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Flashback Series of Interviews: Paul Scott, Owner of Astro Books

Continuing our series of Flashback interviews with some of today’s top comic shop retailers, we have Paul Stock of one of Canada’s top comic shops, Astro Books (or Librairie Astro for our French-speaking readers). as he gives some helpful advice to self-publishers and indy publishers on such things as what works and why, and which indy publishers are doing things right.

With some of the newer independent publishers struggling to gain a foothold in the marketplace, in your opinion, does the fault lay with the independent publisher in regards to their product line and/or their marketing efforts or lack thereof, or can it be attributed to the current marketplace which, it seems, is being drowned in new books and spin-offs by the big two publishers?

We start off with a differing opinion. I don’t see any real “fault” in what’s happening.

Smaller publishers (and not just newer ones) are struggling to gain and hold a foothold, but that makes them no different from any small enterprise in any field. A kit-builder can assemble cars in his garage and dream of Toyota’s sales, but he also has to face reality- he’s never going to approach their global market penetration unless he becomes them. Kit builders don’t want to be Toyota- Instead they focus on their natural niche, the area that serves their interests the best. Successful small comic publishers (like Abstract and D&Q) do the same- focus on their market, not force their styles into a field that is inappropriate.

To torture an analogy, they only play squash with a squash racquet. They don’t try to play tennis with the same equipment- it’s just not suited to the sport. To brand small publishers as failures because they don’t have the market penetration of DC or Marvel is unfair- the alternate press is generally playing squash- of course they’re “failures” at tennis- it’s simply not their game.

As far as being shoved off the rack by the biggies goes, I think this is a convenient excuse for failure. Playing a bit of a game, let’s say there are basic types of retailers- the “Marvel/DC only” store, the “anything that might sell” store, and the “indy friendly” store.

At the Marvel/DC store, it doesn’t affect their purchasing of …Emo Boy if there’s a superhero glut. They weren’t going to buy any anyways.

At the indy friendly store, there’s equally no effect. They’ve established their demographic as wanting Emo Boy. They’ve established their …calling as being purveyors and lovers of works like Emo Boy. Why would they fly in the face of their own spirit and their customers’ desires to carry more superheroes? It’s not too likely that, like Saul on the road to Damascus, they are struck from their asses and a blinding light tells them “There are FIVE Superman titles now! The circle is complete! Forget Persepolis and sell Superman Confidential!” If they did experience such an epiphany, it’s likely that their first phone call would be to an exorcist rather than Bob Wayne…

That leaves the “anything that might sell” stores, and I count myself among them. We don’t stop after browsing Previews when we hit Wizard, nor do we start there. We’re just as likely to reject Agents of Atlas as we are Yuggoth Cultures. If it appeals to us, we carry it, and it doesn’t matter who the publisher is.

I’ve never heard anyone rationally explain the “not enough space on the racks” concept. For one thing, comics ship so erratically that from week to week we may have half-empty racks or ones overflowing to the point of bursting. There’s no such thing as space planning in this business, except in the vaguest, most global sense.

There are those who claim that they buy less indy books because of the better discounts available from the brokered publishers. I tend not to believe them. They’re pretty canny guys, and if they can convince publishers to put an extra few bucks in our pockets, all very well and good. But equally, they’re pretty canny guys; they know that a lost Grenuord sale (due to non-availability) is not likely to be replaced by Wonder Woman. They/we’re not going to forgo a $2.50 profit because it would be better if it were $2.75. We take what we can get.

Who are some of the independent publishers and/or self-publishers you feel are doing things right, in regards to effectively marketing and selling their books to you- the retailer?

First we need a definition of term. I don’t consider the likes of Alias or IDW or (the late) Speakeasy to be indy publishers. To me they’re Image or Dark Horse wannabes. There’s no perjorative there, just an observation of …style, I guess.

To me, indys can range from self-publishers like Clib’s Boy and Abstract, to multi-title operations like AIT or About, with the outside edge resting in places like Oni and Slave Labor. I don’t really consider Top Shelf, Fanta, or D&Q as indy comic publishers. They’re a breed unto themselves.

The indys doing things right? We have to look at titles rather than publishers, or maybe a combination of the two. Athena Voltaire (Markosia), Girl Genius (Airship), Finder (Lightspeed), and a few others have found a good new route to hard copy sales- the free on-line episodes. Very much akin to daily Dilberts later anthologised in books. Finder and Girl Genius never did much for us as print only- five copies at best. Since going web-based I’m continually re-ordering the TPBs.

Slave Labor and Oni are doing it right. Although their books aren’t neccessarily high profile, they are pretty consistant to what might be called a zeitgeist of content. Looking for a particular style of book, I know I can find it at SLG or Oni- they’ve both established a sort of brand identity. A creator getting into either of these can expect a certain boost in sales simply because retailers have come to trust the solidity and dedication of both companies.

Self-publishers doing it right? Dave Sim is, of course, the textbook, but he really belongs to another time. Terry Moore also comes to mind. Neither of these claimed to be creating the next Spiderman. They’re just creators, skilled creators, telling a single story. No razzle dazzle, just quietly growing a significant body of work. Blue chip investments rather than dot-com bubbles, to stretch an analogy.

You didn’t ask about creators, but they’re sort of a corollary to the question. We have people like Robert Kirkman (Battle Pope), Ed Brubaker (Lowlife), Neil Kleid (90 Candles), and Sean McKeever (Waiting Place) who honed their craft in the indy world. That their ultimate goal was Marvel/DC is irrelevant. Conciously or not, they chose indy publishing as a way of breaking into the mainstream, establishing that they had the talent and determination to be long-term assest of the industry.

Certainly other creators/indys/self-publishers that are doing it right are people and companies who participate in certain on-line groups like the CBIA, the retailer forum. It says something about the seriousness of an entity that they can approach their customers (retailers), and say “what do you need from me?” “How can I help you buy/sell my book?” The ones who actively promote themselves on forums like Warren Ellis’ Engine or the ilk are also doing it right- we retailers do get feedback from these sites. It may only add up to orders of only a copy or two per store from comic forum afficianados, but those little ones and twos add up to meet Diamond minimums.

Do you think there are any lessons or tactics independent and self-publishers can learn from the big two publishers?

Very little. It’s the difference between …oh… your questionnaire and a Letterman interview. You’re both basically doing the same thing, but the resources (and limitations) are so very different that you can’t be said to be really sharing the same experience.

What do you see as the biggest mistake independent publishers and self-publishers make in regards to marketing their merchandise?

Not understanding that comics is a business, retailers are businessmen, and must be approached as such. We’ve seen literally hundreds (if not thousands) of personal presentations, and have learned to pick out a good percentage of the “never will be” guys within the first sentence of their pitch or solicitation (slightly different things). Words are our lives, our professional lives, and we’re the toughest editors you’ll ever face. Come across wrong to a DC editor, and he’ll help you shape it to the project’s needs. Come across wrong to a retailer, and we simply won’t buy your stuff. It doesn’t get fixed, it gets dumped.

Let’s say I’m a totally unknown self-publisher, what advice would you give me on how to not only approach you regarding my new book but also help you decide that my new book is worth carrying?
You just pretty much did it. Get on the CBIA or The Engine, and say, “Retailers, I’m a totally unknown self-publisher, what advice would you give me on how to not only approach you regarding my new book but also help you decide that my new book is worth carrying?”

We want new books and creators, both from a love of the medium and for love of sales. Retailers are always willing to give advice (witness this), and there’s no point in us bullshitting- we’re both seeking the same goal, which is selling your book. Yes, there is the odd incoherent, illogical retailer, but you can learn to filter them out, just as we learn to filter out incoherent creators.

What have been the most effective marketing efforts by any publisher which has led to you order their book(s)?
Athena Voltaire: That website link just caught my customers’ attention. Zoom Suit: An entirely different kettle of fish, Taddeo’s constant pushing, not so much to us, but in other fields, made this a signal-sending message message to other parts of the industry.

Robert Kirkman and Craig Taillefer: Kirkman flogged Battle Pope on the CBIA before it came out. He sounded like a reasonable guy, so we bought into it. That led to us giving Tech Jacket and Invincible their shots…

Taillefer is a different story. Wahoo Morris (Too Hip Gotta Go) was a start/stop critically acclaimed failure, largely due to erratic publication. There are tons of these. Recently Taillefer started showing up on boards, sounding like he’s gotten his act together, and talking about the publishing path he’s travelled. It’s not hype (although it’s hype), it’s not begging for a second (third?) chance. It sounds like maturity. I just ordered more dollar value of his upcoming Wahoo Morris TPB. (Page 360 of August Previews, code AUG06-3612) than I did of all his floppies combined. Redemtion- take a shot at redemption…

What is your take on the current market in regards to independent publishers and their place in it?

It’s a great time to be an indy. With successes from GI Joe to Naruto, from Mouse Guard to Wasteland, retailers are stretching their inventories wider and wider. That means even the ones who never looked beyond Image are starting to wake up to the fact that there’s a lot of money to be made by reading Previews all the way through.

What genres and formats do you think work best for the independent market?

There’s no set formula. There’s retailer resistance to taking a chance on a relatively expensive TPB from an unknown, but that can be overcome through web-based sample pages or photocopied mailouts. Physically, for some reason 6×9 B&W “Oni format” TPBs seem to fit best to the indy reader’s sensibilities.

With Diamond being Diamond, how can a creator or self-publisher market their book to you if it isn’t carried by Diamond?

To me, they can’t. With juggling about $60,000 in ongoing open orders spread across over 1,500 books, handling close to 700 reserve customers, along with “straight prose” bookselling, I simply don’t have the time to devote to individual pitches. I’ve tried, but the cost/return ratio simply isn’t there. I need centralised buying.

It’s harsh, I know, but my priority is servicing my customers before my suppliers. It can be argued that I’m not servicing my customers by virtue of not providing them with the widest possible range of titles, but reality is reality, and I’m actually providing the widest selection I can, much wider that if I were to lose hours of time devoting myself to individual pitches.

And to wrap things up, what are some independent titles you think deserve more attention?
True Story Swear To God by Tom Beland - Formerly Clib’s Boy Publishing, now Image
What Were They Thinking (Boom Studios) and the ilk- I’ve been a sucker for these re-wordered public domain art comics since Lustig did Last Kiss.
Ragmop, a TPB updated compilation/extension of Rob Walton’s brilliant mid-nineties work from Planet Luck Press (August Previews, page 250, AUG06-3113)

Astro Books/Librairie Astro is located at 1844 Ste,Catherine St.W. Montreal, Que. Canada H3H 1M1. You can reach them by phone at (514) 932-1139 or by email at comics@astrolib.com (best e-mail for consumers). You can also check out the store’s web site.

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Posted in: Interviews

Tags: cerebus, comic books, dave sim, graphic novels, paul stock, retailer, robert kirkman, terry moore, walking dead

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 7:32 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.