So when are we going to be able to pre-order SCOTT SHAW!’S SONIC DAYS collection?
I get asked that a lot these days, especially from people who received their copy of KEN PENDERS’ KNUCKLES OMNIBUS VOLUME ONE.
The honest answer is this:
The book is being worked on. Ethan is literally recoloring everything that Scott worked on that was published in the pages of the Archie SONIC series while Patrick is coordinating all the material that will be included in the book. I myself am personally overseeing every aspect of the production so the final product is stylistically consistent with every preceding FIP MOBIAN ADVENTURE SERIES release.
The big problem is economic.
I’m hesitant to begin taking orders until August 1st and everyone knows what Trump’s tariffs will be. If it’s 20%, I know what I’m dealing with and will move forward with the project.
Because my books are printed in China, there’s also the chance Trump could go nuts and establish 145% increase in the tariffs charged to books imported from there.
That would make printing in China both impractical as well as unprofitable, forcing me to look elsewhere for other options. It could also put the entire viability of FIP’S MOBIAN ADVENTURE SERIES at risk, if not outright kill it.
On the brighter side, I’ve been very happy with the results from the printer I’m currently working with and have no desire to look elsewhere for an alternative. If anything, even my printer is working to offer an alternative solution in order to keep my business.
There’s also the issue of FIP operational costs. We can’t afford them unless we keep increasing sales. When SONIC DAYS is ordered, printed & shipped, the books will need to end up somewhere, and unfortunately, that means I have to rent storage space, as I’m all tapped out at home. That’s why sales of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS, the KEN PENDERS’ KNUCKLES OMNIBUS VOLUME ONE and other items in my MERCH section are critical even now. If I can’t cover my costs, including the cost of this website, at some point I have to shut down.
When I order copies, I’m looking at a print run of at least 1000 copies. I know I’m not immediately going to sell all 1000 copies, but I can see I’m getting additional readers with each new FIP release. So I’m planning for the long term, as going back to do a 2nd printing for anything is impractical due to the costs involved.
To give some idea of the variables I have to take into consideration, shipping an order of books from China to here in Los Angeles costs about $1700 before the usual customs tax and Trump’s tariffs are applied.
I was asked by my printer if I would consider printing 2 books at the same time as the shipping cost would be considerably less, approximately $2000 instead of $3400. My concern with that scenario is seeing if the number of copies of each book ordered would justify going forward under those circumstances. Would readers be willing to pre-order 2 $40.00 hardcover collections, in this case, my proposed THE SHADOW FILES and HER MAJESTY SALLY additions to the Mobian Adventure Line? I’m not sure, but I’d love to hear from readers interested in these projects to send their comments to me.
On a final note, I’d like to address some points that were brought up in what I consider a completely balanced and fair review of the Omnibus. As the critic noted, I’m not Marvel or IDW, so therefore I don’t have the resources they do. That said, his observation that Omnibuses run 1000 pages or more is incorrect. I have a number of Omnibuses in my collection that run far less than 1000 pages, such as Marvel’s DR. STRANGE Omnibus collecting the Steve Ditko run from STRANGE TALES issue 110 thru 146, which is approximately 440 pages and cost $75 back in 2015. To acquire a copy of this same book would cost at least $100 on the collector’s market as it’s no longer in print.
THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA is another case of an Omnibus approximately the same page count and not available any where for less than $100. The price of an Omnibus with 1000 pages or more is generally selling for $150 newly released these days.
Other factors I had to take into account included weight and shipping cost. The book is a hefty 3 lbs. and 3 ounces before packaging for shipping. If people weren’t happy with shipping costing $25 here in the USA, to ship the Omnibus to Europe cost just under $100. Fortunately, using the Post Office Priority Medium Flat Rate shipping boxes allowed me to ship both the variant and non-variant editions for the cost of one book. Using my own packaging would’ve shot up the cost through the stratosphere.
But here’s the main difference between the Omnibus I published and the omnibuses published by Marvel and IDW. The creators involved in my book were already paid an advance against their royalties. They also know further royalties are tied to sales of the book, so it’s not just me benefiting from the cost of the book, but others as well. When’s the last time you heard from creators at Marvel or IDW being paid royalties for their work when reprinted? Also, the creators received comp copies of the book which is not a given from most publishers these days.
In case anyone hasn’t been paying attention, distribution has also become a major problem for the comics industry. So much so that a number of publishers are now teaming up to sue Diamond Distribution for attempting to sell their inventory in a manner that only benefits Diamond while the publishers take a loss.
Unless a book sports a Marvel, DC or Image logo, only roughly a third of comics retailers will order from a new publisher, and that’s if the product is a comic book. I’m selling hardcovers, so the retailers that would order from me would only purchase at best 1 copy each at a discounted rate from a distributor. Thus, I’m forced to be my own publisher, distributor and retailer.
The economics of doing cheaper versions are not sustainable either, not at the pace everything is changing. As for putting out editions that preserve everything as originally presented, including the coloring, that’s not possible either. The original coloring on the early issues was not great and not worth preserving. In fact, all the coloring for SCOTT SHAW!’S SONIC DAYS had been totally redone, resulting in a much more vibrant and exciting visual look. And if Scott Shaw! himself is happy with what he’s seeing, that’s good enough for me.
As usual, I welcome all questions and comments via email. I look forward to hearing from you.
