There’s interesting stuff in this week’s Publishers Weekly Comics Week.
Calvin Reid covers Rich Johnson’s move from DC to Hachette and the publisher’s contemplation of a possible graphic novel imprint. Most interesting is the snapshot the piece provides of where publishers are now in terms of adding graphic novels to their output. This snippet really caught my eye:
“Over at Random House, comics seem to be everywhere, including the flagship graphic novel line at Pantheon and a burgeoning Del Rey manga line. Del Rey is also planning for more titles, more genres and original comics publishing.”
Original comics publishing? Tell me more!
I’m not a gadget geek at all, but I did enjoy Reid’s piece on Sony’s E-Reader. Prose and graphic novel publishers are apparently staring hungrily at the new gizmo, and some (Tokyopop and Harlequin, most notably) have already taken the plunge:
“Mary Abthorpe, Harlequin’s v-p of new business development, says a selection of its Harlequin Pink shojo romance line, No Competition, Jinxed and A Prince Needs a Princess, are available for download to the Sony Reader.”
It’s interesting that they’re starting off with the books that are targeted at a younger audience. I’m sure the undoubtedly sizzling Violet titles won’t be too far behind.
I’m the type that usually waits until for the second or third iteration of some new technology, partly because I always assume there will be bugs to work out, and also because I’m cheap. My partner is a gadget geek (and much less of a pack rat) and stares at my groaning shelves of manga with increasing concern, so he might be more of an early adopter than I am. Still, I’d rather wait until more publishers get on board and there’s a wider range of material available.
Another point of concern for me is what this will mean for the bathtub reader. I’m not about to take a $300 E-Reader near a tub of standing water, much less one altered with circuit-damaging bath salts, so I’d never be able to abandon paper completely.
Last but not least, PWCW takes a stab at a combined monthly best-seller list. I wish they’d offered more information on their methodology and sources in the debut installment. Looking at the list, it seems like the Direct Market contributes a drop in the bucket, as the entries line up pretty closely with BookScan numbers. I could be wrong, obviously.