You may remember the loooong thread in Azz’s forum about new ways to keep monthlies viable and get more people into reading comics. I thought a lot about what people observed and suggested, particularly in regard to mainstream bookstore/media exposure. I thought about getting my first monthly out of the gate in a crashing economy. And I hatched a scheme.
I call it Operation AIRlift. And just like Uncle Sam and Smokey Bear, I need YOU.
Here’s how it works:
1. Buy a copy of AIR #1 from your local comics retailer.
2. Read it.
3. When you’re done with it, get a no-bleed pen or marker. Turn to the first page. (The one with the title and the picture of Blythe and Zayn falling to their presumable deaths.) In some of that empty sky, write something clever, like “Curious? Buy the issue at:” followed by the NAME and ADDRESS of your local comics retailer.
4. Take your newly defaced issue to a nearby Barnes and Noble, Borders or locally-owned bookstore. Go to a section with books people who might like AIR would read. (Fantasy, literature, travel.) Stick the issue on one of the shelves, between two books. Make sure it sticks out a little so people see it. (It’s taller than most paperbacks, so that shouldn’t be hard.)
5. Snap a picture of your guerilla handiwork. Send the pic to info [at] gwillowwilson [dot] com, along with your mailing address. I will send you a SIGNED copy of AIR #1 to replace the one you’ve left to posterity. I’ll also post your pic here at StatAt.
Good luck, comrades. Let’s see if we can’t get more book-reading butts into comic shops.
Tags: Air, G. Willow Wilson, Guerilla marketing
As an independent bookseller I wholeheartedly endorse this plan. I do all I can to get comics into the hands of book readers, and this seems like as good a way as any. I would suggest urging people interested in comics to buy them from a brick and mortar store rather than online (and certainly not from Amazon). Support independence! Support intelligent comics!
[...] G. Willow Wilson begins her own guerrilla marketing campaign for the recently released [...]
Consider it done, oh and you might like this here link: http://brokenfrontier.com/reviews/details.php?id=2006
I was just at the doctor yesterday, waiting for close to an hour reading magazines previewing the Olympics or speculating about who Obama would pick as his running mate. And I was thinking with all the obsolete news and sports and probably celebrity gossip, and how people come in every day and sit and wait, what a perfect place it would be for guerrilla comics marketing.
Anyway, I love your idea. Reminds me of the Droplift Project (c. 2000, http://droplift.org ) that had people burn a CD, print out the album art, and leave it in a music store.
Thanks Justin, glad you approve! Lee thanks for the link. And Mecha-Shiva, cool name.
I was already anxious to read Air just because so many other creators were talking about it and lamenting having to wait for that next paycheck, but this is a fucking brilliant idea and worth going to the bank to withdraw $3 for today.
Rocketship here I come!
I’m in. Thursday will be dedicated to covering Boston with these.
Wish I would’ve read this before my trip to the bookstore today! Ah well, looks like I’m headed there again, tomorrow – consider the guerilla scheme in full effect here in Detroit.
Willow,
Just found the blog here today, and regarding monthly sales on Vertigo books, I’ve been telling people for a while I think Vertigo needs to bring back the letters column. We need to make the monthly comic buying experience more compelling than simply saying “If you don’t buy it the book will get cancelled” On that note, I really liked your commentary on the last page of Air. That’s the kind of “back matter” that, printed monthly, makes the singles more compelling, that doesn’t have to be collected in TP. Hope the book is a hit for you, I enjoyed the first issue!
I fully agree with Tim at More Fun Comics, Vertigo should definitely consider bringing the letter columns back. I’d also recommend taking it one step further by involving the full creative team in the replies should they have the time.
In my opinion, books like early Transmetropolitan and The Walking Dead were/are some of the best examples of a letters column done right. In both cases, I felt part of a community rather than just a consumer. This made it that much more personal and my loyalty increased to a level far beyond simply enjoying great writing and art. I personally feel Standard Attrition is achieving that same atmosphere
and couldn’t praise it higher or thank you all enough.
Reading the posts of excitement and nerves leading up the the Air publish date followed by the Operation AIRlift plan made me enjoy, value, and appreciate Air all that much more. Capturing this energy in a letters column would be extremely satisfying and I’m sure thousands of other readers would agree.