Alterna Comics Leaves Diamond, Will Distribute Direct to Shops
Alterna Comics is pulling its books from Diamond Comics Distributing amid the company’s suspension of operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alterna publisher Peter Simeti announced that they would instead sell their comics directly to shops across the United States. Comic shops can order directly from Alterna’s sales site, AlternaAccess.com. They currently offer shops free shipping on orders over $25, no minimum order, and discounts reportedly bigger than what Diamond offers.
Alterna Comics has earned a fan following by offering comics printed on old-school newsprint, but like many small publishers, they were at the mercy of Diamond’s draconian policies, which favor larger publishers like Marvel and DC.
Diamond’s stranglehold on comics distribution has taken a considerable hit in this crisis, however, as publishers seek alternate means of distribution. The company already has a poor reputation among many comic shops, who see reduced profits and poor service from them, just as the retraction of the comic industry has hurt their bottom line.
Alterna’s announcement comes as DC Comics has also revealed plans to restart distribution of their books using other companies.
Comic publishers ceased publication and distribution of new books in March, as the pandemic forced most shops across the nation to close. However, as several states begin to allow businesses to reopen, new product may save many of these shops from closing their doors permanently.
Diamond, who has exclusive contracts with most publishers, could now see an unprecedented exodus of clients while it is shut down. They initially claimed they would resume operations in August, but after pushback, have amended that to claim they will start distribution again in May.
Here is Alterna’s announcement, directly from Peter Simeti.
At Alterna, taking care of our readers has always been our main priority. Getting them books in a fun, easy, and accessible way; making sure we’re putting out great content at an affordable price; reaching the widest possible audience — these things are important to us, but unfortunately, have been very difficult to do effectively while working within the current distribution system.
Adding to the many woes our industry already faces, the recent state of the world has left most publishers, creators, and retailers in a state of uncertainty. Our industry depends on one distributor to be the beating heart of the entire comic book market and without them, most of us are stopped dead in our tracks.
While we are fully aware that the current situation in the world is much bigger than comics and there’s little that Diamond can do to control what is occurring right now, we have to do what is necessary in order for our business to survive during these times. That is why we’re making the decision at Alterna to step away from distributing with Diamond Comics Distributors for the immediate and perhaps indefinite future. There are too many unknowns and variables at play for us to properly run our business and work with Diamond in any kind of effective capacity.
Fortunately, we’ve spent over two years at Alterna building up our direct sales infrastructure and as a result — our direct sales have been greater than our distribution sales, month over month, for the past 18 months. We sell directly to both readers AND retailers and are fully equipped to continue to do so, and are even able to expand operations quickly, if demand warrants it.
Moving forward, we’ll continue to create new comics and distribute them directly to retailers and sell them directly to our readers. We’re also transitioning away from comiXology; introducing digital comics directly for purchase on AlternaAccess.com with 5 digital issues available every Friday.
For retailers that are interested in working directly with us, please visit alternaaccess.com/retailers and sign up for your unique discount code today. We are already working directly with nearly 100 stores, many of which are ordering on a consistent basis.
While our system is currently ideal for United States retailers, we are working on creating an effective system for retailers in Canada, Australia, and Europe to sell our comics in a profitable way. It will take time to fully realize this system though, especially one that would work for both Alterna and any international retailers that use it. Given the state of the world, there does exist major uncertainty in what the comic retailing landscape will look like in the near future, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated on any future developments as things progress.
In spite of all of this, we truly look forward to growing and establishing a direct relationship with our wonderful readers and the supportive retailers that have meant so much to us over the years. We now get to steer our own ship, fully, for the first time in 12 years! It is your support that has allowed for us to make this move an easy and smooth process. Your support has given us confidence and hope in a time when we should be filled with uncertainty and doubt. We thank you for being here with us and with your continued support, we’ll be able to build an even brighter future for Alterna.
“We value our partnership with DC and will continue to support them as a distributor. Our focus is squarely on getting our industries’ entertainment products in the hands of fans as quickly and as safely as possible….we are currently building our restart plans and targeting mid- to late-May to being shipping new weekly product. If we see signs that it is safe to resume shipping earlier, we certainly will.”
Alterna is home to titles including Blood Realm, Cyko KO!, It Came Out on a Wednesday, Gods and Gears, and The Chair.
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