Saturday, December 19, 2009

BN.com Top 1000 titles Graphic Novels and Comics 12.19.2009

BN.com Top 1000 titles Graphic Novels and Comics Saturday 19 December 2009


Diary of a Wimpy Kid Four Book Set by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover - 4 Hardcover books
ISBN-13: 9781615579181
Sales Rank: 29
Pub. Date: December 2009
List price: $52.80
Online price: $34.32
Member price: $30.88


Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #4) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810983915
Sales Rank: 31
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $13.95
Online price: $8.37
Member price: $7.53


Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #1) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810993136
Sales Rank: 127
Pub. Date: April 2007
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


Marvel Encyclopedia 2009 by DK Publishing
Hardcover - Revised
ISBN-13: 9780756655303
Sales Rank: 153
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $40.00
Online price: $26.00
Member price: $23.40


Rodrick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #2) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810994737
Sales Rank: 169
Pub. Date: February 2008
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb by R. Crumb
Hardcover - Not appropriate for children
ISBN-13: 9780393061024
Sales Rank: 231
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $24.95
Online price: $16.21
Member price: $14.58


The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #3) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810970687
Sales Rank: 250
Pub. Date: January 2009
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


Celebrating Peanuts : 60 Years by Charles Schulz
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780740785481
Sales Rank: 253
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $75.00
Online price: $45.00
Member price: $40.50


The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Hardcover - 3-volume set
ISBN-13: 9780740748479
Sales Rank: 402
Pub. Date: October 2005
List price: $150.00
Online price: $97.50
Member price: $87.75


Kiss Kompendium by Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley
Hardcover - Not appropriate for children
ISBN-13: 9780061728198
Sales Rank: 410
Pub. Date: December 2009
List price: $75.00
Online price: $48.75
Member price: $43.87


Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid (Tales from the Crypt Series #8) by David Gerrold, Stefan Petrucha, Rob Vollmar, Jim Salicrup, John L. Lansdale
Paperback
ISBN-13: 9781597071635
Sales Rank: 617
Pub. Date: November 2009
Online price: $7.95
Member price: $7.15


Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780316114882
Sales Rank: 788
Pub. Date: September 2005
Also Available in eBook
List price: $14.99
Online price: $11.99
Member price: $10.79


Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons (Calvin and Hobbes Series) by Bill Watterson
Paperback
ISBN-13: 9780836218831
Sales Rank: 893
Pub. Date: January 1992
List price: $12.99
Online price: $10.39
Member price: $9.35


Logicomix : An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos H. Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos (Illustrator) , Annie Di Donna (Illustrator)
Paperback
ISBN-13: 9781596914520
Sales Rank: 898
Pub. Date: September 2009
List price: $22.95
Online price: $14.91
Member price: $13.41



The Fine Print:
While I am an employee of Barnes & Noble, Inc., the data presented below is general information from the public website. I have not researched any proprietary sales data, nor do I speak in any official capacity for Barnes & Noble. You can do the same thing I am doing, using the bookmarks listed below. (The easiest way: enter “graphic novels” in the search bar at BN.com. On the left side, you will see a frame titled "Browse Graphic Novels". Click on “bestsellers”. The website sorting differs from the sales ranking (probably due to differing algorithms), so scroll through the listing of ten titles. Unlike other searching, where a user can show 100 titles at a time, this screen can only showcase ten. Click on “next” to continue your research.)

I have no knowledge on how sales rankings are calculated. I hypothesize that since the site refreshes periodically throughout the day, that a rolling calculation of sales is performed, where recent sales are weighted more heavily than older sales. Also, sales are in relation to other titles, not a set number of copies sold. The sales rank is sequential. Just as two football teams can be undefeated in a football poll and one may be rated higher than the other, so too are the titles here listed sequentially in relation to everything else. Of course, analysis can only be compared to the titles NOW. Retail sales were difficult last year, and with the media dubbing “Black Friday” as “Grey Friday” this year because of reduced consumer spending, this year will be just as challenging.

I will survey the BN.com website weekly (and daily if possible) and at approximately the same time. Here are the bookmarks I use to survey results:

http://browse.barnesandnoble.com/browse/nav.asp?env=web&endecaid=&visgrp=fiction&bncatid=1133349&cds2Pid=16864&linkid=1511365


http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?SZE=100&SRT=S&WRD=comic%20book

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?SZE=100&SRT=S&WRD=comic%20strip

http://browse.barnesandnoble.com/browse/nav.asp?bncatid=1133350&visgrp=fiction&isendeca=y&Ns=SALESRANK_SORT&sid=65213F09810C&act=M9

Friday, December 18, 2009

Fly Me!

For those who wonder...
18th and Fifth to Newark Airport train station: one hour.
Airport through security: one hour.


Continental charges $20 to check luggage. I could have lugged my 35 pound backpack through security and then checked it at the gate. However, my toiletries are hostile, so I paid the money. I doubt they refund the money if it is lost or delayed.

HOWEVER... Continental does not charge a fee if I check it at the gate. So... Continental is encouraging fliers to carry on oversized luggage, which causes overcrowding in the overhead bins. (Most people do not store bags under the seat... no legroom, and if the bag is that small, there's got to be space overhead, right?)

I can tell by eyeballing walkies, that they would not pass the cram test. (Those metal your-bag-must-be-smaller-than-these-measurements cages.)

What would I suggest? Every carry on must be lasered for dimensions, and given a tag certifying said scanning. If too large or too heavy, the bag must be checked. Passengers can sidestep check-in by paying a $100 fee to carry the luggage on board. Checked baggage is free, unless the luggage is overweight or of strange dimensions (skis, bicycles, steamer trunks).


Hmm... still waiting to board a Nine O'Clock flight...and it's 8:40. Google search says the plane landed hours ago... so why the wait? It is a direct flight, so no worries about connecting flights.

Gonna finish this for now...

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Tweet, Tweet, Tweetledee

I realize I could just set up a Twitter feeder, however:

1) I earn microcents everytime someone visits, and those add up. (A microcent bears the image of Herbert Hoover on the obverse, with a picture of Hoover Dam on the reverse. The trickle of water released compared to the amount in Lake Mead is symbolic of the value of microcents.)

2) While I could have millions of mindless minions and a bevy of busty beauties at my beck and call, that sort of thing usually Ends Badly. Although, I would be cool enough to offer everyone Jell-O shots instead of Kool-Aid.

3) Unlike Facebook and MySpace (Hola, Ceci), no sensuous woman has "encouraged" me to set up a Twitter account.

4) Twitter does not handle pictures. Also, I like to know what the link is I'm clicking. As seen with the recent GOP URL truncator, a bit.ly link can lead to a site showing chimpanzees fornicating in a vat of banana pudding. Or Sarah Palin talking about Alaska seceding from the U.S.

5) I don't need an account. I can voyeur other people's feeds when necessary.

6) I suspect Twitter does not archive remarks, or that Google searching uncovers them.

7) If I joined Twitter, the Cool Kids would mock me, causing me to wear a black trenchcoat and listen to Marilyn Manson records.

8) 140 characters... Do those 140 include foreign characters like umlauts, cedillas, and Unicode? Or does Twitter only speak Amurikin?

9) Bold, italics, color, font, size, underline, embedded links?

10) Isn't your attention worth more than 140 characters?

And so it goes...

Either Or...

An optimist says,"The glass is half full".

A pessimist says, "The glass is half empty".

Myself, I'm a pragmatist. I say the glass is too big.

Thought For The Day

Is it:

Many hands make light work.

Or:

Many cooks spoil the broth.
?

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

BN.com Top 1000 Graphic Novels and Comics 16 December 2009

Dog Days (Diary
of a Wimpy Kid Series #4) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810983915
Sales Rank: 16
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $13.95
Online price: $8.37
Member price: $7.53


Diary of a Wimpy
Kid Four Book Set by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
- 4 Hardcover books
ISBN-13: 9781615579181
Sales Rank: 27
Pub. Date: December 2009
List price: $52.80
Online price: $34.32
Member price: $30.88

The Book of
Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb by R. Crumb
Hardcover
- Not appropriate for children
ISBN-13: 9780393061024
Sales Rank: 70
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $24.95
Online price: $16.21
Member price: $14.58

Marvel
Encyclopedia 2009 by DK Publishing
Hardcover
- Revised
ISBN-13: 9780756655303
Sales Rank: 93
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $40.00
Online price: $26.00
Member price: $23.40


Diary of a Wimpy
Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #1) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810993136
Sales Rank: 96
Pub. Date: April 2007
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


Rodrick Rules
(Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #2) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810994737
Sales Rank: 102
Pub. Date: February 2008
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


The Last Straw
(Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #3) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810970687
Sales Rank: 114
Pub. Date: January 2009
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32

Celebrating
Peanuts : 60 Years by Charles Schulz
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780740785481
Sales Rank: 443
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $75.00
Online price: $45.00
Member price: $40.50


Diary of a
Stinky Dead Kid (Tales from the Crypt Series #8) by David Gerrold, Stefan Petrucha, Rob Vollmar, Jim Salicrup,John L. Lansdale
Paperback
ISBN-13: 9781597071635
Sales Rank: 519
Pub. Date: November 2009
Online price: $7.95
Member price: $7.15


DC Comics
Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded by Daniel Wallace, Phil Jimenez, Scott Beatty, Robert Greenburger
Hardcover
- Revised
ISBN-13: 9780756641191
Sales Rank: 795
Pub. Date: September 2008
List price: $45.00
Online price: $29.25
Member price: $26.32


Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780316114882
Sales Rank: 907
Pub. Date: September 2005
Also Available
in digital eBook
List price: $14.99
Online price: $11.99
Member price: $10.79


The Complete
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Hardcover
- 3-volume set
ISBN-13: 9780740748479
Sales Rank: 960
Pub. Date: October 2005
List price: $150.00
Online price: $97.50
Member price: $87.75

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

BN.com Top 1000 Graphic Novels and Comics 15 December 2009

Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Series #4) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810983915
Sales Rank: 32
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $13.95
Online price: $8.37
Member price: $7.53


Diary of a Wimpy Kid Four Book
Set by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover - 4 Hardcover books
ISBN-13: 9781615579181
Sales Rank: 52
Pub. Date: December 2009
List price: $52.80
Online price: $34.32
Member price: $30.88


Marvel Encyclopedia 2009 by DK Publishing
Hardcover - Revised
ISBN-13: 9780756655303
Sales Rank: 59
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $40.00
Online price: $26.00
Member price: $23.40


The Book of Genesis Illustrated
by R. Crumb by R. Crumb
(Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780393061024
Sales Rank: 89
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $24.95
Online price: $16.21(save 35%)
Member price: $14.58


Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a
Wimpy Kid Series #1) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810993136
Sales Rank: 121
Pub. Date: April 2007
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


Rodrick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy
Kid Series #2) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810994737
Sales Rank: 149
Pub. Date: February 2008
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy
Kid Series #3) by Jeff Kinney
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780810970687
Sales Rank: 182
Pub. Date: January 2009
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32
(Save 28%)
Limited Time Offer!Everyone
receives the Member Price on books.



Celebrating Peanuts : 60 Years by Charles Schulz
Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9780740785481
Sales Rank: 328
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $75.00
Online price: $45.00
Member price: $40.50


Logicomix : An Epic Search for
Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos H. Papadimitriou,Alecos Papadatos (Illustrator) , Annie Di Donna(Illustrator)
Paperback
ISBN-13: 9781596914520
Sales Rank: 470
Pub. Date: September 2009
List price: $22.95
Online price: $14.91
Member price: $13.41


The Zombie Survival Guide:
Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks
(Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9780307405777
Sales Rank: 798
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $17.00
Online price: $11.05(save 35%)
Member price: $9.94


Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid
(Tales from the Crypt Series #8) by David Gerrold, Stefan Petrucha, Rob Vollmar, Jim Salicrup,John L. Lansdale
ISBN-13: 9781597071635
Sales Rank: 927
Online price: $7.95
Member price: $7.15


Pride and Prejudice (Marvel Illustrated
Edition) by Nancy Butler
(Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780785139157
Sales Rank: 978
Pub. Date: November 2009
List price: $19.99
Online price: $12.99(save 35%)
Member price: $11.69

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Free Comics! From Neil Gaiman

Okay... here's a few to get your juices flowing.

Let's start with the Patron Saint of Graphic Novels. (Yes, I know he's Jewish. Yes, I know Will Eisner has a claim to that title as well. Yes, I know he was Jewish as well. Okay okay... Mr. Gaiman is one of the 36 unselfish people who keep comics going. Happy?)


Coraline (Graphic Novel) by Neil Gaiman: Book CoverSee Inside!

Coraline (Graphic Novel) by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell (Illustrator), Lovern Kindzierski (Illustrator)
$18.99
List price
(Hardcover - Graphic Novel Edition)
(Hmmm.... the view pops up, but nothing is visible past the front cover! Even the page slider, at the bottom, which shows thumbnails, shows blank pages. Perhaps HarperCollins has removed the images? Most everything else from Gaiman's HarperCollins catalog is available for preview.
HarperCollins has a functional preview here. 38 pages!)


Cover ImageSee Inside!

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess (Illustrator)
List price:
$17.99
(Thirteen pages available to all, fifteen with account)


List price: $18.99
(Thirteen pages available to all, sixteen with account)


List price: $17.99
(Ten pages for everyone, twelve with account)


Cover ImageSee Inside!

Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman, Dave Mckean (Illustrator) , Dave McKean (Illustrator)
Online price:
$6.99
(Only the cover! Hardcover is the same. HarperCollins has a preview here. Fourteen pages! Heh..."Browse inside the Wolves in the Wall...)


Cover ImageSee Inside!

Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman, Dave Mckean (Illustrator) , Dave McKean (Illustrator)
List price:
$17.99
(Cover only! HarperCollins has a preview available here. Sixteen pages!)


(Oh. It's a novelization of the comicbooks. Should have known better... DC doesn't post previews on BN.com.)

Free Comics! Introduction

Much discussion has occurred online over comics being converted into digital e-books.

Well, over on Amazon and BarnesAndNoble.com, publishers have been offering previews of regular books for the past five years or so. A few publishers have also begun to offer actual e-books which can be downloaded to e-readers, cellphones, and computers.

So... I will feature a few here, courtesy of BarnesAndNoble.com (I like their reader more than Amazon's, and since I have an account there, I can sometimes read the ENTIRE book when I log on.) Yes, I work for them, but I'm not doing this as an employee, just as a professional Seducer of the Innocent, letting other fans enjoy some comics they might not realize they might enjoy.

If you click through on the links below, I will not earn anything from BN.com. I'm not on their affiliate network, and they'd probably look sideways at me if I sold books for them 9 to 5, then sold books again online.

Yeah, I'm doing this out of shear love for the medium of comics and graphic novels. Of course, if you DO appreciate this service I provide, my BN wishlist is available here.

BN.Com Top 1000 Graphic Novels and Comics Bestsellers 12.13.2009

BN.com Top 1000 titles Graphic Novels and Comics
Sunday 13 December 2009


Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #4) by Jeff Kinney
ISBN-13: 9780810983915
Sales Rank:
22
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $13.95
Online price: $8.37
Member price: $7.53


Diary of a Wimpy Kid Four Book Set by Jeff Kinney
ISBN-13: 9781615579181
Sales Rank: 31
Pub. Date: December 2009
List price: $52.80
Online price: $34.32
Member price: $30.88


Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #1) by Jeff Kinney
ISBN-13: 9780810993136
Sales Rank: 78
Pub. Date: April 2007
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


ISBN-13: 9780810994737
Sales Rank: 113
Pub. Date: February 2008
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #3) by Jeff Kinney
ISBN-13: 9780810970687
Sales Rank: 124
Pub. Date: January 2009
List price: $12.95
Online price: $10.36
Member price: $9.32


The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb by R. Crumb
ISBN-13: 9780393061024
Sales Rank: 138
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $24.95
Online price: $16.21
Member price: $14.58


Celebrating Peanuts : 60 Years by Charles Schulz
ISBN-13: 9780740785481
Sales Rank: 321
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $75.00
Online price: $45.00
Member price: $40.50


Marvel Encyclopedia 2009 by DK Publishing
ISBN-13: 9780756655303
Sales Rank: 718
Pub. Date: October 2009
List price: $40.00
Online price: $26.00
Member price: $23.40


Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid (Tales from the Crypt Series #8) by David Gerrold, Stefan Petrucha, Rob Vollmar, Jim Salicrup, John L. Lansdale
ISBN-13: 9781597071635
Sales Rank: 841
Pub. Date: November 2009
Online price: $7.95
Member price: $7.15


The Fine Print:
While I am an employee of Barnes & Noble, Inc., the data presented below is general information from the public website. I have not researched any proprietary sales data, nor do I speak in any official capacity for Barnes & Noble. You can do the same thing I am doing, using the bookmarks listed below. (The easiest way: enter “graphic novels” in the search bar at BN.com. On the left side, you will see a frame titled "Browse Graphic Novels". Click on “bestsellers”. The website sorting differs from the sales ranking (probably due to differing algorithms), so scroll through the listing of ten titles. Unlike other searching, where a user can show 100 titles at a time, this screen can only showcase ten. Click on “next” to continue your research.)

I have no knowledge on how sales rankings are calculated. I hypothesize that since the site refreshes periodically throughout the day, that a rolling calculation of sales is performed, where recent sales are weighted more heavily than older sales. Also, sales are in relation to other titles, not a set number of copies sold. The sales rank is sequential. Just as two football teams can be undefeated in a football poll and one may be rated higher than the other, so too are the titles here listed sequentially in relation to everything else. Of course, analysis can only be compared to the titles NOW. Retail sales were difficult last year, and with the media dubbing “Black Friday” as “Grey Friday” this year because of reduced consumer spending, this year will be just as challenging.

I will survey the BN.com website weekly (and daily if possible) and at approximately the same time. Here are the bookmarks I use to survey results:

http://browse.barnesandnoble.com/browse/nav.asp?env=web&endecaid=&visgrp=fiction&bncatid=1133349&cds2Pid=16864&linkid=1511365