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Stuart's Sketchbook Tips We started selling artists' sketchbooks in 1988 with two collections by Glen Murakami, one of the first animation artists to self-publish. Within a few years, we had books by Glen Murakami, Glenn Barr, Shane Glines, Adam Hughes, as well as many emerging artists. We always have a wide selection of artists sketchbooks at San Diego Comic-Con. We are known for this and we are approached by many artists who have published sketchbooks or are contemplating publishing. We are very selective and turn down as many sketchbooks as we accept for inclusion on our sketchbook tables. We are even more selective when it comes to our online sketchbook pages.
Keep in mind it's all about the pictures. If you want to encourage casual buyers and maximize your sales, keep the price as low as possible. I believe $5 to $10 is generally the best price for a standard photocopied sketchbook. A $5 sketchbook will sell many more copies than a $10 sketchbook by the same artist. Sketchbooks do not need to be too thick or too big. It should be at least 16 pages and 24-28 pages is typical. Put in your best work and leave your audience wanting more! (Keeping the book small also helps keep your printing cost down.) You want to encourage looks by putting a good image on the cover. I always discourage "concept" covers (a text-only cover, a cover with a childish crayon drawing, etc.). Standard formats are good. 5.5" x 8.5", 7" x 8.5", or 8.5" x 11" are some standard page sizes. These sizes use standard paper sizes and avoid excessive trims. Avoid oversize page sizes. Any format over 8.5" x 11" becomes unwieldy. Avoid comb-bindings, wire-bindings, and other unusual bindings (such as rings, ties, etc.). Do not print the price on the book. This frees you to raise or lower the price depending upon demand (or lack of it). Most artists include a variety of material in their sketchbooks, but if you have a clear strength you may well want to focus on that. Several sketchbooks have focused exclusively on animals. Derek Thompson's Derekmonster Annuals are made up entirely of creature designs. Do not believe you have to include drawings of women to have a successful sketchbook! Don't overprint. We see very nice sketchbooks with print runs of 100, 200, 250 or 500 copies. Once you are printing 500 copies, the price of additional copies goes down exponentially, so it is tempting to add another 500. Don't do it if you don't need them! There has been a proliferation of full-color hardcover sketchbooks produced in the last few years. The typical minimum print run on books of this type is 1000 copies. A number of these books have sold out their print runs (many by "name" artists such as Frank Cho, Phil Noto, and Sean Galloway, but several by previously "unknown" artists such as Jose Lopez and Ruben Martinez). However many have not sold as well as expected. Consider how you will sell the book. Consider the number of convention appearances you will make to sell the book. Consider whether you are willing to receive and process mail orders and want to make the book available for online sales via your website or blog or eBay. Consider whether you will wholesale the book to stores. Let that inform your decision of how many to print. Retailers (AKA dealers) need to make a profit on the books they sell, so you will need to offer a retailer a wholesale discount off the retail price that you charge. A standard discount is 50%. (Book distributors typically require a 60% discount off the retail price. Amazon requires a 55% discount plus charges set-up fees and monthly fees to list your books on their website.) Stuart Ng Books 20655 S. Western Ave., Suite 104, Torrance, CA 90501 |