The big story on this week’s Publisher’s Weekly is a profile of the upcoming Artemis Fowl graphic novel. If you were to ask me, however (and you did, didn’t you?), I’d say their big story this week is Heidi’s story on the surprise success of the upcoming Perry Bible Fellowship collection, The Death of Colonel Sweeto, the demand for which seems to prove that folks are willing to pay good money for what they can get online for free:
In the case of The Perry Bible Fellowship, Martens said some people at Dark Horse were “scratching their heads” when the property was first suggested by editor Dave Land, but it soon became apparent that demand for the book was going to be high. Gurewitch worked closely with Dark Horse on designing the book, which is a full-color hardcover with a ribbon bookmark. Martens anticipates the high-quality edition will drive gift sales over the holidays.
In the past, Dark Horse has had several experiences with shortages of fast-selling books, including film tie-ins Hellboy, Sin City and 300. In these cases the books were printed in China, meaning a delay of weeks when reprints were ordered. With this in mind, Sweeto was printed domestically so that reorders can be swiftly distributed. This is a change Dark Horse is making on several of its hottest sellers, including the upcoming collection of Joss Whedon’s Buffy Season 8.
Also in this week’s PWCW: an interview with Percy Carey (aka MF Grimm) about his new graphic novel; a profile of the Oni comic Maintenance; and the monthly best-seller list.
