Starting in September, Marvel will have a new distributor to the book trade, Hachette. Marvel was previously distributed by Diamond Book Distributors; Diamond Comics Distributors will continue to distribute Marvel periodicals and books to the comic shop market.
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Obviously, their loss could have a major repercussions on Diamond Book Distribution; however, DBD VP of Sales and Marketing Kuo-yu Liang says it will survive the loss with other strong products. “Obviously this is a big loss and we are losing our biggest client, but DBD is still going to be very strong,” he told The Beat. “We still have 50 clients, and recently resigned contracts with Image and IDW. There is no plan to cut back. Even without Marvel, we’re going to have a very strong list.” He mentioned Oni’s Scott Pilgrim and the Walking Dead at Image as series that are poised for big years due to media tie-ins.
Now, I know this is gonna be a pretty big hit to Diamond, whether they’ll admit it or not. But with Marvel’s recent merging with Disney, and the recent string of Blockbuster films, its books are in a perfect position to be distributed to the masses like they haven’t been in years. Now, I know comics have been reappearing in the places I used to find them as a kid; grocery store checkouts, magazine stands, and more, but maybe Marvel feels Hachette can provide a better service.
Or maybe Marvel knows Diamond sucks balls.
I know that as an independent creator, Diamond has denied shipping requests of my book to comic book stores even if they have copies in their warehouse, and other series/graphic novels with lower selling numbers have received similar treatment…with some books being denied inclusion in their monthly catalogs altogether. Who knows, maybe with Marvel leaving, Diamond will stop acting like a monopoly and start acting like a comics distributor.
Let’s all weigh in on this, boys and girls.
UPDATE: Marvel Comics sent out an official release:
Marvel is pleased to announce that, effective September 1, 2010, Marvel books will be sold and distributed into the worldwide book market by the Hachette Book Group. Additionally, Marvel is also pleased to announce an agreement with Diamond Comics Distributor to extend its exclusive Direct Market Service Agreement.
“Teaming with Hachette allows us to even more aggressively grow our presence in the book market, exposing new readers to Marvel’s great library of characters and stories. With Hachette’s overwhelming success in the book market, we can’t imagine a better partner as Marvel looks to expand its presence in the book market” said David Gabriel, Marvel Senior Vice President of Sales & Circulation.
Ken Michaels, Hachette COO said “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Marvel. Hachette’s world-class distribution and broad sales reach, combined with Marvel’s outstanding brand and product line, is sure to be a powerful combination.”
Additionally, Marvel will extend its relationship with Diamond, continuing its commitment to comic shops worldwide. Gabriel explained, “Diamond Book Distributors has been very instrumental in the growth of our graphic novel business, nearly tripling our sales in the book market over the last five years, and we thank them for their efforts. The decision to switch book market distributors was a very difficult one but as evidenced by the extension of our Direct Market agreement, our working relationship with Diamond remains very close. We remain extremely appreciative of our Direct Market retailers and continue to grow that vital market.”