Frequently Asked Questions
What is Comic Distro?
Comic Distro is an online platform that helps publishers sell their comic books directly to retailers. Comic Distro reimagines comic book distribution..
Do I need a Comic Distro account to create book?
Yes, all books created on Comic Distro require an account. To create a Comic Distro account, go to our Registration Page.
Will Comic Distro layout or edit my content??
No, all content (Interior and Cover files) are created by you. Comic Distro uses an automated system to verify that the file meets our printing requirements, but we will not edit the content. We recommend using our PDF Preparation page help to create your files.
Is Comic Distro the Publisher?
Comic Distro is not a publisher, but instead provides users with a platform to publish their own content; Comic Distro is the distributor. Because Comic Distro is not a publisher, we do not review work published through our site. We expect all content to be consistent with our Terms & Conditions and reserve the right to remove content we deem to be illegal or inappropriate.
You, as the creator, are both the copyright holder and publisher of all work(s) created and distributed using the platform provided by Comic Distro. Therefore, you should list yourself as the copyright holder and publisher on both the copyright page in your work and when creating your project.
You are responsible for creating a copyright page and record yourself as the copyright holder (Copyright © Year by YOUR NAME) and publisher of their work (Published by PUBLISHER NAME).
If you choose to, you are responsible for assigning your own ISBN, ISSN, UPC, or any other product number for your publication. Comic Distro does not register ISBNs (and the like) with the United States of America Library of Congress or any other country-specific copyright office.
What is Print-on-Demand?
Print-on-demand (POD) is a method of producing books at the time of purchase using a digital file.
Production costs are kept low with digital printing and you'll always be assured of having exactly as many books as you need, when you need them.
How does the printing cost work?
Comic Distro calculates the cost of printing a book based on the information(the type of book format, number of pages, ect.) the creator enters when they upload or edit their book on the platform. The printing costs are set by ArtistExpress.
Who pays for printing and shipping?
The books are produced based on print-on-demand therefore, the buyer is paying for the book printing and shipping; by the volume of their order.
What is Wholesaling?
Wholesaling is the act of selling your products in bulk to another retailer, usually at discounted price, who then sells the product to their customers.
As a wholesaler, you can sell to both consumers and other retailers. You don't have to choose one or the other.
How Does Copyright Work on Comic Distro?
You, as the creator, are both the copyright holder and publisher of all works created using Comic Distro. When creating your work's copyright page, you should list yourself as the copyright holder and publisher.
As a member of the Comic Distro, you may only publish or post content that you own or have permission to publish. We take allegations of copyright and privacy violations seriously. To that end, if you believe material offered for sale on our site violates your copyright or right to privacy, you are encouraged to notify Comic Distro via the "Report" button displayed with each work offered for sale in the Comic Distro platform. If a user infringes copyrights, intellectual property, or privacy rights, Comic Distro may, in its discretion, terminate use or deny access to its website. If terminated for those reasons, Comic Distro has no obligation to provide a refund of any amounts previously paid to Comic Distro or owed to the user.
How much does it cost for comic creators to use Comic Distro?
Creating a book is completely free with Comic Distro.
When a customer purchases your book, Comic Distro takes a of commission of 7.5%.
Can I use Comic Distro in conjunction with another publishing or distribution company?
Comic Distro does not restrict the publishing or distribution of your work in anyway. We recommend that you fully understand the terms and conditions of all businesses with which you engage in.
Contact Us for any additional questions or inquires.
How can I ask a question?
You can contact us directly. If you have a Comic Distro account, you can also ask question on our community forum.
What are the book printing options?
- Comic Book: Saddle stitch binding. The maximum page count is 56. The size dimension is 10.25" H x 6.625" W. The interior paper quality is 50# (for black and white) or 80# (for color). The cover paper quality is 80#.
- Graphic Novel: Perfect bound binding. The mimimum page count is 60. The size dimension is 10.25" H x 6.625" W. The interior paper quality is 50# (for black and white) or 80# (for color). The cover paper quality is 80#.
- Manga Book: Perfect bound binding. The mimimum page count is 60. The size dimension is 7.75" H x 5.5" W. The interior paper quality is 50# (for black and white). The cover paper quality is 80#.
What is the difference between binding types?
- Perfect Bound: The industry term for traditional paperback binding, Perfect Bound is the most cost-efficient and popular way to bind on-demand products. Suitable for most projects.
- Saddle Stitch: Interior pages are folded and inserted between the cover, then stapled along the "spine" edge. Saddle Stitch binding is recommended for interiors with 48 or fewer pages. This is the ideal format for traditional comic books.
If I choose Black & White interior printing, can I still have a Full Color cover?
With Comic Distro, your cover is always printed in Full Color, no matter the interior printing options.
Is it possible to print the inside covers of a book?
It is highly recommended to have content in the inside covers of your comic book otherwise, our ArtistExpress will print these areas black. Comic Distro does not require content in the inside covers of manga, or graphic novels.
How should I prepare my book file (pages and cover) for Comic Distro?
You can use our PDF Preparation page to prepare your PDF.
Can I have a template for all part of a book?
Use our prepared templates from the PDF Preparation page to help ensure your files are print ready.
What forms of payment does Comic Distro accept?
Comic Distro accepts major credit and debit cards as well as PayPal and country-specific payment methods based on the shipping address. Comic Distro does not accept personal checks, money orders, cash or wire transfers.
Is it safe to enter my credit card information on Comic Distro?
Comic Distro's website is a secure site. The data you enter into your browser when making a purchase is encrypted and secure. Comic Distro does not store credit card information.
Why didn't my book print?
Books that do not meet Comic Distro's Terms & Conditions can be rejected.
Can Comic Distro tell me what's wrong with my book or help me fix it?
In most circumstances, Comic Distro cannot provide specific information on what's wrong with any aspect of your book or PDF files. Review the PDF Preparation page before uploading your files to Comic Distro. You can Contact Us and we will try to help you.
Please Note: Comic Distro accepts no responsibility for the quality of the content (including misspelled words, grammatical errors, etc.), formatting, design or overall book appearance and will not provide refunds for those reasons.
Contact Us for any additional questions or inquires.
How are creators paid?
Creators receive the money they are owed via PayPal.
Where do creators see how much they made?
The money the creator is owed will be visible in their account under the "Earnings" section that appears on their account information on Comic Distro.
When does a creator get paid?
A creator will be paid after they make a request for payment through Comic Distro. All of their book orders from all sales transactions must be completed (The status of Transaction IDs for all of their orders must be deemed 'Delivered') before they will receive their earnings from Comic Distro.
What is the Minimum Withdrawal Amount?
The Minimum Withdrawal Amount is $20.
What if a creator doesn't reach their Minimum Withdrawal Amount?
If Comic Distro owes the creator less than $20 for book sales, Comic Distro reserve the right and discretion to hold a creator's earnings until $20 is reached.
What currency are creators paid?
All minimum earnings in non-USD shall be calculated in USD using current exchange rates for the purpose of the minimum thresholds for transmission of payments to a creator by Comic Distro.
Contact Us for any additional questions or inquires.
Do I need a Comic Distro account to place an order?
Yes. Creating a Comic Distro account is completely free and provides the opportunity to view your Purchase history, contact comic creators, track your favorite books, save your personal information for faster checkout, ect.
What are the retailer discounts?
Publishers set the retailer discounts for their books. The mimimum discount publishers set is 50% off the cover price.
Are there any other discounts?
Occasionally, Comic Distro offers store-wide coupon discounts on top of retailer discounts set by publishers.
Do we have to pay upfront?
Yes, comic orders don't get fulfilled until payment has been made first.
Are comics returnable?
Comic Distro does not accept returns.
What is the production time for an order?
We expect up to 2-4 weeks (business days, excluding Holidays) in production before shipment. Higher quantity orders may take longer to print and bind. During high demand seasons (such as Holidays), print times may extend beyond our average estimated print times.
What are the shipping terms?
United States Postal Service is the primary shipping carrier through ArtistExpress. Book orders are charged for the calculated shipping amount, plus a $1 handling fee to cover the costs of securely packaging your order.
ArtistExpress handles shipping. Incorrect delivery addresses, customs delays, natural disasters, and delivery restrictions may delay your order and Comic Distro takes no responsibility for delivery delays outside of our control and will take no action on these orders during that time.
What happens if my order arrives damaged?
Comic Distro, ArtistExpress, and United States Postal Service will investigate the situation in a timely fashion. After we discover that the damage is caused by United States Postal Service, Comic Distro will see to that the order(s) are replaced.
How is international shipping handled?
United States Postal Service's international service is Comic Distro's primary shipping carrier for international orders.
Can I cancel or make changes to my order?
Once an order has been placed we CANNOT cancel it. Also, once a print book order has been placed, we cannot make any changes to the source files or shipping method for the order. We may be able to change the shipping address, but cannot guarantee as it depends on the stage of the order. To request a change of shipping address, please Contact Us.
How do I check the status of an order
You can check the status of any order by signing in to your Comic Distro account, checking your account and view your Purchase History. From here you can view transaction numbers, the date an order was placed, order status, and total amount of each purchase. Each order status is explained below:
- Pending: We haven't recieved your order yet.
- Processing: We received your order and it is being reviewed.
- Fulfilling: Your order has been queued for printing. Once the printing process is initiated, orders can no longer be cancelled or modified.
- Shipped: All items have been shipped; if your order was for an Ebook, it is ready for download immediately.
- Refunded: All or part of your order has been refunded through your original payment method.
- Cancelled: Your order has been cancelled. Please note there is only a brief window of opportunity to cancel an order once it has been submitted.
Where is my order?
If your order has taken longer than our estimated shipping and printing times to arrive, please Contact Us.
Contact Us for any additional questions or inquires.
How can I ask a question?
You can contact us directly. If you have a Comic Distro account, you can also ask question on our community forum.
What forms of payment does Comic Distro accept?
Comic Distro accepts major credit and debit cards as well as PayPal and country-specific payment methods based on the shipping address. Comic Distro does not accept personal checks, money orders, cash or wire transfers.
Is it safe to enter my credit card information on Comic Distro?
Comic Distro's website is a secure site. The data you enter into your browser when making a purchase is encrypted and secure. Comic Distro does not store credit card information.
What is the production time for an order?
We expect up to 2-4 weeks (business days, excluding Holidays) in production before shipment. Higher quantity orders may take longer to print and bind. During high demand seasons (such as Holidays), print times may extend beyond our average estimated print times.
Where will my book be printed and shipped from?
We work with ArtistExpress located in 2090 E University Dr Suite 108, Tempe, AZ 85281.
What are the shipping terms?
United States Postal Service is the primary shipping carrier through ArtistExpress. Book orders are charged for the calculated shipping amount, plus a $1 handling fee to cover the costs of securely packaging your order.
ArtistExpress handles shipping. Incorrect delivery addresses, customs delays, natural disasters, and delivery restrictions may delay your order and Comic Distro takes no responsibility for delivery delays outside of our control and will take no action on these orders during that time.
Are there any countries exempt from delivery?
Because United States Postal Service is the primary shipping carrier through ArtistExpress, they do not ship to the countries they do not service.
Where can I view the status of my order?
You can find this information in your account's Order History.
How do I know if my books have shipped?
You can find this information in your account's Order History.
How can I track my shipment?
You can find this information in your account's Order History.
What if I have a problem with my order?
If you noticed anything off about your order, please visit our Contact Us page.
Contact Us for any additional questions or inquires.
How much commission will I make?
You'll make 5% commission on comics bought within 30 days of clicking on your link to Comic Distro.
If I'm an affiliate, do I have to disclose that on my website, newsletter or social media posts?
Yes. Whenever a link is used on your website that results in a commission, you must disclose this information to site visitors, according to FTC rules. We suggest adding something like: "Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Comic Distro and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase." to your website or post.
If I'm an affiliate, how are the sales of my comics handled?
Affiliates do not have to handle inventory, fulfillment, shipping, or customer service. All comics sales are fulfilled by Comic Distro.
How do you track my sales?
When someone first clicks on your link to Comic Distro, a cookie is placed in their browser. This cookie tracks sales for 30 days.
How do I get paid for the comics that sell, how much will you pay me, and when will you pay it?
Affiliates can login and withdraw their revenue provided they have a balance of $20 or more. All of their book orders from all sales transactions must be completed before they will receive their earnings from Comic Distro.
What kind of reporting will I receive and how frequently?
Affiliates will be able to get reporting and see their sales activity at any time on their dashboard on the Comic Distro website.
Can Comic Distro publishers and retailers participate?
Yes, these users don't have to signup or modify their Comic Distro account settings.
Contact Us for any additional questions or inquires.
