More Trouble for Diamond Distributors?

BOOM! Studios will start distributing new releases through Haven Distributors, though they will be available from Diamond as well.

Since the big pricing glitch a few months ago that allowed customers to order any trade paperbacks and hardcovers distributed by Diamond through Amazon or Barnes and Noble for extreme discounts, people have been wondering if we were seeing a signal of the end of the Direct Market distribution monopoly. Last month, Marvel comics announced that they would be switching non-direct market book distribution from Diamond to Hachette. Now, BOOM! studios, publishers of fan favorite series like Irredeemable, literary adaptations like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and a whole line of Disney licensed books, has announced that they will be allowing Haven Distributors, the company that already handles their reprints, to distribute new releases to the Direct Market as well, at a higher discount than Diamond.

Though Diamond will still distribute BOOM! books, it looks like they may be slowly beginning to lose the monopoly they’ve long held on the comics market, for better or for worse. No comment from Diamond yet. It is unknown what the repercussions of the end of a Diamond monopoly would be. Many retailers have had problems with Diamond in the past, but the company did keep the comics industry afloat for nearly a decade during bad times.

Here is the press release from BOOM!:

Skokie, IL – May 5th, 2010 – Haven Distribution is proud to announce the deepest discount option available to Direct Market retailers for BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! titles.

Starting with BOOM!’s July-shipping books, Direct Market retailers will be able to buy the full line of BOOM! products at 50% off cover. Retailers now have another distribution option to receive the entire line of newly-shipping BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! titles and receive the best discount on these books available! In addition, BOOM!’s complete backlist of single issues and trade paperbacks will also be available to order from Haven with that same deep discount.

Haven Distribution now joins Diamond Comics Distributors in offering the complete line of BOOM! products.

“I am proud to let the Direct Market know that they can order frontlist BOOM! titles at a steeper discount than our competitors and we have no 3% reorder penalty on backlist items," said Haven Distributors Director Lance Stahlberg. "Since we started carrying select BOOM! titles last October, Direct Market retailers have been begging us to expand our offering to BOOM’s complete line. We are pleased to announce that now retailers will be able to get the best discount possible on newly- shipping BOOM! titles and be able to order BOOM! backlist single issues, and BOOM! trade paperbacks at a great discount also."

For July shipping BOOM! titles, Haven will be accepting orders starting May 5th. On that date, BOOM!’s full backlist of singles and trades will also be made available.

This newly-struck deal serves as an expansion of the distribution agreement BOOM! announced with Haven last October for second printings and specialty items.

Haven Distributors is just one of a growing list of distributors offering BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! publications. This past summer, BOOM! Studios announced mass market distribution deals with Simon & Schuster and HarperCollinsCanada, with Simon & Schuster distributing BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! line of graphic novels in the United States and HarperCollinsCanada distributing in Canada.

Previous to the addition of Simon & Schuster and HarperCollinsCanada, last March BOOM! announced a newsstand distribution deal for their BOOM Kids! line through Kable Distribution Services, Inc., best known amongst comic book fans for distributing Archie Comics throughout North America in the United States and Canada.

The entire BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! line of publications are also offered in the direct market by Diamond Comics Distributors.

Retailers needing more information on how to order from Haven Distributors can call 1-877-HAVEN-50 or sign up on their website here: http://www.havendistro.com/retailers.html

Source: BOOM! Studios
Syndicated from The Outhouse – The Greatest Comic Book Website
Posted originally: 2010-05-07 09:11:53

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