Expanded from original post on the Black Tower Face Book page 21st July.
Have I ever mentioned that I hate numbers and stats? And what have I been doing?
Checking numbers and stats!
I don't like this but it helps show me whether people are reading my posts or not!
Looking at the All Time stats for CBO, AOP and BTCG blogs the total views are (27th July):
3, 974, 889
Almost 4 million.
If I look at just the number of views of all three blogs last month (remember for CBO something went wrong and views hit an all time low):
24, 212
Now, normally, CBO hits 35-50,000+ a month.
So I thought about adding in views from Google+ to the All time total then the All Month total:
Month
26,460
All Time
3, 976, 013
I cannot see how many people check out re-Tweets, nor Re-Pins on Pinterest or even Google+ shares. Same applies to how many read Shares on Face Book.
Of course, there are the views not registered by these and I am told some devices will not register at all because Google really will NOT accept or recognise them. Even so, those are quite good figures.
So why no good sales? Do people not want to buy online? It seems to be a trend that has grown to ignore buying things online. Increasing postal charges do not help.
But if all my posts and promotions have been seen by almost 4 million HOW do you turn those views and interest into sales?
If you know then tell me (but do NOT tell anyone else!).
Now that little post resulted in quite a conversation with others. Some 99% of these people had “given up”. Many no longer check sales because “I know there are going to be no sales”. Others have given up using any form of social media to promote or sell their books.
There were no exceptions –all felt that the business advice of “get online to achieve sales” was false. As I have written previously, it is now looking as though businesses, not just publishing but most across a wide spectrum, as though they have come to the same conclusion. Many invested heavily in promoting and building an online presence –and they have suffered financially and faced job losses.
It was interesting that some of those I heard from noted “anything” from DC or Marvel on their blogs or Face Book pages got a lot of likes. Not DC or Marvel “substantially fewer”views and likes.
Privately I was told “You have to be bull-shitting! You cannot be getting that many views and not selling books!” Oh dear, they ‘caught me out’! Yes, I have had sales over May to 19th July totalling….£30.00.
That is £10.00 per month. Although the print on demand company I used is based in the US the printing and postal system in the UK is used. However, come the time to pay me it depends on “the exchange rate” at the time. They and not going to lose 1c but, yes, “their” publishers can get screwed. So based on previous payments that final total will be around £25.00.
Yes, I am working like a maniac for free. I am not even going to go into the amount of work a book takes –the prose books of 300-500+ pages feature over 40+ years of work hammered down over months. Everyone knows the amount of work going into a book but it’s convenient for some to act ignorant as with “Why do I have to pay £10 for one of your books –it’s just a graphic novel!” Okay, produce a 250 pp graphic novel in a few months and then say it is “just” a graphic novel.
No one takes me up on that challenge.
“I’ll download and if I like it I’ll buy a copy” is the greatest lie you will hear. The person saying that is a criminal. A thief. An illegal downloader. I have been robbed by these people of sells on books –a graphic novel I wrote was illegally downloaded over 3 million times –copies sold: zero. I know that the total illegal downloads of two books I wrote, drawn by two different artists, totalled…well…read this:
Over 2,000 people read that post over two days. It made a great difference (I’m being sarcastic there).
If you download books or comics –or music- illegally you are a thief under every definition. My books are never offered as downloads because I could not stand being told how many illegal downloads there would be after that.
I once talked to a publisher (now out of business) who broke down. Someone told him “why should I buy your book when it is free online?” He didn’t get it but someone gave him a link: almost a million illegal downloads. It broke him. A quarter of those who Illegally downloaded paying for a hard copy would have saved his business.
The people operating illegal download sites? I find them now I get straight in touch with the FBI and other government agencies who take illegal downloading for what it is –a crime. I get near to someone who operates one of those sites I’ll take my “pound of flesh”. Tell me you illegally download and you get a life ban from any group or site I run and you get publically named and shamed.
Here is the thing: there are people ‘working’in the UK comics scene who illegally download and really don’t care (though publically they will denounce it) if those people think I am wrong and it is okay –please comment on CBO and stop hiding behind that “nice guy” mask.
What change would it make if all of these creators and publishers actually came onto CBO or wrote on their own blogs about the situation?
Well, it would push the subject out into the open for one. However, it would not make the slightest difference because 99% of those reading comics or comic blogs simply do not care –they want it all for free and “F--- the creators!” That is the simple truth.
Another conversation that I wish people had the backbone to make more public is the monopoly of comic distribution in the UK and the problems it causes. It is suffocating trade, creativity and consumer choice. Ten store owners told me that my last post “Hit the nail on the head” and agreed with everything written. Would they mind commenting on CBO to that effect? That got a reaction similar to a vampire being confronted by a beam of sunlight!
I’ve been here before. I have written all of this so many times but it makes no difference.
A few years ago I set up a Patreon page so that CBO could continue and even produce comic related videos –zero reaction
I cut book prices on the store front so that I got nothing out of a sale just to promote things –zero reaction.
I offered books at cut price via CBO and my Yahoo groups –zero reaction.
I tried a Pay Pal donation link to keep CBO going –one person I know responded.
And being a publisher based in the UK you might expect more UK interest but the UK provides very few views on CBO –the majority are from outside the UK. I am very depressed to report that this is the situation I predicted back in the early 2000s on CBO. My British Comic Book Industry Reports released annually were 95% accurate on trends and future sales. My blog posts have been 100% accurate.
I’m off to look at my tomato plants. If any comic shop owners or other creators get the balls to speak out openly then CBO is here even if I am not.
