What's your opinion on indie comics?
So this was all originally posted on Twitter last night. but I don't think many of you follow me there, and I want to know your opinion too. So i'm reposting for your opinion: Okay my fellow indie comic lovers I need your opinion on something. I came across a indie comic at AWA this past weekend. The idea was fantastic, the art was solid, I was sold until they told me the price. $10 for a 30 page issue. I thought it was too expensive, plus I'm poor so I passed on buying the books. But I've been thinking about it a lot, IS the book too expensive? Now I've made my opinions clear that comics have gotten too expensive in recent years. Comics in the silver age (when adjusted for inflation) only cost like $1.25 but modern Marvel books now cost $5. That's a huge difference and I think the high price tag is hurting the industry. HOWEVER, self published indie comics is another animal. We have to do everything ourselves. We have to do the job of writer, artist, graphic designer, publisher, distributor, marketing, social media, accountant, and probably other jobs i'm forgetting. A $1 profit on each book sale doesn't really cover the amount of work you have to do. You're an indie creator you're not selling 200K copies. So why not charge a higher price? The creators work really hard, they should make some money for all that work. Well the problem I see is people are custom to buying $5 for a floppy comic. If your comic is $10, then newcomers to your book might not want to buy it. They know immediately if they like a print, or a pin, or a sticker. They know instantly if they want to spend $10 on it. But you can't know immediately if you're going to like a comic. So it's a gamble. Should i spend $10 on this comic I might not like, or this print i definitely do like? Sure as a indie comic creator a $10 price tag might cover your expenses better, but if no one buys the book, you're covering no expenses. So looping back around. I need your opinion. Would you pay $10 for an indie self published comic that's about 30 pages long? Is that a reasonable price? Shadows of Oblivion #1, #2, and "Better Days" all average at 30 pages. Should I charge $10 for those books? I'd like to stick to my scruples and sell affordable comics so the maximum number of people can enjoy them... but it'd be nice to pay the bills too... It's a dilemma for me. Thats why I need your opinion. Sorry for the long rant... I hope you guys read it...