an effort to hook the lost CrossGen fans; otherwise, I will only order those copies that are preordered by my reservists and take no more risk than the publisher is willing to.
To be sure, Kandora is not responsible for the marketplace as it exists. Even so, Kandora needs to maximize its ability to make an impression and compete in that marketplace. Yes, Mr. Sellner, not ordering any shelf copies of a book guarantees its failure.
But when so many books from established publishers sell below expectations, with known characters and storylines to boot, I will no longer risk my hard-earned dollars on new titles that I feel are overpriced. I challenge Kandora to follow my pricing strategy and conduct its publishing affairs in line with that strategy so that they can generate larger initial sales and possibly capture the market they seek.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the columnist and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
