What makes a novel sell more than a graphic novel?

[jbmasta]

Plot pacing. A novel is written to be read as a whole. An author can have the narrative do whatever is needed as the plot is developed and a conclusion reached by final pages. Extended prologues or epilogues, interludes, sequences from different POVs etc.

A trade paper or hardback starts out as a number of individual issues that are released one at a time over a period of time. The narrative of each issue needs to work both as an individual issue and as part of a larger storyline, particularly when most writers seem to be planning their stories to work better in collected form at this point. Indeed, it's a novelty at this point to find an issue that contains a whole storyline that doesn't tie into a bigger story.

Another factor is the medium. Comics are heavily visual, so tend to have more spectacle. A novel meanwhile can explore characters more efficiently through narrative devices like first person, which can get grating when used extensively in comic form. Extensive first person boxes have been a weak point of the Green Lanterns title so far, and each issue having Jess and Simon introducing themselves and their issues could get annoying when the reading the trade. It's like the early Dark Shadow episodes starting the opening narration with "My name is Victoria Winters". Quite frankly it was a relief when that was dropped. Novels have the luxury of being more wordy, and can afford to be descriptive. Histories and backstories can be alluded to, or a character's impression of another can be conveyed less obtrusively.

[Vortex94]

I would say there's a definite cultural bias, in the western world there is a mainstream association of comic books with children, a huge part of the public just doesn't think they are a 'real' entertainment option for a grownup. Japan is the obvious comparison, they as a culture feel that comic books are perfectly acceptable for any age group and subject matter and the results are outstanding sales numbers:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...s-2016/.102636

Another factor that doesn't help is the superhero monopoly, the main marketing and distribution effort around comics is done by the big publishers geared towards their superhero properties and universes which helps keep the market in a niche mode. I think many people who could care less about Batman or Thor might be turned on by something like Sandman, Love and Rockets or The Invisibles, the problem is that they never ever hear about it.

[Carabas]

Plot pacing. A novel is written to be read as a whole. An author can have the narrative do whatever is needed as the plot is developed and a conclusion reached by final pages. Extended prologues or epilogues, interludes, sequences from different POVs etc.

A trade paper or hardback starts out as a number of individual issues that are released one at a time over a period of time. The narrative of each issue needs to work both as an individual issue and as part of a larger storyline, particularly when most writers seem to be planning their stories to work better in collected form at this point. Indeed, it's a novelty at this point to find an issue that contains a whole storyline that doesn't tie into a bigger story.

This doesn't hold up because you have novels like Oliver Twist and The Green Mile that were serialised publications first, and there are plenty of comics that do everything you say novels do.

[Moon Ronin]

One, more can be packed in to novel than in a graphic illustrated book. Look at the Dark Tower novels vs the trades, would take tomes of graphic novels to tell that unabridged story. Two is some just don't like and understand the medium, my wife who does not read comic doesn't like the panel format or that at times it's hard to follow the dialogue because she doesn't know where to start reading at. Also there is a poetry in words when describing a backdrop of a story that sometimes an artiest will never be able capture.

[Carabas]

One, more can be packed in to novel than in a graphic illustrated book. Look at the Dark Tower novels vs the trades, would take tomes of graphic novels to tell that unabridged story. Two is some just don't like and understand the medium, my wife who does not read comic doesn't like the panel format or that at times it's hard to follow the dialogue because she doesn't know where to start reading at. Also there is a poetry in words when describing a backdrop of a story that sometimes an artiest will never be able capture.

I don't really think that how much content it has got is on people's mind when they pick a novel over a comic. I mean, movies also have much less content than novels, and they vastly outsell novels.

[Spike-X]

This doesn't hold up because you have novels like Oliver Twist and The Green Mile that were serialised publications first...

That's two out of hundreds of thousands.

...and there are plenty of comics that do everything you say novels do.

Name three.