FAQs

 

What is Spare Parts Press?

Spare Parts Press works with independent comic book artists to distribute their work. It is focused on digital distribution, via ebook stores. However, occasionally we publish printed material also.

Spare Parts Press is part producer, promoter, and distributor of quality comics from around the world.

I’m own a bookstore / I am a book distributer / I am a library, do you offer a wholesale rate?

Yes we do offer wholesale rates for purchases greater than 5 books. Contact us to work out the details.

Why digital comics?

People are increasingly looking online to read comics, however social media platforms are not tailored for publishing comics. Each day these platforms become increasingly detrimental to artists and their work. They aren’t set up to reward artists financially and support them in their comic making.

By offering digital comics it offers the reader to not only connect with the artist but also support them for their work.

I have been interested in self-publishing digital comics since 2015. There is so much potential in the comics in ebook format, and I wanted to do something about it. I started Spare Parts Press (SPP) to seek out artists who make idiosyncratic and personal autobiographical work and publish it as digital ebooks. Their ebooks can be purchased through most of the major online retailers, such as, Apple Books, Indigo and by libraries in Overdrive.

How is Spare Parts Press different?

I will be publishing exclusively digitally, my only costs are my computer, a dedicated website, and my time. No need to raise money to print, ship, and store inventory.

The reader saves on postage and can read the work instantly.

Are you really publishing people's work?

I’m not actually… but in other ways, I am. SPP aims to help artists produce ebooks they can sell and distribute in the world. In this way, I am not a publisher but a producer, promoter, and distributor of an artist's work. I’ll use publisher in the FAQ for lack of a better term.

As the publisher, what is your contribution?

  • Bring together like-minded artists that work in a similar niche

  • Give advice on what might be suitable for publication (starting with existing work)

  • Give production and editorial advice, if needed

  • Produce an ebook file from the artist work

  • Advise and or help how you can ensure the bibliographic details of the book is accurate

  • Distribute the work to major online booksellers, this website, and libraries

  • Promote the work on the Spare Parts Press website, social media, and other online outlets

What are the book distributor fees and costs?

As I will be selling these books through a variety of online booksellers. Each bookstore and distributor have its own fee per book (between 20-40%). Most of the remaining profit will go to the artist, with a 20% commission going to SPP to cover overheads and production costs.

Why use a distributor if it decreases the amount made from a sale?

While books will be available for sale through the SPP website, it may be hard to drive traffic to the site organically. Listing the title for sale in other online marketplaces, e.g., Apple Books, increases the chance of people who read ebooks finding the title.

Public libraries can purchase the titles through the overdrive marketplace. If you wish your local public library to stock a SPP title, you can recommend it through the Overdrive website where your library hosts its ebook collection.

How will you determine the cover price of comics?

The cost of the comics will be based on the number of pages in the book. I believe this will provide a consistent and fair price for the reader, and allow them to spend their money, trusting that their purchase will result in value for money.

Why not offer them for free?

I have also wrestled with the idea of free vs charging. I love free. Free means it's more accessible, and potentially more people can read it. I'm all for offering a large amount of content for free. While we didn't get into comics to become rich, we do need to value ourselves as artists. Our equipment costs alone justify charging a cover price. Therefore SPP aims to charge a small but resable price to purchase a digital copy of the book you can read on your computer or tablet.

You can buy the comic to support your favorite artist, they don't need tip jars, Patreon accounts, NFTs or monetized Youtube videos, just simply buy a comic from them.

It may be beneficial to offer some issues for free, for example, the first issues or sample issues to entice readers into the series. For the most part, SPP is in the business of helping artist sell their work and receive compensation for that work.

Do you publish work other than autobiographical work?

Currently, I do not plan to publish work other than autobiographical comics. This is the genre that I love and care deeply about. There are many amazing artists with amazing stories that tell them in amazing ways that deserve to have a wider audience. My hope is that while the title might be niche in some respects, that they can still find a supportive audience.

Sounds good, how do I even read ebooks

The books are sold as .epub files. You can use an app on your computer to read the epub file.

For Mac and IOS I recommend the native Apple Books app

For Windows and Android devices there are a number of ereaders out there. There are even Chrome extensions that allow you to read ebooks in your browser.

How do I get in touch?

Do you have a comic project in mind that you think would suit SPP? You can use the contact form.