Posted in: Comics | Tagged: amazon, Comics, comixology, entertainment, golden apple, industry, los angeles

How Amazon Buying ComiXology Could Be A New Revenue Stream For Comic Stores

Last week, we heard from retailer Dennis L Barger prophesising doom and gloom over Amazon buying ComiXology (as well as all those print pull list customer details that ComiXology has been harvesting all these years.)

But not everyone is so much of a Negative Nancy. Ryan Liebowitz of Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles has a very different take. In a newsletter to customrs, he wrote,

My honest reaction and commentary on this is positive… for now. For the longest time, Comixology has been able to keep retailers like Golden Apple at bay by providing a digital webstore that is both inconvenient for our customers to use as well as non-customizable for me. Basically, everyone's store is the exact same content and THEY pick what is featured, on sale, etc. which is lame.

The fact is, Amazon is more retailer friendly (sort of). What I mean is that their whole platform is based on businesses and individuals to have hosted webstores that they take a cut from. We already have an Amazon Webstore and my hope is that they integrate our Comixology Digital store to it. And unlike Comixology, WE keep the purchased amount from the customer (minus the Amazon fee) not the other way around like Comixology does currently.

Also, comic books are not like CD's and/or regular prose books, they are collectible. What I mean is that they have value and are meant to be collected, cherished and enjoyed for generations. i don't see comic shops falling over like bookstores without a geek fight…with lightsabers!

In addition, this weekend we are launching our new Comic & Graphic Novel Imprint: Golden Apple Books at WonderCon in Anaheim.  This is a partnership with Author House that is owned by Penguin-Random House and ALREADY HAS A DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH AMAZON.  So, we're grandfathered in, sort of speak. Come down to our booth and we'll fill you in on the details. Honestly, I think we are positioned very well for the future.

However, if for some reason, I am wrong and Amazon conquers the Comic Industry by sending drones to your doorstep with Wednesday comics and most brick & mortar shops go out (like mainstream bookstores), I hope that after 35 years Golden Apple may be the Amoeba of LA for comics. We will do our best to hold true to LA and service our loyal customers.

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