The initial success of Indian comic con events coincided
with several new companies trying to enter into the comic book industry. The
new entrants brought several exciting genres and tried to create a new fan base
for their product. Several comic book publications have shut down since then as
they struggled to make profits in the stiff business environment with
practically no support from traditional distributors. Don't forget that some of
these companies were well funded and employed very good artists and writers but
to launch their products.
These publications struggled to have a print run of 3000
copies per title which is the bare minimum you need to publish to get a
competitive price for printing the books. As I had explained in my posts on the
discussion thread, if you print anything less than 3000 copies per title at one
go, the cost price of each copy jumps up by one and half times. I am personally
involved with Vimanika Comics and the company had to diversify into
merchandising and other streams related to comics to raise capital for the next
growth phase.
There can be no argument that the fan base of comic book
reading population is dwindling alarmingly. So what is the way out for new
publishers who have a limited budget to keep their operations running?
First the companies need to harness the true potential of
e-commerce market and limit their exposure to off-line markets. Secondly they
must have the right product for the market with high quality to match the
expectations of the fans and are able to reach the magical figure of 3000
copies per title per print run.
Finally but the most important activity is to raise capital
constantly for their venture. Comics publication require constant investment
for a minimum of three years to expect any sort of profits. There cannot be too
much of gap between the titles or the fans abandon your publication. One of the
ways to raise funds is crowd funding. During the past month I have come across
two Indian ventures who have opted for the crowd funding model to raise funds for
their projects.
Crowd funding is becoming an increasingly popular option to
raise funds for your ventures. In this model the entrepreneurs pre-sell a
product or service to launch a title without incurring debt or sacrificing
equity/shares by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people
using the Internet. I have myself become a part of the second campaign which
has been launched by Vimanika Comics. You can check the link at
The advantages of crowd sourced funding are numerous
1.
It helps to raise capital and limit the risks.
It introduces
2.
It introduces the company to prospective
customers directly and helps them pre-sell their product.
So why do strangers invest in these projects?
There are two distinct motivations for funding the projects. The first is the rewards offered by the company in the project. Secondly the investors/donors derive enjoyment and fun in being part of a start-up and have the satisfaction of seeing an idea you believed coming to life. I believe that most of their investors/donors do it for the fun and satisfaction rather than the rewards. For them the rewards is a token thank you from the entrepreneur.
Will the Indian comic book fans who swear by their loyalty
to the industry and the publishers support such initiatives? Only time will
tell.
Since the Vimanika Comics project is still live on a crowd
funding website, I'm sharing the details of the rewards for the donors who
share an interest and passion in Indian mythology and are willing to give it a
helping hand. You can make donations ranging from 10 USD to 1000 USD.
$25 USD Novel + Badge
$50 USD First edition Graphic
Novel, Vimanika Badge and a Certificate with a citation from Vimanika Comics
Company specifying your role as a contributor and a patron
$80 USD Tshirt + First edition
Graphic Novel + Vimanika Badge
$100 USD 1 Comic Book + First
edition Graphic Novel + A sweatshirt + Vimanika Badge.
$150 USD 1 Comic Book + The
first edition Graphic Novel + A sweatshirt + A Poster + Vimanika Badge.
$200 USD 2 Comic Books + The
first edition Graphic Novel+ A Tshirt + A sweatshirt + A Poster + Vimanika
Badge.
$500 USD 2 Comic Books + The
first edition Graphic Novel+ A Tshirt + A sweatshirt + A Poster + A statue of a
character of your choice + A vimanika badge + a gilted certificate with a
citation from Vimanika Comics Company specifying your role as a contributor and
a patron.
$1000 USD 2 Comic Books + The
first edition Graphic Novel+ A Tshirt + A sweatshirt + A Poster + A Statue of a
Character of your choice + A Vimanika Badge + a gilted certificate with a
citation from Vimanika Comics Company specifying your role as a contributor and
a patron. You will also get a pass for
the official launch of our graphic novel.
