When is the Direct Market, not the Direct Market?
When it is not your direct connection to readers.
Let’s get this out there.
The direct comic and book market as we have known it is dead, dying, or evolving if you prefer. Old ways often die hard, and there is plenty of blaming and finger-pointing going around. I would rather focus here on what this means for creators going forward, and that is making connections.
The digital revolution was the beginning of the death of the middleman and the dawn of selling direct, DTC (direct to customers). Yesterday’s gatekeepers are today’s bankruptcies; and yet, there has never been a better time to get your story, art, film, or comic out into the world.
Go Direct.
Crowdfunding campaigns, emails, social posts, and online ads are direct connections to potential readers, supporters, customers, or fans. The digital platform has removed almost all of the barriers to reaching your audience. Now any creator can print-on-demand, crowdfund, blog, podcast or create videos to connect with an audience. Many already do. Yes, and that means lots of competition for eyeballs, but the audience that’s looking is now a thousand times larger than ever before. Experienced creators, who once relied on publishers alone to get the word out, realize the potential of this approach and go directly to fans when they have something to promote.
The Direct Email Connection.
The best advice I give any creator is to start with an email list. This is your direct connection to people who have invited you onto their digital devices. There are plenty of free email marketing sites to start with. Post and advertise signup pages, post your sign-up links, and get the word out. They might not read everything you send, but that is on you. Write what you know about, what you like, and what you are creating. Some readers will stay, and some will go. Download your list for safekeeping, you never know when you might need to move to another email marketing service. Clean out those unresponsive addresses every once in and while. Yeah, the total number of subscribers will go down, but they weren’t reading your stuff anyway.
Grow your Direct Connection.
Social media is the public square. Endorphins spike when we read or see things that share our point of view, so I stick to comics and art to get my high. Talk about what you create. Engage, join groups, share, and comment. Yeah, Nazis are hiding everywhere, but your potential audience is there too. I have no control over who shows up on social sites, but I can support causes, vote, and engage my local government without flaming anyone. Outrage is a powerful marketing tool, but has been way overused, and blowing off steam online is not going to help me create.
Platforms, and more platforms.
Facebook, Instagram Slack, Substack, etc., etc., the list keeps growing and changing. Your audience is out there, find your platform and stay with it. Jumping from platform to platform is tiring, and more importantly, time-draining. Maybe all the kids have moved on to the newest platform, but honestly, they do not fit my demographic anyway. I have looked. It is not pretty. My demographic is like me, white, older, males, who like comics. Most of my online searches turn up more Marvel junk. I do not fall into the largest demographic group, which is fine by me. I read what I like, I buy what I like, and I create what I like. Being able to track online activity has divided us into the marketing groups we see today. Black, white, Asian, young, old, male, female, bi, trans, and much further down into the numbers. We are all out there online. Look at the numbers, the statistics are at your fingertips. We may be tracked, categorized, and numbered, but all of this information is also a tool that you can use to make a direct connection with your audience.
Keep Creating.
Good thoughts here, Jim! Happy New Year and looking forward to seeing what you've got in store in 2024!
Informative and entertaining as always, Jim!