JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the children's / young adult book industry. Members include published authors and illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, booksellers, publishers and fans. Join now (it's free).
Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.
Viewing: Blog Posts from All 1518 Blogs, dated 7/18/2012 [Help]
Results 1 - 25 of 180
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts from the 1518 blogs currently in the JacketFlap Blog Reader. These posts are sorted by date, with the most recent posts at the top of the page. There are hundreds of new posts here every day on a variety of topics related to children's publishing. We have provided a variety of ways for you to navigate through the blog posts. Click the dates in the calendar on the left to view blog posts from a particular date. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. Click a tag in the right column to view posts about that topic. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a "More Posts from this Blog" link in any individual post.
justine aldersey-williams is a surface pattern designer and illustrator based in the UK. justine descirbes herself as a colour and pattern obsessive who despite having run her own freelance business for many years, has never fully indulged her desire to create patterns - until now. at the beginning of july justine was excited to launch a new website featuring her latest collections and would
2 Comments on DESIGNER - justine aldersey-williams, last added: 7/21/2012
velocity is a new collection from p&b textiles in california and was created by british designer jessica hogarth from yorkshire. the prints have an urban city theme with architectural sketches, quirky birds and bikes, as well as geometrics. you can see all seven designs in various colours online at p&b textiles.
0 Comments on FABRICS - jessica hogarth as of 1/1/1900
Okay, as for this post’s title, “cover reveal” sounds mighty dramatic, but … well, it just sounded better than “cover.”
Remember when Yuyi Morales visited last week (that link is here) and mentioned her next picture book project? Here’s part of what she wrote:
I just finished my book, Niño Wrestles the World, and I am tremendously happy with it. This is a book with Roaring Brook Press and Neal Porter, and I couldn’t be more delighted working again with this group of artists, thinkers, [and] creative people, who are embedding into my work the richest of their talents. Niño is a lucha libre story, filled with some of my favorite (scary) Mexican characters, and it is also a tribute to games and to my two sisters, Magaly and Elizabeth, who were the truest terrors of my childhood.
The third image above is the cover, courtesy of Roaring Brook. (There’s a bit more about the book here at Publishers Weekly Spring 2013 Previews.)
2 Comments on What I’m Doing at Kirkus This Week,Plus What I Did Last Week,Featuring Hyewon Yum, Dan Santat(and a Bonus Cover Reveal), last added: 7/20/2012
I paid extra close attention to the online coverage of the Fiesta de San Fermín in Pamplona last week. I took a lot of notes, on more than just the running of the bulls and the bullfighting. I’m off and running, writing my science fiction bullfighting novel.
Or maybe I should call it a futuristic dystopian feminist bullfighting novel, or just say it’s about a woman on a spiritual quest, depending on who I’m talking to.
It’s the sort of thing that I didn’t dare even suggest back before the publishing world as we know it started the countdown to its self-destruct sequence. I don’t care what “they” think or say anymore -- I’m just writing the sort of thing that gets my endorphins flushing: fiction that has a psychoactive impact on the reader.
Blowing minds for fun and profit -- that’s my impossible dream.
Which brings me to the an important question . . .
Do Latinos like bullfighting?
<
0 Comments on Chicanonautica: Is Bullfighting a Latino Thing? as of 1/1/1900
I've thought a lot about what would be the perfect gift idea for Bid right now. She loves cartons, playing pretend, and little figurines - but we have a lot. for her gift idea I thought it would be fun to combine two of the categories and get her a dress up costume from buycostumes.com.
This costume is absolutely adorable. It comes complete with a pink and white polka dot dress, and the cute Minnie Mouse ears headband. Bid loves trying on the costume and getting mouse-ki-fied.
The very best thing about this costume is that it glows in the dark.
This makes play time so much more fun! It will also be a great safety feature when we're out trick or treating on Halloween.
To Buy - The Minni Mouse Costume retails for just $39.99 on buycostumes.com. It makes a great gift for Halloween, birthdays, and any time in between!
I received a product to review from the above company or their PR Agency. Opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own - I was not influenced in any way. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
0 Comments on Pink Minnie Mouse Clubhouse Glow in the Dark Costume from BuyCostumes.com as of 1/1/1900
When I was 7 years old, I begged my parents for a pet dolphin. "Pretty please? We can keep it in the bathtub!" I pleaded. But alas, my dad pointed out that dolphins need a lot more space than a bathtub. They need a lot more space than just a swimming pool, too – they need a whole ocean!
Sadly, however, many dolphins are endangered in the ocean. Pollution and dangerous fishing gear have made the waters, where they used to roam freely, unsafe. Dolphins, like many other animals, are finding that their homes are no longer livable. It's really sad, because dolphins are the most amazing creatures. They’re super-smart team players that travel in groups, fishing together and communicating through a complex system of sounds and whistles. They're playful animals that love people and have, many times, saved them from shark attacks!
That’s why it’s so awesome that organizations like the World Wildlife Fund make it possible for me – and you! – to save dolphins and other animals by (so awesome!) adopting them. Now, it’s not adoption in the traditional sense; I still can’t put a dolphin in my bathtub. But by making a gift to one of these foundations, I am now a protector of a dolphin’s home. And hey – that means my tub is free for more bubble baths!
Ask your parent or guardian if it’s okay to adopt a bear, tiger, anteater, lion, manatee, gorilla, blue whale, chimpanzee, koala, great white shark, flamingo, emperor penguin, panda, arctic hare, wombat, walrus, pygmy elephant, anaconda, toucan, warthog, crocodile, river otter, or other wild animal. There are so many to choose from! And unlike a dog, you won’t have to walk your adopted octopus every day.
If you want to see these wild animals up close and personal, take a trip to your local aquarium or zoo. The money you spend on a ticket goes towards saving wildlife! You can have an adventure and be a hero. Let’s take a lesson from the dolphins and work together. If we make this a team effort, we can save the animal habitats!
Occasionally, I will watch children read and reread a story, absolutely carried away on the story's journey. They will want to revisit that special story world again and again. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore amazes children and adults when they first read it. Some are amazed at the way the book app integrates animation and interactive features, but many readers are simply captivated by the story. Now, this wonderful book is available as a picture book to share with children.
Morris Lessmore is a man who loves words and stories, so much so that he surrounds himself with books. One day, he is swept away to a distant land when a terrible storm strikes. Adults may see reference to The Wizard of Oz or Hurricane Katrina, but children just follow Morris into a magical land of stories.
“Then a happy bit of happenstance came his way. Rather than looking down, as had become his habit, Morris Lessmore looked up. Drifting through the sky above him, Morris saw a lovely lady. She was being pulled along by a festive squadron of flying books.”
The young woman sends him a story that leads him to a stately old home where books from years gone by apparently ‘nested.’ Morris explores this wonderful place, discovering his true home among the books and stories, each “whispering an invitation to adventure.
I was honored last month to listen to William Joyce talk about his inspiration for this story. Listen to the speech he gave to gathered librarians and admirers at the Simon and Schuster party at the American Library Association, in June 2012. First, you'll hear Justin Chanda, his editor and the publisher of Books for Young Readers at Simon & Schuster, introduce Bill. And then listen to Bill describe the story behind Mr. Morris Lessmore. Bill Joyce tells us that he originally wrote t
2 Comments on William Joyce talks about creating The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, last added: 7/21/2012
Mary Ann, your interview with Bill on Brain Burps was AMAZING! I swear my jaw was on the floor after I finished listening to it, and I was absolutely electrified with inspiration. Great job!
Yesterday Publisher’s Marketplace released a detailed report on Industry books sales collected by BookStats. Below are the things I thought you would be interested in reading:
Children’s and YA adult books comprised the “fastest-growing category” in 2011. Sales of $2.78 billion were up 12 percent from $2.48 billion in 2010, reflecting in part the boost from the success of The Hunger Games.
eBooks vaulted to the largest-selling format for adult fiction, comprising 31 percent of dollar sales. Adult fiction ebooks went from $585 million in 2010 to $1.27 billion in 2011.
Brick-and-mortar bookstores remain the single largest retail channel, though these sales fell 12.6 percent following the bankruptcy of Borders.
“Trade” Books (with Religion)
2011 2010
Overall $13.97 billion $13.9 billion
Print $11.1 billion
eBooks $2.074 billion $878 million
Other $796 million
As teacher friends ask for suggestions to add to their reading lists, this seems like a good time to re-post this past favorite:
In a recent thought-provoking Washington Post article, journalist and author Joy Hakim wrote the following: “As they [education historians] document the tale, it was decades ago that we gave up teaching history as an idea-centered discipline played out by a succession of characters—heroes and villains—whose actions led to results that can be analyzed. That kind of story-based history is engaging. We replaced it with litanies of facts.”
She was talking about the state of textbooks, as well as the lack of integration of standard curriculum with the stories of science and social studies that, without, leave gaping holes in education. That’s where we nonfiction writers today come in.
As depressing and infuriating as much of Hakim’s article was to me, I also felt myself saying “but we do that—those stories are being written!” And so, with the intention of offering a tiny bit of assistance to all those who teach and/or otherwise influence the education of young minds, I decided to begin compiling a recommended reading list of stories for older readers—true stories; i.e., nonfiction (or veritas, truthiness or True Dat!)—that will surely supplement and complement and enhance the experience of anyone taking social studies and science classes using textbooks.
Please—I mean this—please, add to this beginning of a list. Let’s make it grow. I will incorporate your comments and update the list accordingly. Next time, I’ll make a picture book list!
History and Science Through Story:
Armstrong, Jennifer. The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History
Aronson, Marc and Budhos, Marina. Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
Aronson, Marc. Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler’s Shadow
Burns, Loree Griffin. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion
Cobb, Vicki. What's the Big Idea?: Amazing Science Questions for the Curious Kid.
Colman, Penny. Where the Action Was: Women War Correspondents in World War II
Deem, James. Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and Rediscovery of the Past
Delano, Marfe Ferguson. Earth in the Hot Seat: Bulletins from a Warming World
Freedman, Russell. Who Was First?: Discovering the Americas
Giblin, James Cross. The Many Rides of Paul Revere
Hakim, Joy. The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way
Harness, Cheryl. The Ground-Breaking, Chance-Taking Life of George Washington Carver and Science and Invention in America
Heiligman, Deborah. Charles & Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
I hope you'll add my biographies for older readers (I have more for younger readers, too): ARCTIC EXPLORER (Matthew Henson) WHAT I HAD WAS SINGING (Marian Anderson) NATIVE AMERICAN DOCTOR (Susan LaFlesche Picotte)
I strongly support your efforts to promote the use of stories to teach science and history. They show these subjects as human endeavors and are interesting to children.
Here are a few of my favorites: Aronson, Marc. IF STONES COULD SPEAK. Berger, Lee, and Aronson, Mark. THE SKULL IN THE ROCK. Burns, Loree Griffin. THE HIVE DETECTIVES Montgomery, Sy. KAKAPO RESCUE Markle, Sandra. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING GOLDEN FROGS.
My major requirement when using stories is that they should be as accuracte as possible and that the author shares with the reader how he or she found that information.
Achieving the title of becoming a published author now is far more reachable than no one had ever dreamed of just a couple of decades ago. Many writers have thrown themselves into the vortex of self-publishing industry, but as usual, only a few have achieved the desirable recognition and satisfactory pay cheques. Determination and honest, hard work plus the risk of committed capital are not aspects I would like to focus on.
All writers are trying their best but only a few books are good enough for the modern day readers who are well educated, know what they are paying for and have become very astute and choosy. Unfortunately, many writers tend to look at their written work as a manifestation of their sacrifice to educate or entertain the readers. The readers do not take into consideration the writers ‘effort. They are boldly and brutally looking at every book as a ...
Read the rest of this post
Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they’re likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and postage.
About Jennie: Jennie Goloboy is an associate agent with Red Sofa Literary. Jennie has a PhD in the History of American Civilization from Harvard. She is also a published author of both history and fiction, and a member of SFWA, RWA, SHEAR, OAH, the AHA, and Codex Writer’s Group. Her funny, spec-fic short stories appear under her pen name, Nora Fleischer.
She is seeking: History–must have a commercial (non-academic) focus; early American history is preferred, but will consider all projects. Biography–no personal memoirs. Genre Fiction–science fiction/fantasy or paranormal, especially with a literary flair. young adult and middle grade fiction, especially science fiction/fantasy.
How to submit: jennie (at) redsofaliterary.com. “We highly encourage everyone to send an email and/or query letter initially, before attempting to send a full book proposal or sample chapters. Ultimately, it will save postage and time. If there is an interest, we will directly contact the author. Once these materials are received, there is usually response time of 4-6 weeks, sometimes sooner. If querying via e-mail, please only put the contents of your query in the e-mail. We will not open attachments unless they have been requested in advance.”
Celebration is central to the human experience. Whether it’s career planning or family planning, the library provides resources for customers to celebrate the milestones in their lives. Our branch recently experienced an impressive occasion of its own. The Hope Mills Branch of the Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center in N.C., celebrated our 20th anniversary last month! We brought in the crowds with our story time starring Spot the Dog. Participants enjoyed activities and books based on Eric Hill’s stories. Children and their parents clamored to capture their picture with the golden puppy.
Our afternoon K-9 Crime Fighters program brought in a representative of the K-9 unit from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and his service dog. A packed audience of kids of all ages and their parents asked a bunch of questions (“Can your dog sniff through walls?”) and enjoyed the dog’s energetic game of hide-and-seek as she searched for objects under our puppet stage. Library director Jody Risacher provided some celebratory remarks, and our program concluded with refreshments in our lobby.
Our branch’s next milestone (our 25th anniversary in June 2017) may still be five years away, but that doesn’t mean we won’t find additional reasons to celebrate! While this was only a day of festivities, it’s clear that our customers have many reasons in their own lives to celebrate throughout the year. The library is often at the heart of these occasions.
Hope Mills Library Celebrates 20th Anniversary
In addition to preparing for life’s pivotal milestones, there’s also reason to celebrate when customers receive the benefits of the day-to-day services we provide. The impact of these services is life-changing. We provide customers with their first library card. Many of our youngest customers are introduced to reading through attending branch programs and checking out books. We encourage an entire season of celebration through our Summer Reading Club. These milestones, of course, don’t pertain solely to our youngest customers. We assist adult patrons to secure a better future through providing them with computer instruction and assisting them with locating resources to strengthen those resumes for job interviews.
Here are a few examples to demonstrate how the library positively influences these important occasions in the lives of our patrons. I’m sure the sentiment of these scenarios will be familiar.
*A child received her first library card from staff. The youngster’s father is deployed, so her mother took a picture of her daughter checking out books using her new card. The daughter was so pleased to be able to share this milestone with her father, even though he is serving the country overseas.
Well, now we’ve gone and done it. Greedy gus that I am, I’ve always found it hugely inconvenient when my favorite authors and illustrators live in other countries. Shaun Tan in Australia. Kate Beaton in Canada (we had her briefly, then lost her again, consarn it). And then there’s that charming Frances Hardinge. When are we going to convince her to move Stateside? Never if the publication of her latest book is any indication. Or, shall I say, the LACK of publication since if you are looking for her latest novel A Face Like Glass here in America you are seriously out of luck. Not entirely without options, mind you, since you can buy a Kindle edition (the hardcover claims to come out May 1st yet has “not yet been released” and has no American publisher) which is pretty much your only option if you’re a Yank. Harper Collins has traditionally been the publisher of all the Hardinge books in the States but is eschewing her latest novel. Unless, of course, they’re just biding their time until the spring. However, if they do not opt for her latest I’d be more than happy to see some other publisher pick up the slack. Recall, if you will, the fact that the last Hardinge won the 2010 Battle of the (Kids’) Books. Just sayin’. Thanks to Dan Levy for the info.
Speaking of Brits, a fascinating article came out in The Guardian recently posing the question: “Which books offer the best introduction to New York?“ The answer was a fascinating mix of the usual suspects (Mixed-Up Files, Eloise, Little Red Lighthouse, etc.) and stuff that would never occur to me, the New York Public Library Youth Materials Specialist. Grk and the Hot Dog Trail? In the Night Kitchen? The Arrival?!? I pity the poor child that walks into Manhattan with The Arrival as their guide. Think of their disappointment (particularly when you consider that Tan took as much inspiration from classic Australian photographs as American ones). Almost more interesting than all of these is the recommendation to read Rosa Guy’s books. When we think of New York we almost never take her into consideration. As I say, fascinating. Thanks to Playing By the Book for the link.
Speaking of New York City, heads up, hipsters. Actually, a better way of putting this would be to say heads up those of you who want to hang out with famous people for a reasonable price and an even better cause. 826NYC is having its Dueling Bingos competition, and this season you’re going to have a chance to match your Bingo chops against folks like Sarah Vowell, the guy who plays “Pete” on 30 Rock, Catherine Keener, and maybe even Jon Scieszka if you’re lucky. Are you in town August 1st? Then you have no excuse. Come by, come by . . .
Is it just me or are more people dying this
7 Comments on Fusenews: Rectify this sin, last added: 7/19/2012
While Hardinge’s LOST CONSPIRACY made it to the 2010 BoB’s Big Kahuna round it was actually Partridge’s MARCHING FOR FREEDOM that took the gold. I will say that I really, really liked A FACE LIKE GLASS (as I also discovered that we Yanks can get the Kindle edition) and hope it does come out on this side of the pond before too long. It is excellent.
Elizabeth Bird said, on 7/19/2012 6:02:00 AM
Whoops! The “Rectify this sin” post has now been rectified itself. Well, it deserved to win in any case. Just bad timing to come out against the excellent Partridge.
Jennifer said, on 7/19/2012 6:26:00 AM
Ah, not totally unavailable! You can purchase uk books on Book Depository – and the shipping is free, even if the books are sometimes a little more expensive than a vendor. I note that Face like Glass is only 12.75 at the moment. I used Book Depository to fill in the Skulduggery Pleasant series – I got frustrated with the weird release dates and boys were begging me for the next one, so I just bought it at Book Depository and our super cataloger wrote up a special record for it and voila!
Julie said, on 7/19/2012 6:59:00 AM
That retreat (and Society) look like a hoot. Thanks for sharing.
Marc Tyler Nobleman said, on 7/19/2012 7:02:00 AM
Thanks for the nod, BB! And love that Bookmobile pic.
Elizabeth Bird said, on 7/19/2012 9:15:00 AM
Good to know, Jennifer! Alas, for big systems like my own sites like Book Depository aren’t an option. In lieu of that I will just stare mournfully up at the windows of various editors here in town and play them a sad sad tune on my little violin.
Carter Higgins said, on 7/19/2012 10:38:00 AM
Kinda speechless to be included in such a stellar roundup. Thank you!!
Prizes Science Fiction Paranormal Thriller YA Paranormal Romance YA Paranormal Romance YA Science Fiction YA Fantasy MG/YA Fantasy Paranormal Romance Paranormal Romance Science Fiction Speculative Fiction Enter the Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway Check out the other participants
5 Comments on Vacation Reads Giveaway Hop (7/19 – 7/25), last added: 7/20/2012
Thanks for visiting my site. I appreciate your interest in my work. If you have questions regarding my books or stories, please feel free to send me a message. I enjoy hearing from you, and I’ll respond as soon as possible.
Happy reading!
Artie
Latest News
Artie’s children’s book Living Green: A Turtle’s Quest for a Cleaner Planet is now available as a free video for kids through StoryCub. A shortlist finalist for the national 2012 Green Earth Book Award, Thurman the turtle is tired of seeing the land he loves cluttered with trash and decides to take action.
To watch the Living Green video and many other books on StoryCub.org, please click on the cover below. StoryCub videos are one of the most watched programs on Apple’s iTunes Kids & Family section.
They're announcing the longlist for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction on 25 July -- next Wednesday -- and so there's been a bit of speculation about what the list will look like.
Since they disappointingly cut down the longlist to a mandated 'Man Booker Dozen' -- twelve or thirteen titles -- in 2007 at least the number of titles to consider is predictable.
(Recall that before then there was apparently no limit, and the years 2001 (when it was still just the Booker) through 2006 saw longlists of 24 (!), 20, 23, 22, 17, and 19 respectively. Ah, the good old days .....)
Yesterday, Canongate Books publisher Jamie Byng tweeted that:
Peter Stoddart, the chair of the Man Booker judges this year, said they had 145 novels to read. Sadly he was otherwise way too discrete!
[Much as one wants to make allowances for tweets, it's difficult for me not to express dumbfounded wonder that the head of a major UK publisher, who presumably has (had ?) some titles in the running for this prize neither spells the Times Literary Supplement editor and Man Booker chair of the judges Peter Stothard's name (even close to ...) correctly, nor uses the correct (spelling of) discreet .....
Despairing of the publishing industry in general, I'm trying my best not to read anything into that.]
In previous years judges have ... made claims that turned out to be higher than the actual totals, so 145 titles shouldn't be considered the official tally yet, but if true it would be an all-time high, as best I can tell.
Given the Man Booker's absurd limits on submissions (publishers are limited to two titles each, though titles can be called in; books by previous winners and previously shortlisted authors may also be submitted without counting against the publisher-quota), that's an extraordinary number -- the highest on record, as far as I can tell (and seven more than in each of the past two years).
What we don't know, however, is how many of those titles were called in.
The total number of books in the running for the prize, and the number of these that were 'called in' (i.e, not submitted by the publishers) since 2001 are:
Vanguard has two pieces on the literary situation in Nigeria -- where the recent UNESCO announcement, Port Harcourt named "World Book Capital 2014" should also help in the promotion of all things literary:
- McPhilips Nwachukwu writes Bring Back the Book, which discusses both the World Book Capital nomination, and the: "resuscitation of President Goodluck Jonathan's Bring Back the book"-effort.
Don't miss the final book in the Poetry for Tough Times trilogy. Order before Aug. 21, 2012 to receive a 30% discount! Click here to see more and thanks!
Handscript-titled book covers with simple handmade illustrations have been used lately all over the upper echelons of fiction. says an article in the Atlantic.
One of the hot topics in the comics industry is the movement into the digital medium, and of course the biggest question in that migration is, “what’s it going to cost?” Sunday afternoon at San Diego Comic-Con, the leading voices in this debate came together to discuss this topic: Mark Waid representing Thrillbent, Scott Kurtz the creator of PvP, IDW Publishing’s ePublishing director Jeff Webber, Chris Ross attending as Top Shelf’s director of digital publications, and moderating the panel is comiXology’s Chip Mosher.Mark Waid was a little late showing up, having just won three Eisner Awards the evening before, and after introducing the panel Chip asked the panelists, “what is the ideal price for digital comics and why?”
The line of responses started with Mark Waid, and he suggested, “99 cents… because 99 cents is the point at which even the most casual readers will drop 99 cents will try something they have not tried before. 99 cents is the price you’d pay on an app from the app store… We’re not competing with other comics and we’re not competing with print comics, we’re competing with other things that cost 99 cents.”
Jeff Webber suggested that, “there’s not one price,” following up by suggesting a staggered price system based on date of release, starting from full cover price and lowering after periods of time with the inclusion of discounts; citing that IDW’s best selling digital items at the, “highest price up… except when we do a 99 cent sale.”
Scott Kurtz focused on the question, “Is this digital market the first or secondary market for this content?” His belief is that depending on the use of the digital market, should influence the price, whereas first market should be 99 cents and secondary should be free; especially in regard to marketing, “it should be zero or very little.”
Chris Ross narrowed the question to specifically what sort of comics should be priced and in which way, “Top Shelf publishes big, huge books, it doesn’t make sense to price those 99 cents.” He explained that Top Shelf’s strategy is to price their digital books to help supplement physical books and in a way that encourages readers to invest in physical copies. Mark Waid followed up with the price point concept by suggesting the question, “My motto at Thrillbent is more, ‘I want to charge 99 cents for this, then how much can I give you?’”
Chip Mosher then posed the question, “Don’t you think the 99 price point discussion is really about having people discover more comics, making them accessible, cheaper?” Chris Ross replied “I think the one thing we keep coming to as far as the 99 cents, is Angry Birds. That’s the thing that said you can get hours and hours of entertainment for only a dollar. So when you purchase a comic or you purchase a graphic novel, if it’s anything that takes you an hour or two, you feel that if you pay $4 for it you just got screwed.”
Scott Kurtz replied by saying, “It’s scary to spend 5 bucks to ‘rent’ a comic,” and continued on how paying a full price becomes an obstacle to draw in new readers and how portals or a
16 Comments on SDCC: Digital Comics Price Fight, last added: 7/19/2012
There is not one price for all print comics, it’s silly to think there is one best price for digital. Both Waid and Ross have strategies that work for them. Waid is making his content fit the price he wants to charge. Ross has a set amount of content and has to price accordingly. Neither is wrong, they are just different.
The streaming vs downloading issue is probably keeping more people away that the price. Even 99 cents is too much if you don’t trust the content to stick around.
Richard Caldwell said, on 7/18/2012 6:42:00 PM
I would never pay anything for a digital comic. I honestly don’t understand the logic in anybody paying more than pennies even.
Ian Boothby said, on 7/18/2012 6:46:00 PM
We used to have the price raised on comics and the high cost of paper was blamed. Then then the high cost of gas to transport them was blamed. Digital readers shouldn’t be paying paper and gas rates when neither exist.
Alex said, on 7/18/2012 7:12:00 PM
Waid is right…the print market is doomed long term…there is no “if”…it is doomed…and people need to accept that in thirty years we aren’t going to be cutting down trees for 99% of books…so let’s be honest here and realize that the future is not the comic book store…the future is either DC > consumer or artist > consumer with maybe an Apple or Amazon as the distributor…so the idea of digital propping up paper is silly…and people simply aren’t going to pay $3.99 for a two minute read…it’s that simple…so either charge a fair price ($0.99) or drive people to piracy.
I’d have paid $70 to read DMZ…$210? or $280? Forget it.
Richard Caldwell said, on 7/18/2012 7:27:00 PM
Print media isn’t dying, just bad print media. My ma apparently subscribes to Guideposts magazine, cheesy christian stuff. They sell more copies in a quarter than every issue of every Marvel and DC and Image and IDW and Boom and Dark Horse title combined. COMBINED.
Comic books and newspapers are suffering because they are run by cheapskates and mobsters. Real print media is doing fine, if not increasingly better.
saipaman said, on 7/18/2012 10:01:00 PM
For older material, even twenty five cents is too much.
One thing to consider here is the Pokemon effect. I’m sure there is a price point most readers will convince themselves that have to have them all.
BobH said, on 7/18/2012 11:16:00 PM
We’ll see how Waid does when he actually tries to start charging. The chapters of the free comic he’s putting up seem to be the story equivalent of 5-7 pages of a print comic, so if that’s what he think he can charge 99 cents for than his prices are pretty much the same as the $3/$4 that most print publishers charge for same day releases (and they mostly drop those prices after a month). I wouldn’t pay that much for that little.
I think Top Shelf has a better idea, publish real substantial books and charge a fair price for them, far below the print price but more than 99 cents in most cases. Not that I’m a huge market, but about half of the $50 I’ve spent on digital comics since I got an ipad 3 months ago has been on Top Shelf books.
And free sounds about right for Scott Kurtz comics. Maybe a bit high.
Geoff said, on 7/19/2012 12:19:00 AM
Dark Horse has a great price structure with their “bundles”. Most are a little more than $1 an issue when you buy a 5 issue arc. On Comixology I ONLY buy sale items at $.99. I suppose I would spend more for a few titles or writers but it makes NO sense to spend print prices or even half. I use to support my local shop but they just closed. I’m going strictly digital now and $.99 is plenty.
Comic2read said, on 7/19/2012 1:23:00 AM
Digital Comics are not using their greatest advantage in that they can give comics NOW as soon as it’s done. No waiting for the printer. NO waiting for Wednesday. We want our books NOW.
As for pricing, they should pass the savings of not using paper to the buyer. My shop gives me a 15% discount and digital should also match that.
Niels van Eekelen said, on 7/19/2012 3:46:00 AM
I can only speak for my own experience, but:
I simply will not pay print prices for digital books.
$1.99 seems to be my upper limit for regular issues. Don’t like to wait a month for a price drop, but I’ll do it. (I ended up skipping the Valiant reboot because their dropped prices are still $2.99, and I don’t buy any Marvel books digitally because though their prices will drop to $1.99, there is no schedule to this that will allow my to regularly follow a series.)
For $0.99, though, I’ll pretty much buy as much as I can read. Often more.
Ned said, on 7/19/2012 4:23:00 AM
Especially where services such as Comixology are concerned, I would never pay squat for a digital comic.* You are not buying a copy of the comic, you are paying for a license to view a copy of the comic, a license which can be revoked at any time at Comixology’s discretion, and which disappears in to thin air as soon as Comixology goes out of business. Print will never die because people like me want to OWN what they are paying for, not just pretend they do.
* The only digital comics I’ve bought were from Kickstarter projects, where the bidding level included a DRM-free PDF file at a very reasonable price compared to the expensive print format.
Vincent Moore said, on 7/19/2012 4:57:00 AM
It is interesting to see what wasn’t brought up by the panel (or wasn’t reported) and what isn’t being brought up in the comments. Namely, how much of the price point is shaped by the costs of producing the comics. You know, paying the writer. artists, writer/artists, whatever.
One could guess that from Waid’s perspective, a mix of ad revenue and volume will be how creators are paid. For Kurtz, as a single creator, the cost of those man-hours is reduced down to paying one person. For the publishers, though, they are thinking of their own revenue as well as what they have to pay the creators. For all the talk of not wanting to pay a print price point for digital, no one in the comments is thinking of the creator. The only thought is eliminating print and its costs somehow makes the comics free or nearly so.
As someone who has and hopes to continue earning money from my creative efforts, I find that attitude worrying.
Zach Adams said, on 7/19/2012 5:17:00 AM
In the case of single issues, one of the big obstacles is Apple. Demanding that all in app purchases have a price ending in .99 prevents the pubs from doing as much experimentation as they might want to find a sweet spot (not a big deal with Top Shelf, but problematic when .99 is too low for the pub and 1.99 is too high.). Everyone’s reliance on Comixology is an issue too…I don’t know what their cut is, but if it’s over ten percent it may make .99 comics a difficult proposition for a $3 cover price item. I wish more pubs would break out of the Comixology ecosystem…but then IDW tried going solo and ended up with CX anyway, and I have actually seen people say they won’t do DH or Viz because they’re unwilling to work with multiple libraries in different apps.
Wally Stong said, on 7/19/2012 5:18:00 AM
Chris Ross replied “I think the one thing we keep coming to as far as the 99 cents, is Angry Birds. That’s the thing that said you can get hours and hours of entertainment for only a dollar. So when you purchase a comic or you purchase a graphic novel, if it’s anything that takes you an hour or two, you feel that if you pay $4 for it you just got screwed.”
Sums up my feelings exactly regardless if it’s print or digital. The serial format of most stories don’t provide enough bang for my buck when compared to other forms of entertainment like games, novels, or even overpriced feature films. Take TDKR. I’ll likely pay 7 bucks for over 2 hours of entertainment whereas $7 won’t even by me two issues of a top-tier comic. Sure, I can reread my comic but why would I if the content is so brief that the experience is negligible.
Niels van Eekelen said, on 7/19/2012 7:06:00 AM
“For all the talk of not wanting to pay a print price point for digital, no one in the comments is thinking of the creator. The only thought is eliminating print and its costs somehow makes the comics free or nearly so.”
Not that frankly ridiculous argument again. Nobody says digital comics don’t have costs–the fact is that print comics have costs for creative, printing/shipping and distribution. Digital comics have creative and distribution. That’s less.
Add to that that you get less for it as well–access rather than ownership, no option to re-sell–and the purchase of a digital comic is fundamentally different from that of a print object.
Apollo9000 said, on 7/19/2012 8:07:00 AM
While 99 cents is the most I’ve paid for a digital comic, I can see instances where the pricing will be different. Take Dark Horses’ bundles for example. A Hellboy mini digitally will cost the same as a printed Annual. That’s about $1.50 an issue for 3 issue mini. DC drops the price of their titles by a dollar a month after they’ve been on sale. Most of the books are 20 page $2.99 products. That’s 10 pages for a dollar. It seems nice but overall is slight. Another major factor is that most books are written for the trade. Decompressed storytelling in comics doesn’t lend itself well to impulse buys or random try outs. I think digital comics will have to look at comics past to advance in it’s future. Following the basic rules of newspaper strips – limited number of panels/ space to tell a compressed, full bodied story will be the way to go. By following in the footsteps of newspaper comic strips, creators could develop a working schedule that changes their “shipping” schedule from monthly to bi-weekly or even weekly. Publishers have to view most casual/ new readers as people looking for an “one night stand”. They aren’t looking for a commitment. Trying to hook them with ongoings makes things harder. Instead of trying to push out a ridiculous number of ongoings only for them to cancelled because they couldn’t “find an audience”, try the Hellboy/ B.P.R.D. Mini series model. Do more one shots digitally. Then for digital bundles/ paperback/ hardcover collections, you can group the minis and one shots more neatly, making it easier for new and current readers to find and buy in any format they may choose.
Katie McCurdy, teen blogger and book reviewer extraordinaire, recently interviewed me on her site, “Legacy of a Writer.” If you’d like a chance to snag a free copy of my teen mystery, A Shadow in the Dark, enter the raffle at the site: http://katie-mccurdy.blogspot.com/2012/07/ronica-stromberg-is-here-with-us-today.html. The winner will be drawn in a week, so hustle on over.
May the best bookworm win!
0 Comments on Book Giveaway: A Shadow in the Dark as of 1/1/1900
A lot of links in Linky are broken... Arr. Just saying :( I know almost all of those blogs so I can just head over to them but yup. Linky isn't really working.
.jpg?picon=3687){kind=tracking}
The third image above is the cover, courtesy of Roaring Brook. (There’s a bit more about the book 
.jpeg?picon=2320)
Thank you for posting it!
Way to go Justine!! Congratulations! Lovely work, I'll also check out your new website! See you on Pinterest :))
Thanks Mary and thanks to Marie for featuring me xx