( 5 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 22 2006
Although this book pertains specifically to Comics, it's a great overview of what things are involved in starting a publisher, be it comics, games, etc. Lots of good general small business advice is involved, too, with very good overviews of accounting (cash flow sheets), licensing, and more. Overall, I found the book to be very informative, and I haven't seen a more concise reference that covers all aspects of being a small publisher/developer. This book isn't a replacement for digging further in more specific references, but as far as general overview goes, it's fantastic! Very happy with it!
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( 2 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Sep 26 2005
It does have a bit of good information though, but it's definitely dated.
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( 17 of 17 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 20 2005
First and foremost, this book is not for artists who are only considering self-publishing their work - it's for people who are willing to put in the time and effort it takes to successfully self-publish or launch their own self-publishing company. Even Jeff Smith (yes, he's a self-publisher) has used this book and commented that it is "full of very real commercial information." This book goes into all the information a self-publisher needs to ease through the necessary legal processes involved in self-publishing and starting a publishing company, and teaches us what the author himself took many years to figure out. The book contains the following chapters: 1. GETTING STARTED Contains the following sections: THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY, INDUSTRY OUTLOOK, ONLINE COMIC BOOKS, YOUR BASE OF OPERATIONS, OFFICE FURNATURE AND EQUIPMENT, COMPANY STTRUCTURE (sole proprietorship vs. partnership vs. C corporation vs. sub-chapter S corporation), COMPANY IDENTITY 2. TRADEMARKS, COPYRIGHTS, AND LICENSES TRADEMARKS AND COPYRIGHTS, THE INDICIA, COPYRIGHTS AND FREELANCE EMPLOYEES, LICENSING ARRANGEMENTS 3. COMIC BOOK CREATION AN OVERVIEW OF COMIC BOOK PRODUCTION, WRITING, PENCILING: THE ART OF STORYTELLING, PENCILING QUALITY, LETTERING, INKING, HAND COLORING, COMPUTER COLORING, FREELANCERS AND CO-CREATORS, SCOUTING FOR TALENT 4. PRINTERS AND COLOR SEPARATORS THE PRINTING PROCESS, FINDING A PRINTER, COLOR SEPARATORS, LINESCREENS AND COLOR COMPOSITION, PRODUCCING A DIRT CHEAP COLOR COVER 5. CONTRACTS LETTER OF INTENT, ARTIST CONTRACT, PAYMENT VOUCHER, SECURITY AGREEMENT, CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT, includes samples of each 6. COMIC BOOK DISTRIBUTION AND SALES THE DIRECT MARKET, NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION, CMAA, UPC BAR CODE, BOOKSTORE DISTRIBUTION, DISCOUNT DISTRIBUTION, SUBSCRIPTIONS, THE FOREIGN MARKET, COLLECTORS AND BANK ISSUES, PAID ADVERTISING, SELLING DIRECT 7. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGIES THE KEY ELEMENTS OF MARKETING SUCCESS, DIRECT MARKETING SALES AND STRATEGIES (these I found particularly useful), DEVELOPING LICENSING AND MERCHANDISING OPPORTUNITIES, ESTABLISHING FOREIGN PUBLISHING RELATIONSHIPS, AQUIRING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, USING NATIONAL PUBLICITY TO INCREASE SALES, SURVIVING THE GLUT, NEWSSTANDS AND BOOKSTORES: THE MASS MARKET, INCREASING NEWSSTAND SALES THROUGH INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES, THINGS TO AVOID 8. PROMOTIONS, ADVERTISING, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS NEWS RELEASES (and how to write them, includes samples), THE NEWS MEDIA, PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS, TRADE SHOW AND CONVENTION PROMOTIONS, PRINT ADVERTISING, THE INTERNET 9. BUDGETS AND BOOKKEEPING INVOICES AND SHIPPING MANIFESTS, KEEPING AND MONITORING YOUR FINANCIAL RECORDS, INCOME STATEMENTS, SPREADSHEETS, CASH FLOW 10. CAPITAL AND INVESTORS RAISING CAPITAL, A START-UP BUSINESS PLAN, AQUISITION AND EXPANSION, SELLING YOUR COMPANY, INVESTORS, LOVE MONEY: BORROWING FROM FAMILY OR FRIENDS, LAWYERS 11. SECONDARY RIGHTS SUCCESS WITH LICENSED PROPERTIES AND SECONDARY RIGHTS, THE PRESENTATION PACKAGE, SELLING AN OPTION, APPENDIX Contains a listing of about 300 comic trade shows and conventions, trademark and copyright agencies, licensing resources, printers, color separators, computer colorists, distributor and trade publications, different types of distributors, foreign publishers, foreign agents, foreign sales representatives, foreign and domestic comic specialty shops, lawyers, investor services, internet service providers and browsers, and national and midwest news wires, all with attourney names and contact information. All in all, this is a very detailed and well-written book. If you are serious about starting a publishing company but are unsure about some of the legal processes (or clueless where to begin), then I cannot think of a better book for you. T. Fischer Killer T-Rex Comics
