CrossGen is testing the popularity of its new 'Traveler' trade paperback editions by launching six titles in a floor display in a major program in June.  The format is sized similar to the Tokyopop manga trade paperback format, but is in color, in varying page counts from 160-208 pages.  It's also similar to the trade paperback format commonly used for fiction sold in bookstores.  CrossGen VP Sales and Marketing Chris Oarr called it 'a low-cost, portable package that resembles more closely other stuff that young readers read.' 

First introduced for CrossGen's Compendia anthology titles (Forge and Edge), the format was extended to new editions of previously published trade paperback titles with Meridian and Scion.  Oarr told us that when he began circulating advance copies of the Meridian Traveler volume early this year, the response was so strong the decision was made to rapidly expand the program to include more titles.  The six titles planned for release in a floor dump in June are the result of that decision.  In addition to the second Traveler volumes of Meridian and Scion, the other titles in the display are all first volumes of titles previously published in larger trade paperback formats, but new to the Traveler format:  Mystic, Sojourn, Ruse, and Path. 

Oarr explained the strategy.  'With June and the introduction of these multiple titles, we'll find out very quickly whether our forecast is correct,' he said.  'This dump is a mechanism to find out in both markets just how enthusiastic people are for the format.  By the end of July we'll be adjusting our publishing plan accordingly.'

The display features full-facing slots for the six titles arranged vertically between blown-up images from Ruse and Sojourn.   It's being sold by Diamond Comic Distributors to comic stores, and also is going to about 1300 stores outside the comic channel from chains such as Barnes and Noble, B. Dalton, Tower, Books-a-Million, and Media Play.  A number of incentives are being offered to comic stores to stock the display, including split extended billing, a higher discount than normally available on CrossGen titles, and a time advantage.  The six books will hit comic stores in the display no later than June 4th, while they'll be released as individual titles throughout June.  The displays are scheduled to begin appearing in other channels on June 9th. 

We asked Oarr whether there were signs that consumers were forgoing comic periodical purchases in favor of purchasing the material in Compendia or other trade paperback editions.  'We're on the lookout for it and haven't seen unambiguous evidence that it's happening,' he said.  'I am constantly getting feedback on this and watching it very closely every month.  The Compendia are a pet project of mine, so I'm very interested in how it sells in the store and how it interacts with other products in the store.'    He also noted that while Compendia may draw sales from periodical comics to some degree, they also serve as 'gateways' to CrossGen products, bringing in new readers, which he believes net out to a positive impact on sales over-all.  And the Compendia are only one of a number of entry points into the CrossGen universe, including comics on the Web, the periodical comics, the regular trade paperback editions, and the Traveler single-title editions in addition to the Compendia.