Will new books be on sale next week?

[True Believer Tony]

Exactly. A good analogy would be the movies that were on theathers being released in VOD. The studios could simply have waited until the movie theathers opened again, but that would be stupid.

I could be wrong but the only movies released digitally were movies that were already in theaters. There haven't been any movies that were set to be released that are suddenly available digitally. Those have just been pushed back.

[spirit2011]

I could be wrong but the only movies released digitally were movies that were already in theaters. There haven't been any movies that were set to be released that are suddenly available digitally. Those have just been pushed back.

Emma, bloodshoot, hunt, onward were already released on thethers. Studios will postpone the blockbusters

[jmc247]

No, it's a stupid decision. Alienates it's already increasingly smaller fanbase just to appease Diamond and a few retailers. Digital allows them to make money anyhwere in the world, not just the US, in a moment when they are at home and have nothing to do, so they're demanding more product. Imagine if Netflix annouced the same thing "Due to the lockdown, we won't release any new series or movies". Yeah, fat chance.

The current base of comic buyers if there is no comics out until the various quarantines are up (many lasting to mid June or later and those might be extended) isn't going to come rushing back in the Summer. A segment will come back (many with less spending money) and a segment will decide video games or something else more deserves their time and there will be little or nothing to do about it.

Its going to hurt the whole industry the only question is how much. My suspicion is that you are right the longer people go without any comics period the harder it will be to rope readers back. Its not 1990 where the options were so much more limited for consumers.

[Tycon]

https://www.newsarama.com/49655-diam...this-week.html

f*ck Diamond. i hope this craptastic monopoly crumbles by the time this pandemic is over

[JB]

"In a statement Tuesday from Marvel Entertainment president Dan Buckley, the publisher announced it has decided to withhold releasing new titles digitally this week while leaving room to alter their decision in future weeks, calling it "a fluid situation with details changing every day."

So let's see what happens. Perhaps they'll just go digital starting next week. Or never.

[gifted]

Yeah, they should really take this time to promote the use of digital comics. Get platforms like Comixology more exposure and revenue. The only thing that this hurts are retail shops. Which sucks because most of them are small, local businesses and all of the comic shop owners I know are such wonderful people.

I wish there was a way for the digital market to expand without hurting the retailers.

[Snoop Dogg]

it is definitely worth the guaranteed harm to publisher/retailer relations to gamble on digital sales which are historically small in the hopes that quarantine will lead to a spike instead of just pushing more unlimited ads

[Omega Alpha]

We really don't know exactly how big are digital sales, and the lockdown is on an indefinite basis, and likely will last until the summer, which will hurt Marvel and the industry a lot more than selling digital. Not to mention with digital sales you don't make money just in the US, but in the entire world, in a time which people are seeking entertainment options at home. Marvel is losing money now, and guaranteeing they'll lose even more money in the future just to please Diamond.

[gifted]

Marvel should just release new comics digitally on Unlimited for full price. And any Unlimited members can get a discount, like Comixology does.

That way, it's a win-win for them. I sure in hell support Unlimited-- it's such a great deal for a great price. And it'd be easier for me to access all of my Marvel comics, new and old, on the same app.

I wonder if there's a contract with Diamond at all-- if Diamond can't release physically, then publishers can't release digitally? I don't know-- I don't know much about this back end of the industry.

[cranger]

We really don't know exactly how big are digital sales, and the lockdown is on an indefinite basis, and likely will last until the summer, which will hurt Marvel and the industry a lot more than selling digital. Not to mention with digital sales you don't make money just in the US, but in the entire world, in a time which people are seeking entertainment options at home. Marvel is losing money now, and guaranteeing they'll lose even more money in the future just to please Diamond.

We don't know exact numbers, but we also do not know the full extant of physical distribution. What we do know (by several sources) is that digital is about 10% of what Diamond sells for physical. I showed some math in another thread (for the life of me I don't know why someone would ask something so broad in the X-Men forum) that based on the average page rate, a Marvel book would have to sell around 6,000 units at a minimum just to pay the creators, never mind cover all the other costs and then leave money for Marvel to make. You can count on one hand how many titles are probably selling 6,000 units in digital. Way too many books are selling below 3,000 units. You would be looking at convincing around 30-40% of the direct market to spend as much as they are in physical on digital. (edit: that estimate is based on probably axing a bunch of books, lowering page rates, and really just to not be going bankrupt within a month of going all digital. )

[jmc247]

We don't know exact numbers, but we also do not know the full extant of physical distribution. What we do know (by several sources) is that digital is about 10% of what Diamond sells for physical. I showed some math in another thread (for the life of me I don't know why someone would ask something so broad in the X-Men forum) that based on the average page rate, a Marvel book would have to sell around 6,000 units at a minimum just to pay the creators, never mind cover all the other costs and then leave money for Marvel to make. You can count on one hand how many titles are probably selling 6,000 units in digital. Way too many books are selling below 3,000 units. You would be looking at convincing around 30-40% of the direct market to spend as much as they are in physical on digital. (edit: that estimate is based on probably axing a bunch of books, lowering page rates, and really just to not be going bankrupt within a month of going all digital. )

Marvel and DC were slow to support digital at all because of pressure from the retailers and distributors of comics and didn’t really market and push it like they could have. I don’t disagree though that it would take time to build the digital market something that we haven’t seen take place.

Sometimes there is no winning. I loved going to my old Blockbuster store. I knew if the company embraced online rentals the store would have gone out of business, but the company wouldn’t have. They didn’t and the company and the store went bankrupt.

Is this the situation comic stores and Marvel face? I certainly believe there will be a continued demand for hard copies after this whenever that is, though it’s going to be reduced.

[PetPigeon]

I completely agree that digital should be on hold until print is back in stores. You may kill your print sales by a HUGE margin is that's that case and seriously harm the physical stores. Better to keep those relationships strong in my opinion. I also disagree that the people reading books will not come back once they start shipping again. This stuff is crack to the real fans. Most of the people on this board are dirty pirates or just read the recaps so this outrage isn't shocking.

[Salvatore Frost]

Tbh I think its a matter of time until only trades, special reprints, omnibus and graphic novels have physical versions. The single issues will be digital only.

[JB]

We don't know exact numbers, but we also do not know the full extant of physical distribution. What we do know (by several sources) is that digital is about 10% of what Diamond sells for physical. I showed some math in another thread (for the life of me I don't know why someone would ask something so broad in the X-Men forum) that based on the average page rate, a Marvel book would have to sell around 6,000 units at a minimum just to pay the creators, never mind cover all the other costs and then leave money for Marvel to make. You can count on one hand how many titles are probably selling 6,000 units in digital. Way too many books are selling below 3,000 units. You would be looking at convincing around 30-40% of the direct market to spend as much as they are in physical on digital. (edit: that estimate is based on probably axing a bunch of books, lowering page rates, and really just to not be going bankrupt within a month of going all digital. )

Very good points especially about creator pay.

[H-E-D]

Sure, but not all of them, and it's not like the film industry was shrinking and getting difficulties in finding new fans. Besides, a key difference is that going to the movies is itself an experience that more often than not is shared with people, and with comics it's not the case.

Not all; but most. As other have said, the ones that went to VOD were the ones already released in theaters.