Wednesday 14 February 2007
Who Rules on Amazon?
I checked out the Comics & Graphic Novels bestsellers list on Amazon; I expected that, like in bookstores, manga would rule the day at Amazon, but that's not the case. Here are the current top selling Comics & Graphic Novels at Amazon (edited to remove things on the list which aren't actually comics or graphic novels):
The first manga doesn't appear on the list until position #27!
A couple of caveats:
1) Amazon updates its bestsellers lists hourly, so it'll probably be different by the time you look at it.
2) There are a lot of non-comics books on the list; it's unknown if there are any comics & graphic novels that didn't make the list because they're labeled wrong.
(Manga is a subcategory of Comics & Graphic Novels; there is a separate Manga bestsllers list, and it does track with the broader list.)
Why such a poor showing for manga in Amazon? I have a couple of theories:
1) Amazon's pricing structure usually doesn't give discounts on items priced under $10; since most manga are $9.99 or less, there's no cost savings for ordering most manga on Amazon. (Although that doesn't stop the similarly priced Serenity graphic novel from hitting the top ten.)
2) One needs a credit card to order from Amazon; teenagers--one of manga's major audiences--typically don't have credit cards.
A few more observations about the list:
* 300 on top is not surprising, since the movie comes out next month. Good to see Dark Horse having movie-related product available before the movie for a change.
* Big ticket items make a strong showing, with The Complete Calvin & Hobbes and Lost Girls both in the top 5. Amazon shoppers love those 40% discounts on expensive hardcover box sets!
* Plenty of evergreen titles here, like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, V for Vendetta, Persepolis, and Maus.
- 300
- Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn
- The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
- Watchmen
- Lost Girls
- American Born Chinese
- Serenity: Those Left Behind
- Penny Arcade Volume 3: The Warsun Prophecies
- Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
- Fun Home
- Persepolis
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
- V for Vendetta
- Understanding Comics
- Fables Vol. 8: Wolves
- The Walking Dead, Vol. 6: This Sorrowful Life
- Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
- The Complete Far Side 1980-1994
- Bone: One Volume Edition
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale (box set)
- Lucifer Vol. 11: Evensong
- Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville
- The Halo Graphic Novel
- Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons, 1978-2006
- Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile
- Pride of Baghdad
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories 2
- Marvel Zombies
- Bleach Vol. 17
- Kingdom Come
- Frank Miller's Complete Sin City Library
- Our Kingdom Vol. 5
- Scrum Bums: A Get Fuzzy Collection
- Y: The Last Man Vol. 8 - Kimono Dragons
- Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
- Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
- Ronin
- The Complete Peanuts 1959-1962 Box Set
- Y: The Last Man Vol. 6: Girl on Girl
- Preludes and Nocturnes (The Sandman, Vol. 1)
- Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm
- Death Note Vol. 1
- Garfield Blots Out the Sun: His 43rd book
- Try Rebooting Yourself: A Dilbert Collection
- Virtuoso Di Amore
- It's A Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection
- Watchmen (Absolute Edition)
- The Walking Dead Vol. 5: The Best Defense
- Lost Portrait
- Justice: Volume 2
The first manga doesn't appear on the list until position #27!
A couple of caveats:
1) Amazon updates its bestsellers lists hourly, so it'll probably be different by the time you look at it.
2) There are a lot of non-comics books on the list; it's unknown if there are any comics & graphic novels that didn't make the list because they're labeled wrong.
(Manga is a subcategory of Comics & Graphic Novels; there is a separate Manga bestsllers list, and it does track with the broader list.)
Why such a poor showing for manga in Amazon? I have a couple of theories:
1) Amazon's pricing structure usually doesn't give discounts on items priced under $10; since most manga are $9.99 or less, there's no cost savings for ordering most manga on Amazon. (Although that doesn't stop the similarly priced Serenity graphic novel from hitting the top ten.)
2) One needs a credit card to order from Amazon; teenagers--one of manga's major audiences--typically don't have credit cards.
A few more observations about the list:
* 300 on top is not surprising, since the movie comes out next month. Good to see Dark Horse having movie-related product available before the movie for a change.
* Big ticket items make a strong showing, with The Complete Calvin & Hobbes and Lost Girls both in the top 5. Amazon shoppers love those 40% discounts on expensive hardcover box sets!
* Plenty of evergreen titles here, like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, V for Vendetta, Persepolis, and Maus.
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