Writer C. Edward Sellner, who's writing two titles for new publisher Kandora Publishing has been involved in an exchange with retailer Ilan Strasser of Fat Moose Comics and Games.  It started with Strasser expressing doubts about Kandora's pricing strategy (see 'Ilan Strasser of Fat Moose on Kandora Launch'), continued with Sellner's response (see 'Writer C. Edward Sellner on Kandora Launch'), then Strasser issued a challenge (see 'Ilan Strasser of Fat Moose on Kandor, Part 2').  Now Sellner explains why he thinks the Kandora package is the best value:

While part of me is afraid I'm wading into a deep pool, here's the thing...

I appreciate the challenge, but, for us to have taken a year's worth of strategizing, hundreds of hours of work in writing scripts, laying out, penciling, coloring and producing the first few issues at 32-pages of each title under our current strategy and then change a few months before our first release...

It simply can't happen.  Now, if that gets construed into we would not take the challenge, I think it's a bit unfair.

See, we did think about this... a lot.  We looked at a number of options and wrestled with all of them, including some very similar to this challenge.  So, I'm not saying 22-pages at $2.25 is bad; it's just one way to go, we chose another way that we see as just as valid.

Here's what we see.  Even for 22-pages of story at $2.25, your reader is paying 9.7 cents per page.  On our books, readers will be getting 32-pages of story at $3.50, which is 9.1 cents per page.  To me, though granted I'm not a financial wizard, that is a value.  To say it's not is going to be hard to counter.  Whether it's the most appropriate value, or the best strategy, well, you can always find some that disagree.

As someone who has been a lifelong fan of comics, I would jump at the prospect of monthly books with almost a third more story!  I'm the kind that always targeted the giant-sized annuals, or double-sized issues, because I wanted more story and I saw those as a plus.

I know you retailers take a chance every time a book comes out; every dime you spend to buy the book is a risk.  I think we are doing our part to show our commitment.  Producing books like this takes time and energy, and commitment.  The production quality is top notch and the printing will be as well.  All that is also monetary investment, so I certainly don't see us as lacking in that.

But hopefully we can meet in the middle.  I know we want to support retailers out there, knowing you all are our bread and butter.  I believe we're going in a good direction and I hope that that will show through very quickly and very completely.  Maybe if nothing else, some creative promotions can come together to help ensure people know the books exist, so they will ask for them to be reserved.

We'll see.  I still believe.

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.