New ICv2 Top Ten GN list includes BONE
ICv2,the website known for it’s comprehensive lists of comics sales numbers has revised its 2008 Graphic Novel sales chart, and BONE Vol. 1: Out from Boneville is now in the Top Ten and other BONE books made the list as well. The new list is here. This all started because we wondered why BONE never showed up on any monthly top 100 sales lists. Apparently, other folks were wondering about their titles too.
Of course, the situation is made all the more complicated by the industry’s obsession with secrecy, as well as all the different means of catagorizing. Also, many of our sales are never counted in the current system because Bookscan has no records of Bone books sold at school Book Fairs or Bookclubs catalogs, nor do they record sales from many comics retailers or their websites.
Still, with the Scholastic color BONE series hitting 3 million copies in print, our 1300 page Bone: One Volume Edition averaging 1,500 to two thousand a month, it seemed strange that not one of the volumes ever appeared at even #100.
It turns out that Bookscan had the books catagorized in such a way that they didn’t count. Our many thanks to Milton Griepp and the staff of ICv2 for putting in the time and effort to help try and straighten things out.
Next, we need to figure out why our records show that Diamond has moved 140,000 copies of our black & white BONE: One Volume Edition, and Bookscan only knows about 50, 000 of them…
Thanks also to The Beat for picking up the story, which you can read here.
That is well and truly awesome, man. That’s a heck of a lot of books!
Comment by James — February 17, 2009 @ 5:59 pm
I’d say Bone has caught on =p
Comment by Marcus — February 17, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
“Next, we need to figure out why our records show that Diamond has moved 140,000 copies of our black & white BONE: One Volume Edition, and Bookscan only knows about 50, 000 of them…”
Because BookScan only tracks what stores that report to BookScan sell. As far as I am aware, no Direct Market store reports to, or has ever been asked to report to, BookScan.
(BookScan reporters include the large chain book stores, major web retailers like Amazon, etc, and a smallish handful of independent bookstores, last time I checked)
Also worth noting: Diamond is sell-IN to retailers, BookScan is sell-THROUGH to consumers. Logically, the difference in Diamond numbers between one and the other would be very small (as the DM buys non-returnable), but it is something to bear in mind.
-B
Comment by Brian Hibbs — February 18, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
You’re right. And I know that most of my books are sold in schools (the Scholastic ones) and in the Direct Market (Cartoon Books One Volume Edition). I guess I’m trying to find out A) How are these numbers and charts being compiled, and B) given the huge disparity we can show with Bone, is it the best way?
I’m still not exactly certain how the charts are put together, whether they are a combination of different reports and/or best guesses based on Diamond’s listings, or something else.
I think the charts would be more helpful to retailers if we had clearer, more dependable information about what is popular, what is reliable and what sells.
Obviously, given the gaps mentioned in the first paraghraph, this could be very difficult to figure out.
Comment by Jeff — February 18, 2009 @ 3:22 pm
JEFF, BONE IS THE BEST!
GO BONE!!!! Hey you know what? BONE IS THE BEST! lol I love Bone! Go to my blog! It’s cool! I’m gonna post some really cool stuff on my blog soon…
Comment by Coolio — February 19, 2009 @ 5:53 am
Okay, Coolio! Thanks! I’ll chaeck out your blog.
Comment by Jeff — February 19, 2009 @ 11:03 am
Maybe you’ll get a little more clarity on what BookScan is from my annual report on the numbers which you can find here:
http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=20119
But the quick version is: BookScan numbers ONLY report numbers which are reported to BookScan, and DOES NOT include Diamond, or, to the best of my knowledge, any individual Direct Market retailers. It also does not include anything sold in school fairs, or library copies or anything like that.
It is a horrifically flawed metric, but it is one of the few “publicly” available ones that we have.
-B
Comment by Brian Hibbs — February 20, 2009 @ 3:37 pm
Will there be a Colorized One Volume edition of Bone?
Comment by John Hill — February 23, 2009 @ 3:03 am
A One Volume, no. But there is a possibility of a colorized trilogy (3 big books that contain 3 books each) some time in the future.
Comment by Marcus — February 23, 2009 @ 8:12 am
Thats one well drawn Bone book!!But I have no clue what Boneville looks like and if all the Bones look the same?You should make a drawing of the pepole and Boneville.
Comment by Edmund Rozell — February 23, 2009 @ 7:53 pm
what happen went bone get back to boneville?
Comment by kaman wu — March 9, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
why don’t you just (cont) writing the bone book?
Comment by kaman wu — March 9, 2009 @ 4:56 pm
I love the bone book.
Comment by kaman wu — March 9, 2009 @ 4:57 pm
can you send me back a massegen.
Comment by kaman wu — March 9, 2009 @ 4:59 pm
I wish I could read your books online.
Comment by Justin S. — April 3, 2009 @ 2:26 pm