Oni Press Launches Square One Retailer Program
Indie comics publisher Oni Press is launching Square One, a new retailer program offering stores a line comprised of first volumes of graphic novels for $10, that also includes the first issue of the periodical series for a $1.
The program is designed to offer readers a variety of Oni Press titles. Square One will launch with four titles beginning in February and March 2017
Oni Press publisher Joe Nozemak emphasized that Square One is not an imprint, it’s “an effort to bring a variety of our flagship titles to the attention of retailers and comic book and graphic novel readers.”
Nozemak said titles chosen “to be included in Square One are our flagship titles, which are series that have broad appeal across audiences.” Square One titles will be all backlist works. The program will not offer original titles, although Nozimak said, “we will still offer select new first volumes at discounts as well."
Oni Press will offer retailers a series of 4-month sale windows, during which retailers can receive additional discounts on the subsequent trade paperback volumes of the series. Oni Press graphic novels are distributed to the book trade by Diamond Book Distributors and its comic books are distributed to direct market by Diamond Comics Distributors.
The four Square One titles the program will launch with include Invader Zim by Jhonen Vasquezm Aaron Alexovich and Megan Lawton, the story of a hapless alien invader; Kaijumax by Zander Cannon, a journey into a maximum security prison for monsters; The Life After by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Gabo, in which Jude teams up with Ernest Hemingway in the afterlife, and Letter 44 by Charles Soule, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque, Guy Major and Dan Jackson, in which NASA discovers alien life.
“We’re delighted to announce the launch of our Square One program beginning with the first round of $1 first issues and $10 first volume trades releasing in February and March,” said Nozemack.
“We think retailers and readers alike will be excited with these affordable entry points into some of our best-selling flagship titles, and we will be adding even more titles to Square One over the course of 2017.”
