Johanna Draper Carlson picks up on Brian Hibbs’ bookstore analysis to ask just who the intended audience for the Minx books may be:
No one’s come close to estimating Minx sales through the direct market, although ICv2 stated while interviewing DC head Paul Levitz, “It looked to us from the first numbers we saw that the direct response was stronger than the bookstores which was sort of the opposite of what I would’ve expected.” Levitz didn’t confirm that but didn’t exactly deny it either.
The thing is, the BookScan numbers show sales to actual customers, who take the books home to read them. The direct market numbers show sales to retailers, who think what they buy can be sold to someone else. Is this a case of a product that sells better to resellers or gatekeepers than end customers? Like Grandma picking demure clothes for a Christmas gift when Suzy really wants that imported leather miniskirt?
