Act of Survival or Act of Bullies: Books-A-Million Follows Barnes & Noble’s Lead
Written on October 11, 2011 by Koby Jeffery
Last week we told you about how Barnes and Noble reacted in a harsh manner by pulling 100 DC graphic novels off their shelves that were made exclusive to Amazons Kindle Fire shutting out the Nook Color device. Now it looks like B & N is no longer standing alone. The second largest book chain, Books-A-Million also pulled the graphic novels as a sign of solidarity and unified response to the Kindle Fire deal which we learned as reported by the Los Angeles Times will last four months beginning on November 15.
That last detail now makes this whole corporate protest rather silly. So what happens after the four months, do Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million put the books back on the shelves? Do they refuse to sell all DC books? Both franchises are taking the demise of Borders seriously and this ploy reeks of a scare tactic sent to other comic publishers not to make exclusive deals with Amazon or any other online retailer. A noble cause to the plight of the dying book chains. But is that kind of power or abuse of power really serving anyone any good? Theres more to this story.
Books-A-Million has 211 stores in 23 states (prominent in the south and southeast region of the country) and with the two biggest chains to have taken the books off the shelf that leaves customers who want nothing to do with the eReader wars at a severe disadvantage in terms of discovering the books in person, flipping through the pages and making that in-store purchase. That leaves comic shops and online retailers to supply the banned books as the best options for casual comic readers.
Comic shops are in no way the bad guy here and could gain business out of this whole fiasco. But let me be clear, there are good comic shops who know how to keep their shelves stocked and make special orders and there are bad comic shops who are lazy and drop the ball. Weve all experienced or hopefully experienced both to know the difference. I wish every single person on the planet could experience only good comic shops. Some dont have that choice.
Which leads to volume online retailers. With services like Discount Comic Book Service and InstockTrades.com, Amazon, and Buy.com customers have plenty to choose from. But lets look at those huge discounts they offer. Because they order a tremendous amount of the copies they can offer the huge discounts 35-50% off, much more than the local comic shops. Then there are comic shops that have prominent web versions of their stores or are linked into Amazon as a joint venture. For some the impersonal experience of online shopping and convenience is preferred. Free or the most affordable shipping becomes the final bargaining chip. Its loyalty to who can get you the book the cheapest and the fastest as long as you know what your buying.
Comics too fall under that entertainment portion of the wallet. Everyone is trying to squeeze as much as they can out of the dollar. Or even worse, turn to piracy. But that kind of evil is a different matter altogether. Do comics or the collected trades and hardcovers AKA graphic novels need to be in book stores? You bet. It says a lot to the non-comics reader to see a copy of Fables or Watchmen displayed next to best-selling fiction or non-fiction novel. It legitimizes comics and for those who know what the visual and literary experience comics have to offer that validation isnt needed.
But for those who are skeptical on comics or have just never been given the opportunity to have a comic like Y: The Last Man or Sandman open up before them and provide a unique experience that broadens ones view of comics–and this is no slight to superhero comics–expands the medium beyond capes and cowls. Now there are thousands of other comics/graphic novels that exist that do this outside of the banned DC books, but many of the titles were chosen by DC for the exclusive collections because of their ability to reach other types of readers who dont visit comic shops on a weekly basis. The industry is bigger than these 100 graphic novels but its the quality of books thats being turned away, and the ramifications that will come as a result of this.
Which brings us back to the main issue. Books-A-Million CEO Terrance Finley said in a press release, “We will not promote titles in our stores showrooms if publishers choose to pursue these exclusive arrangements that create an uneven playing field in the marketplace.” Really? So if Books-A-Million created a color eReader, or Barnes & Noble struck an exclusive deal with DC for the Nook, we can assume that Amazon would refuse to carry said books online, right? Ennnnnnhhhh! Wrong! Why? Because they would make sure that people who still wanted print copies had a place to buy them. These are two retailers that feel burned, and as I said in last weeks Barnes and Noble piece, these huge retailers have had exclusive deals made to them like this Ultimate Spider-Man Hardcover collection. You didnt see comic shops pulling Ultimate Spider-Man off their shelves did you? So while Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million want to draw a line in the sand with DC and other comics retailers, they should look in the mirror and figure out why they didnt get that exclusive deal. The Nook Color beat the Kindle Fire by one year and yet made no progress with shuttling comics to customers with any real devotion. Why?
Heres the real salt in the wound, comics readers. Graphic novels dont sell enough. Simple and plain.
They know that DC, Marvel, and the rest are hurting for readers and are at the mercy of anyone who would be so kind to carry their books. If this happened to a Harry Potter book, a Twilight novel or a Stieg Larsson Millennium novel do you really think that these book stores would pull said titles off of their shelves? Absolutely not. The book stores are at the mercy of wherever the author or publisher wanted to sell it. Theyd wait out the four months patiently and theyd flood you with their discounted prices and be so happy to have that large chunk of money coming in regardless of any exclusivity. They may not be the first to carry it, but theyll proudly provide that book to readers who dont worry about being the first in line. Money makers dont throw away opportunities to make money. Thats why Amazon and Wal-Mart will rule the world one day–whether thats good or bad is another topic.
Do me a favor and google: nook comics at the Barnes & Noble side and tell me what you find. Not many comics thats for sure. Most of the 400 random comics they have are black and white manga titles. Not many I recognize but then again, Im not the biggest expert on manga. The rest is not junk per se, but as a reader of mainstream and independent comics, nothing they offer on the Nook thats is considered a comic is anything Id be interested in. Maybe the Nook doesnt want to be bothered with a comics reader application?
Heres one I found. Paleta Man. Would you pay $10 for this? or $10 for All-Star Superman?
I did manage to find volumes of The Walking Dead, Mouse Guard, Hack/Slash, old Gold Key Star Trek issues, old Topps X-Files issues, but boy did I have to do some searching for them. Where are the heaps of Marvel comics, wheres Hellboy, Conan, Usagi Yojimbo, Locke & Key, so one and so forth. Seems like a wasted opportunity by the Nook Color if you ask me. Comics seemed like a natural draw to the Nook Color but I never once heard any kind of presentation of comics on this device in the year that its been out.
So while Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million claim to have their customers best interest and preach how they wouldnt want to carry books that is made exclusive to one device lets make this abundantly clear. DC chose the Kindle Fire over the Nook Color, thats the only customers that were shut out. Customers can still purchase electronic versions via comiXology for their iOS or Android device, or their desktop or laptop computer. I dont even know why Books-A-Million is backing this horse because they have no eReader. Their only choice is to sell the print copy. Ah, but wait. They do carry one eReader. The Books-A-Million Nook Color. Huh. Imagine that.
So now this is less of an issue about B & N and BAM vs. DC. This is really about the Kindle Fire vs. Nook Color. These guys could care less about providing product for their customers. They havent even developed a comic reader for the Nook Color nor does it seem they want to. If this is really about the Nook losing out to the Kindle Fire then wow, to punish customers who want to purchase these graphic novels seems petty and transparent, even bully-ish.
We shall see what happens after the four month deal runs out February 15th, 2012. By then the damage may have already been done and if this works in DCs favor then well look back some day and say they were proactive in making a transition away from book stores who and theyll have the foundation of a growing relationship with Amazon and comiXology.
Whats the answer as a consumer of print comics? Support your local comic shops, find the good ones. Dial 1-888-COMIC-BOOK to get the local shops in your area and find a good one. Or find one of the many online retailers that will get you what you need. I have no vested interest in either eReader or electronic comic book app. Im a fan of print who finds it silly that book stores would take away good products off the shelves. Thats a big reason for me not to come back for any reason.
I love the book stores, I really do, but when it comes to comics and graphic novels, this shrewd act seen in high school kids pout when theyre turned down for the prom. On second thought, let me rephrase what I said. I loved Borders and independent book stores. Also support your local libraries in growing their graphic novel selection. These big book chains may have drawn their line in the sand, but as consumers, we can draw our line too.
Is pulling DC graphic novels an act of survival or act of bullies? What do you think?
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