There has been a lot of debate as to what is a fair price for digital comics. Here are my two cents.
You Have To Charge Something
First, to address the opinion that digital comics should always be free. A publisher can't continue to publish comics on a regular basis without charging something for them. No, I don't believe revenue from ads alone on a website is enough to sustain the production of massive amounts of original content. I've worked for a major website in the Sales department, and this has been my observation.
And yes, I know that comic pirating is still a big issue. This is why we are having a discussion about fair pricing. If we are going to say that because pirated comics are available, the major comic companies shouldn't even try to charge anything -- then everyone should just give up now. We should just be happy with the free scans that are available on the Internet and not look forward to any new issues of Batman or Spider-Man.
First Pricing Tier: Free
"Free" should be used for two things:
- As an incentive by a publisher to get a reader to try a new series or concept. I think a free #1 (or at least a substantial preview) is crucial to encouraging digital sales of unique content.
- As a basic promotional tool to stir up excitement. A free #1 or #0 is a great way to promote a major "event" or initiative -- and might also encourage new sign-ups for your digital comics app from traditional paper-based readers.
Second Pricing Tier: $0.99
This should be the default price for most back-issues. Right now, there are many back-issues that are $1.99, and I think this might be too much to charge. The only cases where back-issues should be over 99 cents is if they are super-hot and sought-after.
This should also be the price for the first issues of new series, unless the publisher decides to go the "free" option.
Third Pricing Tier: $1.99
This should be the price of most mid-level day-and-date releases consisting of roughly 22-30 pages of new content.
Fourth Pricing Tier: $2.99
For day-and-date releases of "hot" digital content consisting of roughly 22-30 pages of original content. This should be the price of all "best-sellers," the Top 20 offerings from your line.
Special Cases: "Double-Sized" Issues and Graphic Novels
Obviously, more money needs to be charged for more content. How much a digital comics reader is willing to pay for longer-form works is debatable. I think anything above $9.99 -- except for the most in-demand items -- becomes chancy.
I think a publisher would be better served offering the longer original graphic novels first in print, charging a higher price-point -- and then down the line offer the book at $9.99 or so in digital.
Special Cases: Bundled Sets
This section addresses a criticism I've heard referred to many times regarding how publishers offer their back-issues. First of all, story arcs should be primarily offered under the name and "part number" of the arc -- not the issue numbers. The issue numbers can be listed after the story arc info, but they should not be used as primary identification.
For example, listing a bunch of Batman or Wolverine issues on the app for purchase is not as enticing to the potential customer as "Batman Year One" or "Old Man Logan."
But further -- those arcs can also be offered for purchase as specially-priced bundled sets. A four-issue bundle could be $4.99 -- say, 4 issues + some supplemental material or related reprint story. Along those lines, bundled sets or collections of key story arcs can offer "added value" features just like a special-edition DVD -- concept sketches, editorial material, even a reprint of a script.
So those are my thoughts on pricing digital comics. I'd love to know what you think.
