Thursday News: Rising sales of comics, National Book Festival, and dining around the world on $25

JanetPublishing Newsbook festivals / Comic books / LGBTQ community / travel5 Comments

Orders for comic books have hit a 20-year high – While a number of factors are contributing to this trend, two have been identified as the popularity of Hollywood adaptations and the increase in dedicated North American comic books stores. Whatever the reasons, print comics seem to be selling quite well, with DC Comics leading the revival:

According to [industry analyst John Jackson] Miller, the figures for August were largely driven by DC Comics, which sold nine out of the 10 best-selling issues, with Harley Quinn #1 as the top seller. He noted that there could be some extenuating circumstances that inflate these numbers a bit: this is the first time that Diamond, the largest comic book distributor in the world, has released monthly figures (prior figures have been estimates), and there were five weeks in which comics were shipped last month, rather than the usual four last year. While these figures also don’t include direct sales figures, they do indicate that the comic book business is healthy.

Plus, 10.26 million units is a significant figure; the last time stores ordered in that volume was December 1996. In the following years, the industry faced some significant troubles, with its total market share dropping to $255 million in sales in 2000. Since then, it has dramatically rebounded, with an estimated $940 million in sales last year. – The Verge

Comic book creators unite for ‘Love Is Love’ to honor victims of Orlando attack – Although DC Comics has been very disappointing for the lack of diversity in its “Rebirth,” the company is partnering with IDW Publishing to release a volume called “Love is Love,” which “will include stories that mourn the [Pulse nightclub shooting] victims, examine love and celebrate the LGBTQ community.” The 144-page comic book will be released in December for $9.99, and you can see a sample at the link above.

“Events like this shouldn’t be compartmentalized,” Andreyko told the New York Times. “They should hurt, and we should want to change for the better.”

All the comics included in the book were donated by the writers, artists and editors and all the proceeds will go to Equality Florida and its fund for the victims, survivors and family members affected by the Pulse nightclub massacre. – Los Angeles Times

Highlights of the 2016 National Book Festival – This weekend marks the 16th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival, and it will feature Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shonda Rimes, Salman Rushdie, Mary Roach, and Colson Whitehead, among many others. There will be children’s events, as well, including a Youth Poetry Slam. More information can be found here.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, tens of thousands of eager readers will fill the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to hear more than 120 of their favorite authors. Presided over by the newly sworn-in Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, the 16th annual festival is all free, fun and fantastic.

The Washington Post is a charter sponsor of the festival, and this special issue of Book World contains everything you need to plan your visit — and with all the riches on offer, a little planning is a good idea. The convention doors open at 8:30 a.m., and the activities run until 10 p.m. (Please note that all guests will be subject to bag searches — only one bag per guest — so leave plenty of time for this year’s extra security measures.) You can’t bring in food, but you’ll find plenty of food vendors in the Convention Center and restaurants nearby. – Washington Post

How Far $25 for Dinner Goes Around the World – I suspect USians will find this far more surprising than non-asians. – ABC News & Oyster

Janet

isn't sure if she's an average Romance reader, or even an average reader, but a reader she is, enjoying everything from literary fiction to philosophy to history to poetry. Historical Romance was her first love within the genre, but she's fickle and easily seduced by the promise of a good read. She approaches every book with the same hope: that she will be filled from the inside out with something awesome that she didnʼt know, didnʼt think about, or didnʼt feel until that moment. And she's always looking for the next mind-blowing read, so feel free to share any suggestions!

→ Janet