Information AboutDirect Market |
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HISTORY The Direct Market was created in the early 1980s in response to the declining market for comic books on Newsstand s. Fan Convention organizer Phil Seuling approached publishers to purchase comics directly from them, rather than going through traditional periodical distribution companies. Unlike the newsstand market (which included drugstores, groceries, toy stores, and other magazine vendors), in which unsold units could be returned for credit, these purchases were non-returnable. In return, comics specialty retailers received larger discounts on the books they ordered, since the publisher did not carry the risk of giving credit for unsold units. As Direct Market comics shops proliferated, a variety of regional and national distributors developed, essentially replacing the order-taking and -fulfillment functions of newsstand distributors. Publishers began to produce material specifically for this market, series that would probably not sell well enough on the newsstand, but sold well enough on a non-returnable basis to the more dedicated readers of the Direct Market to be profitable. As newsstand sales continued to decline, the Direct Market became the primary market of the two major comics publishers ( DC Comics and Marvel Comics ). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the popularity of comics collecting grew, many new comics shops opened, and existing retailers joined the Direct Market, carrying comics as an ancillary business. However, the market contracted in the mid 1990s, leading to the closure of many Direct Market shops. Marvel Comics purchased Heroes World , a regional distributor, with the intention of Self-distributing their products; Heroes World also stopped carrying other publishers' books. Other distributors sought exclusive deals with other major publishers to compensate for the substantial loss of Marvel's business. DC Comics, Image Comics , Dark Horse Comics , and several smaller publishers made exclusive deals with Diamond Comic Distributors . Most other distributors, including Capitol City Distribution , Diamond's main competitor at the time, either went out of business or were acquired by Diamond. Others established niches - such as re-orders - in which they could compete. When self-distribution failed to meet Marvel's objectives, they also signed an exclusive distribution deal with Diamond, which had by then become the primary supplier for the Direct Market. In the early 2000s, the Bookstore market began to challenge the Direct Market as a channel for sales of increasingly popular Graphic Novel s. IMPACT The development of the Direct Market is commonly credited with restoring the North American comic book publishing industry to profitability. The emergence of this lower-risk distribution system is also credited with providing an opportunity for new comics publishers to enter the business. The Direct Market has been criticized for fostering a closed " Ghetto " for comics, arguing that most Direct Market retailers are specialty shops patronized primarily by existing readers and highly motivated fans, without the broader exposure of the merchandise that newsstands and other retailers once provided. Similarly, the Direct Market is commonly accused of catering primarily to fans of the Superhero genre, and failing to provide a viable sales channel for other genres and styles of comics, especially "alternative" comics and Manga . DIRECT MARKET DISTRIBUTORS Current Former
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