What Can Publishers Learn from Digital Comic Books?
With the rise of tablets and smartphones, the transition to digital was a natural progression for the company. "Although the financial realities for comics have changed dramatically since the 1990s," says Davis, "apps, on-demand, and other media have made up for the loss of the old model."
Bluewater's digital products are designed and produced by Texas-based service provider Cosmic Ray Gun. The company has developed its own software to create fixed layout EPUB files for a variety of ebook distributors, apps, and devices. These include general ebook venues like Amazon Kindle and Apple iBook, as well as library resellers and of course comic-specific services Comicsfix and comiXology.
John Parsons (john@intuideas.com), former Editorial Director of The Seybold Report, is an independent writer, ghostwriter, and editor. He is the co-author of the interactive printed textbook, Introduction to Graphic Communication, on the art, science and business of print, which has been adopted by Ryerson, Arizona State, the University of Houston, and many other schools and vocational training centers. Custom editions of the book are under consideration by major printing companies and franchises for internal training purposes.