DC's relanuched 52 and digital comics

[DBN]

I saw that too, about the B&M sales plan.  I'm sort of business-challenged, so maybe it's just me, but I don't understand how this going to work? Why would you need to go through your LCS to get a digital file from a publisher?  If you download a digital comic today it doesn't work that way, does it?  So why would consumers want to have that extra layer added?

What if your LCS doesn't even have a website?  What am I missing here?

It's an affiliate program similar to Amazon's. The retailer registers with Comixology, gives his "digital storefront" address to his customers, and gets a cut of the profits off the sales in their "store".

The retailer isn't doing any actual scanning of comics. All the digital storefront will offer is what is in Comixology's library. Why would Comixology do this? There's a chance that it would increase it's customer base.

[DBN]

I was hoping that the old catalog - 1938-1986 - would be available in a legitimate, online white-market digital format. As much as I enjoy scanning and cleaning up old comics, I'd prefer to offer copies that were clearly defined as 100% legal.  One of my questions for Comixology was related to whether or not they were ever going to be offering the old stuff too.

But it looks like it may be a bit before that happens.

You'd have to talk to DC about the old catalog. Comixology is just the digital equivalent of Diamond. They just develop the software and distribute it. The Publishers are the ones who do the actual scanning.

[nightwing]

It's an affiliate program similar to Amazon's. The retailer registers with Comixology, gives his "digital storefront" address to his customers, and gets a cut of the profits off the sales in their "store".

Sorry to be dense, but I still don't get it.  But I'll try:

Say the website for my local LCS lists new arrivals every week (which it does; they even post it on their Facebook page to alert me).  From now on, every title on the list would be a hot link to the actual download, and they would get a percentage of the sale?  That's all well and fine, except that I can go to any other LCS' website anywhere in the US and see the same information and give them the money.  The thing that keeps me from going to Midtown Comics or Forbidden Planet as opposed to my decidedly more modest LCS is the day-long drive to NYC, but with the internet that's not an issue.  For that matter, I can go to Diamond's site and see the list there.  So the only thing putting money in the pocket of the LCS is the loyalty and generosity of its customers, who could just as easily do an end-run around them (whereas today their "loyalty" is based at least partially on physical location).

So I guess the goal for each LCS in the future will be to design the site that draws the most customers, so they'll follow your links and not the other guys'.  Which means just as today the bricks and mortar store has to branch out to RPGs, DVDs and so on to "out-cool" the competition, the "shops" of the future will be websites with Flash-based games, breaking news, art and such stuff as appeals to web surfers.

Unless they make this the ONLY way to download comics, I can't see it being much help to many shop owners.  And assuming they also make it possible to download from Barnes and Noble and other major booksellers (and they'd be crazy not to), it seems pretty certain most of the business will go those guys, who have much higher-profile web presences and names that engender more customer confidence than say, "The Android Dungeon".

[DBN]

It's an affiliate program similar to Amazon's. The retailer registers with Comixology, gives his "digital storefront" address to his customers, and gets a cut of the profits off the sales in their "store".

Sorry to be dense, but I still don't get it.  But I'll try:

Say the website for my local LCS lists new arrivals every week (which it does; they even post it on their Facebook page to alert me).  From now on, every title on the list would be a hot link to the actual download, and they would get a percentage of the sale?  That's all well and fine, except that I can go to any other LCS' website anywhere in the US and see the same information and give them the money.  The thing that keeps me from going to Midtown Comics or Forbidden Planet as opposed to my decidedly more modest LCS is the day-long drive to NYC, but with the internet that's not an issue.  For that matter, I can go to Diamond's site and see the list there.  So the only thing putting money in the pocket of the LCS is the loyalty and generosity of its customers, who could just as easily do an end-run around them (whereas today their "loyalty" is based at least partially on physical location).

Maybe, the LCS doesn't have something in stock that the customer wants and Comixology does. Instead of waiting for the order to ship, they can have the product the same day, and still support the LCS while doing so. Sure, there's not a huge ton of money involved in this, but atleast the shop will get something.

So I guess the goal for each LCS in the future will be to design the site that draws the most customers, so they'll follow your links and not the other guys'.  Which means just as today the bricks and mortar store has to branch out to RPGs, DVDs and so on to "out-cool" the competition, the "shops" of the future will be websites with Flash-based games, breaking news, art and such stuff as appeals to web surfers.

Local World of Warcraft groups (guilds?) have their own blogs, Facebooks, message boards, etc even though WoW is a global game.

Unless they make this the ONLY way to download comics, I can't see it being much help to many shop owners.  And assuming they also make it possible to download from Barnes and Noble and other major booksellers (and they'd be crazy not to), it seems pretty certain most of the business will go those guys, who have much higher-profile web presences and names that engender more customer confidence than say, "The Android Dungeon".

I don't know, but customer loyalty goes a long way. I've seen local music shops survive even with major retailers coming to the area and the advent of iTunes. The digital comics market is still very new and it's going to take a few years before everything settles.

[Great Rao]

I think Nightwing's point is valid:  If I'm going to buy a digital comic, I won't go to my local comic shop's website, I'll go to mycomicshop.com or tfaw.com - online websites that I've already purchased stuff at and at which I have accounts and credits.  In other words, as people move to digital, the small shops will be pushed out.

And Comixology's affiliate links aren't quite like Amazon links - in that I can plaster my site with Amazon links, but Comixology won't give me an affiliate account unless I'm a bona-fide Diamond customer.  I'm locked out.

So I'll be selling physical books through Amazon and Lone Star (as I currently do) but I'll only be offering digital comics if some pre-existing comic shop offers digital affiliate links; or when DC removes the restriction.