News
C
omic-Con International:
San Diego ran July 17–
at the San Diego Conven-tion Center, with its usual extrav-
agant combination of artists
presentations, mass fandom, and
promotional events. This year’s
event was the 50th San Diego
Comic-Con, and there was also a string of new program-
ming to mark the occasion, which served as a reminder of
how much comics and popular culture have changed since
the first show in 1970.
The 1970 SDCC attracted about 300 fans; the 50thiteration welcomed more than 130,000. The show, and
the industry itself, has evolved from being dominated by
the superhero genre and a male fan base to a global
showcase for pop culture. The North American comics
industry must now respond to a market that includes
women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community—a
demographic mix only beginning to assert itself at the
convention. The biggest changes in comics storytelling
are being led by these marginalized fans, and the next 50
years will be driven by the stories that they care about.
One of the panels concerning social change in comicspublishing was “Friends of Lulu: We Changed Comics,” a
session marking the 25th anniversary of the now-defunct
organization and celebrating the impact of its committed
group of women founders, who fought ingrained misogyny
WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 5The Next 50 Years of
Comics Publishing
The Weekly Scorecard
Unit Sales Soft in Mid-July,
Dropping 4.1%
With all categories posting declines, overall unit sales of print
books fell 4.1% in the week ended July 20, 2019, compared to the
similar week in 2018, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan.
Sales in adult fiction dropped 5.5% compared to the week ended
July 21, 2018, despite strong showings from three new books.
The New Girl by Daniel Silva was the #1 title in the category, selling
more than 59,000 copies in its first week. The Adventure Zone
by Clint McElroy landed in the third spot, with 40,000 copies
sold, followed by The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, which
sold 39,000 copies. Units fell 2.8% in adult nonfiction compared
to 2018. Educated by Tara Westover remained #1 in the category,
selling nearly 20,000 copies. American Carnage by Tim Alberta
debuted at #3 in the category, selling almost 13,000 copies. Last
year at this time, Liars, Leakers and Liberals by Jeanine Pirro was
#1 in adult nonfiction, selling more than 34,000 copies. Sales
continued to be sluggish in juvenile fiction last week, with print
units falling 5.1%. The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems
was the top title in the category, selling just over 13,000 copies,
followed by Jeff Kinney’s Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid,
which sold just under 13,000 copies. Juvenile nonfiction, which has
posted small gains for most of the year, had a 2.4% decline last
week. Everything You Need to Ace Math in One Big Fat Notebook,
published by Workman, was the top title, selling more than 8,
copies. Three more Everything You Need titles were also on the
category top 10 list, selling about 20,000 copies combined.ERS APPROXIMSOURCE: NPD BOOKSCAN AND ATELY 80% OF THE PRINT BOOK MPUBLISHERS WEEKLY. NPD’S U.S. CONSUMARKET AND CONTINUES TO GROWER MARKET PANEL COV-.TOTAL SALES OF PRINT BOOKS (in thousands)
JUL.21, JUL. 20 , CHGE CHGE
2018 2019 WEEK YTD
Total 12,706 12 , 186 -4.1%-1.8%JUL. 21 , JUL. 20 , CHGE CHGE
2018 2019 WEEK YTD
Adult Nonfiction 5, 146 5,000 -2.8% -0.5%
Adult Fiction 2,972 2,809 -5.5% -4.4%
Juvenile Nonfiction 1 , 152 1 , 124 - 2.4% 3.2%
Juvenile Fiction 2,747 2,608 -5.1% -2.9%
YoungAdult Fiction 436 410 - 6.1% -2.2%
YoungAdult Nonfiction 48 45 - 7. 3% 1.5%UNIT SALES OF PRINT BOOKS BY CATEGORY (in thousands)UNIT SALES OF PRINT BOOKS BY FORMAT (in thousands)
JUL. 21 , JUL. 20 , CHGE CHGE
2018 2019 WEEK YTD
Hardcover 3,190 3,303 3.5% 3.0%
Trade Paperback 7, 495 7 , 081 - 5.5% -2.9%
Mass Market Paperback 1,057 846 -20.6%-15.6%
Board Books 583 559 -4.1% 2.1%
PhysicalAudio 38 31 -19.5%-25.4%get involved in their regional associations, they get a great
understanding of bookselling in general,” she said. “And
if more people get involved, we will have many more to
choose from at a national level when it comes to selecting
the board.” This grassroots, ground-up approach, she
added, can help keep the ABA relevant to all booksellers,
be they microstores, midsize stores, or regional chains.
For her part, Fiocco will be hitting the road this fall andattending several regionals to further familiarize herself
with the challenges facing booksellers at the local level.
“With the CEO change coming, we have to be careful where
we put our resources, but I’ll be at SIBA, NCIBA, and
Heartland,” she said. “I’m there to listen.”
—Ed Nawotka