Here’s some unexpected good news for the comic industry: It’s not dying everywhere.
According to sales data presented at the pre-SDCC ICv2 Comics, Media & Digital Conference, bookstore sales rose 7% in the first half of 2011, ending a downward trend that’s plagued that market since 2009. Interestingly enough, the bookstore growth more than offsets the 6% drop in graphic novel sales in the direct market, resulting in an overall 3% increase in GN sales across all markets, due to the larger size of the bookstore market than the DM.
The data also suggests that a rise in sales of all-ages/kid-centric GNs offset a decline in adult-oriented fare, and that manga as a whole is still declining, but at a slower rate than before; 10% drops, instead of 15% last year. Now, if only we could work out some way to stop the bookstore market as a whole from collapsing, then we could maybe turn this whole thing around…
July 24th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
and that manga as a whole is still declining, but at a slower rate than before; 10% drops, instead of 15% last year!what a sad thing!