2011...the Year of Digital Publishing?

All the signs I am seeing points to 2011 being be the year digital distribution busts loose in the book and comic industry.

The foundation of that belief is based upon the number of companies releasing their own iPad type hardware this year...which was the "missing link" in the chain to mobile-digital comic reading. Amazon already has publicly stated their largest selling item is now the Kindle (outselling Harry Potter), so don't think for a minute that other companies are not taking notice (but of course that one's not yet geared for heavy illustrated product yet...but I'm sure will be in future models).

But I do not think it will spell the end of brick and mortal publishing, rather just a market adjustment on how product is made available to the public. I believe this is a very exciting time to be in publishing, as new outlets will mean that many more small, indy or self published creators will be able to get their product into the hands of potential readers...and for a fraction of the price it took to do a traditional print run, and without having to run the "distributor and/or retailer gauntlet" to reach the reading public.

In addition, I think this development will spawn a new type of potential reader...those who might never had, (or very rarely) ventured into a comic store...because they perceived it as unfriendly or too geeky (see Big-Bang-Theory). Now those reluctant readers can explore the wonderful world of comics and graphic novels in the privacy of their own iPads, without having to "out themselves"...so to speak.

Along those same lines, it's a huge advantage to those of us creating works with a spiritual foundation...since it allows people with a spiritual curiosity to explore without fear, ridicule or just having to explain to their comic reading peers why they might be buying a comic about God, Jesus etc...

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Here a bit of info on the developing digital age:

From Andrew Smith and Brent Frankenhoff in the Comics Buyers Guide #1674: Comic sales in digital form sold an estimated $500,000 to $1 million in 2009. Estimates for 2010 are between $6-8 Million (an increase of a minimum of 600%...when print comic sales are predicted to only increase 1% over that same period). Now that's exciting!

Sales of all eBooks tripled in 2010 (from 2009) to over 100 million copies sold.

Both Marvel and DC announced price drops on their print comics late in 2010 (Marvel's was more wide spread across their line) and though neither have yet to admit it in the press, it's rumored that this step was taken only due to the extra revenue they've both taken in from the digital versions of their catalogs.

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From my perspective, we (Head Press Publishing) continue to explore new ways to make Eye Witness available to new potential readers each and every day.

In 2010, we dipped into the digital pool by making the revised edition of Eye Witness Book One our first digital offering through Comixology. Later in the year we added Drivethrucomics to our list of digital partners (as they premiered the digital version of Eye Witness: Acts of the Spirit). In addition, in the end of the year our books went live on the Google Books catalog...which is already led to sales and contacts from the amount of visibility the online giant provides.

In 2011, it looks like Graphicly.com will be adding the entire Eye Witness series to their online catalog and we're in the process of converting our books for viewing on Barnes and Noble's Color Nook (Reader) also.

As creators we must embrace these new outlets. Think of each one of them like a retail giant (like a Walmart) with customer reach in the thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands annually. And the good news is (excuse the pun) for most of us working in Christian based comics and graphic novels, that we can take our creations way past the niche markets they've been exposed to previously due to market bias (do to the Christian foundation of our works) or our lack of marketing capital...to virtually anywhere in the world where the technology and hardware exist to view them!

So 2011 looks like it has the potential to be a very good year for being a comic/graphic novel creator!

For any of you who haven't checked out Eye Witness yet, here's an opportunity to view one of the outlets we've added to our quiver of digital providers (Drivethrucomics) as well as to see what the series is all about with a FREE Eye Witness download.

R.J. Luedke
headpress.info

Get Your Books in Barnes & Noble's Database

Walking through my local Barnes and Noble location this last weekend, I stumbled upon a kiosk that was promoting the introduction of their new eBook reader...the Color Nook.

This is a wonderful tool in the iPad mold, that offers those who wish to read their literature in digital format access to any books in the Barnes and Noble library.

But when searching their sample for my Eye Witness graphic novels, I found they were not listed, even though they ARE in their online database and available for anyone to order in their printed version through their website.

Doing some research on this subject I uncovered some wonderful news for small and indy press publishers...that Barnes and Noble has the process already in place to make your books (or graphic novels) available to anyone with a Nook reader...even though you might not be distributed by a major wholesaler (since that is not listed as a prerequisite for inclusion).

Quoting their information to me:

Independent publishers and self-published authors are encouraged to sign up for PubIt!, our self-publishing platform. Through the site, you’ll be able to set up an account, load title data, convert files to ePub, and sell on BN.com.
PubIt's website is: www.pubit.com

This is a wonderful opportunity for indy publishers who might have previously struggled to get their products into a mainstream bookseller like Barnes and Noble (and FYI...Books A Million also markets the Color Nook on their website). And for these big-box booksellers, it's an opportunity to stay on top of the current hot trend in readership.

Go for it, my friends and brothers!

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Eye Witness in the Media

Hey gang, just to update you on what's been happening lately, now that we are winding down from the 7 month long, Unknown God tour.

Over the last couple weeks I've been interviewed on a number or radio programs around the country about our latest release, The Collected Eye Witness Slipcase Set.

Here's a podcast of an interview I did on the Family Life Network last month:

http://www.fln.org/media/family-life-podcasts/detail/bob-luedke-eyewitness-book-4/

Here's one I did last week for the Messiah's Branch radio program:

http://branch.podomatic.com/entry/index/2010-11-22T21_09_39-08_00

...and coinciding with my appearance at the upcoming Wizard world Atlanta Comic Con, I'll be interviewed live on WATV's "Atlanta Live" program on Fri. Dec. 3rd at 7pm.

Enjoy, share them with a friend and post any comments.

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

It's A Digital World

In our quest to make the Eye Witness epic available to more readers than ever...not just in North America...but all around the world, we are happy to announce our new partnership with Drive Thru Comics, who markets their site as, "The First Download Comic Shop."






Available immediately for you to download from their site are, both, Eye Witness (Book One: Revised Edition) and Eye Witness (Book Two): Acts of the Spirit. The two titles are broken up into three chapters, each retailing for $1.99 (so if you purchased all three, you'll save 50% off the hard copy price). AND...as an additional incentive, Drivethru is offering the first chapter of Book One for FREE!




For those of you who prefer to read comics on your ipad or iphone, Eye Witness Book One is still available for those applications/hardware through Comixology!


R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Unknown God Honored with Award

LOS ANGELES – USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists of THE “BEST BOOKS 2010” AWARDS (BBA) on October 26, 2010. Robert James Luedke’s, Eye Witness: Unknown God, has been honored as the winning entry in category of…Fiction & Literature: Graphic Novels.

This is the second time the Eye Witness series has been honored by the BBA (the third book in the series, Eye Witness: Rise of the Apostle, also captured this prestigious award in 2009) and the fourth national book award for Luedke’s groundbreaking series.

“As an independent publisher it’s been a constant challenge to draw attention to our work,” stated Luedke, “so awards like the BBA…which acknowledges the work of smaller publishers along side the big boys…has been a valuable tool for drawing the attention of those who may not run across Eye Witness otherwise.”

Eye Witness is a unique combination of a modern day action thriller that has a Biblical adaptation at it's foundation. It's been called a cross between Mission Impossible, Indiana Jones and the Bible.

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of USABookNews.com , says of the awards (now in their eighth year) that they represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the United States. Winners and finalists traversed the publishing landscape: Simon & Schuster, Penguin/Putnum, Rodale, McGraw-Hill, John Wiley & Sons, Moody Publishers, American Cancer Society, Sourcebooks & hundreds of independent houses contributed to this year’s outstanding BBA competition.

USABookNews.com is an online publication providing coverage for books from mainstream and independent publishers to the world online community. A complete list of the winners and finalists of the USABookNews.com National “Best Books 2010” Awards are available online at http://www.usabooknews.com/.

ReadTheSpirit Calls Attention to Christian Comics

Hey gang,

One of my favorite writers on all matters spiritual is David Crumm, formerly of the Detroit Free Press and now editor of the website, Readthespirit.com

He just penned a wonderful article on the state of the Christian Comic (Graphic novel) scene:

http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/723-comic-book-news-independent-publishers-continue-to-produ.html

There's also a good supplemental story about the bad rap comics (and their creators) have gotten over the years.

Enjoy-
R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/