Publishers

Whether you’ve just finished your first comic or published your thousandth issue, we want to hear from you.  We distribute using two different models.  The first is to distribute directly to comic speciality shops.  The second is by placing comics onto spinner racks and shelf displays at other retail locations. 

Direct market distribution is the standard distribution model that comic shops have been ordering through for decades.  Under this model shops order products from us at the maximum discount offered by the publisher.  The publisher decides if these products are returnable.  Under this model publishers can offer pre-orders as well as in-stock items.

Distribution at other retail locations.  We are utilizing an old model of distribution but updated to meet the needs of today’s comic book publisher.  Comics used to be available at convenience, grocery and drug stores via newsstand distributors.  The newsstand model wasn’t built for comics and as such was never friendly towards them.  We are updating this model with the comic publisher in mind.  

We are distributing to various locations where comics should be available.  Places like convenience stores, video game stores, board game stores, action figure stores and even dispensaries.  All products sold via spinner racks must be returnable.  Due to this the discount structure for spinner rack distribution is reduced.  We offer a variety of options for what happens with returned comics. 

Each publisher is responsible for setting their own maximum discount.  The maximum discount is the discount tier offered to comic speciality shops and is not applicable for comics on spinner racks.  The discount on spinner rack placement varies by retail location.

You are under no obligation to participate in both forms of distribution.  If you only want your books to be available to the direct market, we can accommodate that.  If you only want spinner rack placement, we accommodate that.  If you don’t want your product sold at a certain type of retail location we can also accommodate that.

We do not distribute ratio variant covers (1:10, 1:25, etc…).  If you would like us to distribute a variant cover it must have a unique UPC code as well as the word “variant” plainly visible on the cover.   Variant covers are not eligible for inclusion in spinner rack distribution.

Please reach out to us at sales@comicsmainstream.com if you are interested in learning more.