At the second annual ICv2 conference on the Graphic Novel, held on the eve of ComicCon, speakers talked about what’s selling (non-fiction), who’s buying (more women), and where it’s being sold (twice as many through bookstores as comic stores). Comparisons between Japan and the US were made throughout the day, as the still nascent US looks to Japan’s more mature market as a guide. Japan sells comics/graphic novels about everything from how to quit smoking, and a variant on “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” to a business history of 7-Eleven. The US market is increasingly mimicking this non-fiction trend through graphic novel memoirs (think Cancer Vixen) and graphic novels as learning tools, especially on history and current events (think Persepolis – now with student study guides – and the 9/11 Commission Report).
Marisa Acocella Marchetto, the Cancer Vixen author, argued that “overzealous research” and documentation are key – a sentiment echoed by the panelists Larry Gonnick, author of the various Cartoon Histor(ies) of the World, and Greg O’Connor author of the upcoming Journey Into Mohawk County. Still, Thomas LeBien, Publisher of Hill & Wang, and a ten year veteran editor of the genre, cautioned that publishers are still trying to figure out the genre. “The most consistent difficulty,” he said, “is that many [writers and artists] lack real expertise in the non-fiction graphic novel format.” Another issue that surfaced was category management, and the frustration that many authors and publishers feel when graphic novels are grouped together as a category rather than as fiction, non-fiction, children’s, etc. In addition to making books harder to find, mass shelving also leads to the problem of what is age-appropriate material. Publishers are in the process of revamping the ratings systems on their books so that kids of all ages can more easily find suitable material.
“I publish zombie, lesbian, flesh-eating, horror manga,” Tokyopop‘s Mike Kelley said. “I’m not the person to ask about ratings.” He went on to say however, that Tokyopop has recently adapted a ratings system made up of 43 indicators – similar to the movie and video industries – created by Michele Gorman, a YA librarian, consultant and fellow panelist. All expressed the importance of an objective ratings system to guide parents and librarians to appropriate material. But, as one audience member pointed out, there is still no shared universal system at this point.
Liza Coppola, Senior VP at VIZ Media said that hot-button issues in the US are very different from flag-raising content in Japan. Here, for instance, Americans are incredibly squeamish about sex and religion, while violence doesn’t seem to faze. With some of the more “mature” content, VIZ has changed the trim size (along with the look and price point), to make the difference visually apparent. Coppola also pointed out an interesting difference in terms of audience for certain genres. When Kodansha’s Tomoko Sugo mentioned that young men were the primary Majong enthusiasts in Japan, Coppola made the point that in the US Majong is synonymous with old women – a difference that can sometimes make adaptations difficult.
Buyers agreed that overall, it was a “tremendous” year across the board. James Killen, Graphic Novel Buyer for Barnes & Noble, said that B&N saw double digit increases in all product lines, and tripled growth online. One category Killen singled out as having the largest increase in unit sales was what he referred to as “slice of life” – American created, largely memoir, like Mom’s Cancer and Cancer Vixen. Killen also noted the trend – led by Stephen King with Dark Tower – for big name fiction authors to move to graphic novels, which he thinks will continue in the future.
Bill Schanes, VP Purchasing at Diamond (which stocks over 10,500 titles) mentioned that retailers with graphic novel sections substantially increased their backlist sales. Ed Madessa, Category Manager for Scholastic Book Fairs, says that although Scholastic carries only about 20-25 graphic novel SKUs at each fair, all are face out, and have sold about four million total since Spring 2004.
What do buyers want to see more of in the future? Many noted that the 13-18 year old market is thoroughly saturated and that everyone wants to see more good quality titles geared to younger kids (as in 10 & under) and adults. For the last 30 years, comics have been directed at teens and young adults. Gradually more titles are beginning to appeal to an even younger audience. As Milton Griepp, President of ICv2, said in his opening presentation, there is a “generational transfer” underway.
Schanes emphasized that he’d love to see more comic book specialty retailers share some of the risk with publishers and buy graphic novels on a returnable basis. “Although we need more kids books, we need more stores to try them too,” he said.
