Jul 21, 2014 print and digital may have found the ideal place to coexist. Diamonds march 2020 market share, comparative sales data, new titles shipped, top 10 comic books units and dollars, and top 10. Percentage of total comic book sales for marvel comics 39. May, 2017 its almost as if the industry knew that they shouldnt be getting too excited and going all in. I spoke with tony hoaglund, the coowner of my flgs friendly local. Ebook market size, share, analysis, 20142024 industry. By this standard, the comic book industry is char acterized by an. Another major comic book market is france, where francobelgian comics and japanese manga each represent 40% of the market, followed by american comics at 10% market share. The latest data regarding the scale of the chinese e book market comes from the annual report on chinas digital publishing industry, 202014, released in july 2014 by capp. The comic book industry faces a new fight amid the. Marvel and dc are the two biggest comic book companies in the u. Estimated overall north american market size, including estimates for newsstand comics and book channel tpb sales joint calculation by comichron and. Five trends to watch in the comics business in 2018.
Over the years, the book industry has remained a massive, greatly influential global consumer market. According to the distributor, marvel entertainment was the top comics publisher of 2019 with a 40. This book is an insiders guide to how the comic book industry works. First, lets examine the present state of the industry, particularly among the big 3 players. The comics franchise could attribute its success to the film industry, since iron man and the dark knight set the ball running in 2008, as the top 2. Market share data based on total sales for products invoiced in february 2020, with marvel comics leading in both retail dollars and units shipped. Jan 18, 2017 market share is not the same thing as profit. Comic book publishing in the us industry data, trends. Hoffman is a recovering lawyerturnedpop culture critic. At the icv2 insiders sessions at nycc last october, we saw data showing a divergence between trade book sales of graphic novels and manga increasing and sales in the direct market decreasing. So dc comics has a plan to try and save the comics industry from collapsing. Popular stock market books meet your next favorite book. There are few independent creators who have built successful careers independently in the modern market to serve as role models for other upandcoming creators.
Aug 14, 20 here are 10 reasons comic books are the best investment there is, super salesman vincent zurzolo tells al lewis. Sep 30, 20 the uk book publishing industry has a medium level of market share concentration with the top four companies estimated to account for about 41. This information may not be reproduced in any format without the express permission of diamond comic distributors. Apr 19, 2017 at the risk of sounding like a grandpa, the sales of todays marvel comics just aint as good as they used to be. Ryan seymore, ownerpresident of comic town in columbus, ohio, pointed toward superhero publishers as the main culprits in the rising number of books. Image, idw, and dark horse comics also sell large quantities of their respective titles, but nowhere near these two comic giants. Daily coverage of the pop culture products industry, including toys action figures, models and statues, anime anime, manga, and japanese imports, games collectible card and roleplaying games or ccgs and rpgs, comics comics and graphic novels, and movie and tv licensed merchandise. Still, with a pinch of toad, a wing of bat, and some legitimate research into the trends and data, lets see if we cant project a few scenarios about the future of the comic industry. Marvel comics also had six of the months top ten bestselling comic books. Subscribe to fortunes outbreak newsletter for a daily roundup of stories on the coronavirus outbreak and its impact on global business. Ebook market global industry analysis, size, share. The aggressive use of a marketing technique known as mediamix along with comprehensive publicity and advertising programs are credited with this. Leading book publishers by market share uk 2014 statista.
Bleeding cool is your independent source for news about comic books, film, tv, games, collectibles, and more. The comics industry should be focused on writing good stories, and this practice feels like a thinly veiled moneygrabbing tactic. Port washington, ny, october 6, 2017 according to npd bookscan data from global information provider the npd group, the comics and graphic novels category in the u. Comic book publishing in the us industry statistics. Market report december 2017 comicconnect auction cbsi comics. Still, diamond give the best look possible at the current state of the comic book industry. For retailers, diamond offers the top 300 comics and top 300 graphic novels sales charts on the diamond tools page of the diamond retailer services website to provide more. But marvel is still selling comic books week after week. Jan 17, 2015 and for the year, its also worth celebrating that comic book and graphic novel market was up in 2014 over 20, an increase of 0.
May 02, 2016 the comics industry has one of the most loyal fan demographics, and printing another deadpool variant for the sake of selling it feels like theyre taking advantage of that loyalty. That might be because they remember the infamous crash of the comic book industry in the 1990s and some of the reasons that led to it. Comics, previously purchased at newsstands or in dedicated comic book stores, can easily be bought and. Oct 27, 2016 the fact that a cult of cavemenlike comic book readers can be so vitriolic online that the industry now stands to lose the talent of a writer such as chelsea cain is disheartening. Dc regains marketshare from marvel in december 2014. As a label, the american comic book industry conceals a great deal of internal diversity, some of which can be recovered through mapping methods and by examining available sales data. Diamond reported that market share leader marvel shipped 118 new comic books to market, a figure thats higher than any since diamond began reporting monthly release counts in 20. Though its unlikely comic books will replace blue chip stocks such as apple or goldman sachs as investments, dealers say the market for comic books can create solid returns as long as the.
Data for diamonds sales charts which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts are compiled by. Industry statistics cover all companies in the united states, both public and private, ranging in size from small businesses to market leaders. There are no official stats reflecting whether the books actually sold. Japanese publishing industry summary 1 market overview. Market share archives diamond comic distributors, inc. Get a custom version of the comic book trend report the comic book trend report is an investigation into the various industries that have taken comic books and the characters within them and created consumable commodities from them. Mar 25, 2020 market share info may be found in sources listed under industry overviews, such as mintel. The pandemic has transformed christina blanch, owner of aw yeah comics, into a nightly tv host. The tools and resources used in this book are free and readily available on the internet.
The following infographic is a collection of interesting facts and answers to questions you might ask about comic books and the movies based on them. Nine times a week, blanch leads a livestream from the store she lives above in muncie, indiana, to sell some comics and. Even though superheroes and comic book based media are big business these days, comics book themselves are a niche market. Comic book publishing in the us industry trends 20152020 comic book publishing in the us industry outlook 20202025 poll average industry growth 20202025. Publisher revenue for trade books fiction, nonfiction and religious presses were reported by survey respondents to be effectively flat at 0. Youll learn how comic book superheroes are created and the deeper meanings they represent. Statshot annual publisher survey puts 2017 estimated us. The direct market is a market space consisting of about 3,000 comic book specialty shops, generating more than half the industrys sales, with the remainder from newsstand periodical distribution, the traditional consignment method of distribution for magazines, and the consignment based bookstore sales. Mcallister in the may 24, 1998 issue of the new york times, there appeared a 3,200word essay about the marvel entertainment group, for years the dominant publisher in the comic book industry bryant, 1998. In addition to revenue, the industry market analysis shows information on employees, companies, and average firm size. Mar 29, 2020 common stocks and uncommon profits, by philip a. While i do think this is an interesting strategy probably hearkening back to the days of watchmen and dark knight returns, both prestige comics that sold better as trades i think its not enough.
The direct market faces a distribution monopoly supported by many retailers. The statistic displays the leading book publishing groups in the united kingdom uk, ranked by market share of consumer sales in 2014. The industry has its bestselling month in nearly two decades a scene from civil war ii, a new comic by marvel. Learn to earn, one up on wall street, and beating the street, by peter lynch. Book stores and retailers industry analysis, trends. When dc comics did the reboot for the new 52, they basically gutted the dcu like a fish. It was a good year for comics, and the graphic novel market in 2018 was dominated by one category. Data on the distribution of comic store sales in the united states according to publisher revealed that marvel comics dollar sales share in comic stores amounted to 37. This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares and growth opportunities of comic books reading apps market. Japanese publishing industry japanese economy division summary in 2004, japans publishing industry reversed course to show an increase in book sales due to the release of several millionsellers. How to save the comic book industry observation deck.
Comic magazine market 2020 global trends, market share, industry size, growth, sales, opportunities, and market forecast to 2026 view comments and. They then put the same fish back together in a way that did not please many fans. Dec 15, 2017 welcome back everyone, lets go through the results of comicconnects december 2017 auction. We feature business news, and indepth analysis for retailers. Is music the comic book industrys new secret weapon. Youll follow the development of sequential art storytelling from caveman wall paintings to modern manga and cinematic techniques. In fact, comic shop sales have declined for the 5th straight month. The illustration that accompanied the story was a drawing of two.
Amazon increased its market share of consumer book spending between the second quarter of 2011 and 2012, although its growth slowed between the. How to invest in comic books on the stock market money badger. How to invest in comic books on the stock market money. Marvel and dc have regularly traded places at the top of the various charts since dc rebooted but neither has ever really taken a commanding lead.
The global e book market henceforth, referred to as the market studied was valued at usd 18. A new market study, titled discover global comic books reading apps market upcoming trends, growth drivers and challenges has been featured on wiseguyreports. Marvel also topped the charts in terms of dollar share, earning 45. May 2019 jun 10, 2019 marvel comics was may 2019s leading publisher in retail dollars and units shipped, based on total sales of comics, graphic novels and magazines to comic book specialty stores, according to diamond comic distributors. The industry has no point of sale tracking, so creators and publishers are incentivized to make decisions thinking of the retailer as their end consumer, rather than their actual. As a service to comics fans, collectors, and retailers, diamond comic distributors provides archives of the publisher market shares by month, going back to 2009, and by year, going back to 2002. Accumulated wallet fatigue, coupled with the start of the festive spending and holiday period, may explain some of the bargains which were available. E book market global e book industry size, share, growth, analysis, research and forecast report, 2014 to 2024 ebook market global e book market size was valued at usd 15. The walking dead creator robert kirkman has accused marvel of destroying the comic book industry. Deciphering march 2020 comic book sales charts is damn hard.
Distribution of comic store sales in the united states in 2019, by publisher. Unfortunately, 2017 proved to be a fairly rough year for the comic book industry. Comic magazine market 2020 global trends, market share. Marvel comics tops 50% marketshare for march 2019 comic. Studios, chip mosher gave the following advice for individuals who want to market their comic in an independent way. The future of the comic book industry nerds on earth.
Lets take a closer look at how the rift between marvel and image formed, and. Mar 21, 2016 for an industry that has historically taken the film and tv worlds by storm with recordbreaking box office hits and popular netflix series, pursuing original music this deeply is an unexpected. Even worse, established print distribution is limited to comic book retailers. The major players in the e books value chain includes publishers, aggregators, distributors, service providers, educational organizations, professional organizations and online reading platform providers. The following guide to industry information, research, and analysis provides sources for industry trends and statistics, market research and analysis, financial ratios and salary surveys, and more.
We are seeing marco trends happening simultaneously in india, which is giving a push to the comic culture here. Most fans of the avengers these days became fans due the movies, not the comics. This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Comic book and graphic novel market 20102011 looks to make breaking into the market for comics and graphic novels far easier, while bringing indepth, exclusive analysis for those already experiencing what the industry has to offer. Marvel dominated 2019s comic book market hollywood reporter. Most comics sold by subscription or in comic book stores are titles from marvel comics and dc comics. The degree of concentration has increased since 2007 when the same four players accounted for 27. Comic book investments are more predictable than stocks.
The independent publishers the fortunes of larger comics companies never seem to fluctuate very much. As newsarama begins a series of articles examining issues affecting the comic book industry s direct market, we begin by talking to retailers and publishers about the growing number of titles. Marketwatch site logo a link that brings you back to the homepage. Jul 12, 2016 for one, comic books are more accessible than ever before, partially because of the internet. Book stores industry price trends rise and fall in market prices are affectedd by supply, demand, and the cost of goodsservices sold. The market publishers, ltd worlds largest market research reports database with more than 1. Marvel comics is the topselling publisher of 2017 ign.
This multiday cc event marks the end of 2017s fourth quarter auction cycle, during which four houses held original comic art auctions. This basic book on indian share market will help those who are looking to start investing in the indian stock market this is written in a simple, easy to understand language to help grasp the basics of the share markets and lead a profitable journey of investing. Publishers annual shares of comic books and graphic novels bought by comics shops in north america, 1991present. Keep reading to see what some of those reasons may have been. Comic books reading apps market 2020 effect of covid19. Data on the distribution of comic store sales in the united states according to publisher revealed that marvel comics dollar. This article uses the american comic book industry to further suggest some limitations to taking supposedly discrete industries as objects of analysis. Statelevel information can identify areas with higher and lower industry market share than average. Their work has appeared on a number of prominent pop culture sites, including comic book resources, nerdist, book riot, and women write about comics. Bleeding cool news and rumors comics, movies, tv, games.
Comics sales rise, in paper and pixels the new york times. I actually went into looking at the sales numbers expecting to see a downward slope i could ride a sled down. And there isnt really a way to change this comics are niche because they are sold in comic book stores. Online bullying may have cost the comicbook industry its. Lots of people have made loads of money from comic books industry translated into movies and were sure you want to know which comic books top the bestseller list.
A report released last week estimates that north american sales of comics whether single issues, collected. Sales are still solid, the direct market comics shops havent collapsed, and the marvel cinematic universe is wildly successful and can prop the whole biz up for a while. Market share data based on total sales for products invoiced in march 2020, with marvel comics leading in both retail dollars and units shipped. Elaborating further on the growth of the indian comic book market sharad says. The new 52 boosted readership and market share briefly, but now dc is back in the position of having to make more. Catering to each audience, this report offers publishers and retailers indepth. Comic book publishing in the us industry data, trends, stats. Note that different sources may provide different market share data due to varying definitions of the market or different methods for gathering and analyzing data. Mar, 2016 what is the future of the comic industry. There are three things to know about making it, mosher said as he spoke at the 2011 wondercon panel on indy marketing 101.