Vault Comics has announced a whole new plan.
Comics distribution is beginning to get even more varied, which long planned announcements and new plans in the wake of Diamond Comics filing for bankruptcy. In response to the latter, Image will no longer sell through Diamond.
And Vault has announced a new plan to sell their comics directly to retailers – no more middlemen. It’s a plan that had been in the works for a while – and Vault is currectly distributed by Lunar and Simon & Schuster – but it will be interesting to see if more small publishers come up with their own plans as where and how stores get their comics begins to fracture even more.
This direct to retailers program will be in addition to existing channels, and all new Vault titles will be part of the new system.
“We want to make sure we deliver our books to fans, comic shops, and booksellers in the best way possible, said Vault CEO Damian Wassel. “We believe launching direct-to-retailer distribution is the right step for our business, our creators, and our fans, and we look forward to delivering some incredible books straight to the retailers who helped us build Vault.”
As a result of this move, however, Vault will be adjusting both release dates and formats for future projects – which means some existing orders will be delayed or even cancelled and new solicits will be put out. Changes to formats and release dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
More via PR:
Vault’s direct-to-retailer distribution platform will launch on February 3, with select key backlist and frontlist titles immediately available for order. Additional backlist and frontlist titles will be made available to order in the coming weeks.
Retailers interested in setting up direct sales accounts can sign up here.
New retail accounts that sign up before February 28 will receive free shipping on all orders for the first six months. Products will be made available to retailers at discounts of at least fifty percent of the retail price, with automatic additional discounting per order based on total order cost. Thereafter, base discounts will be determined by account ordering volume, and free shipping will continue for qualifying orders. Packing, shipping timelines, and shortages and damages policies will meet or exceed industry standards.
There have been many more developments….and rumored developments….on the Diamond story. We’ll have a full round up in tomorrow’s newsletter.
English (US) · 