We connect independent comic creators with wide distribution via public library apps

Greetings, True Believers!

I'm Eric Gladstone, comics author and Founder and Managing Director of Aggregate Ink. I worked on TV shows such as DC's Titans and for luminaries like Stan "The Man" Lee for over a decade. I've created several comics and struggled for years to get distribution.

Here's the thing, comics piracy is at an all-time high, and while one large pirate site was recently taken down, my creator-owned comic, No Holds Bard, was accessed over 30,000 times via illegal means, far outpacing sales. If a fraction of these reads had gone through libraries, I could have broken even on the project. However, I don't believe this is a moral problem, it's an accessibility one. Giving creators the means to support themselves is more important than ever, and with rising production costs, public libraries and digital apps are the perfect avenues to expand arts access.

That's why I started Aggregate Ink. We help independent comic book creators and small-press publishers reach wide distribution through existing public library digital infrastructure. With Aggregate Ink, comics creators can get their stories hosted on publicly funded lending Library apps, like Hoopla Digital and Palace Marketplace, and earn royalties while building a fanbase. Hoopla currently hosts nearly 100 of Aggregate Ink's titles, and we're looking to expand to Libby and Comics Plus. We carry a wide range of titles, from all-ages and kid-friendly books, middle grade to mature, superheroes to horror, and slice-of-life to zines! You can see and borrow from our live catalog here, and we're adding new titles every week!

We recently issued our first statements, and have already paid out hundreds of dollars on thousands of reads. One creator made more in two months on Hoopla than they did all of last year on another digital platform. And we're just getting started.

Our goals are threefold:

1) Increase literacy by providing meaningful content for library patrons of all ages and demographics.

2) Lower the barrier for entry for independent creators to access these wonderful platforms.

3) Provide passive income streams for independent comic creators, who by and large do not support themselves on their art alone.

Aggregate Ink empowers independent artists to tell their own stories and helps them use the power of libraries to get that done. Our mission is creator-friendly (i.e., we take no IP ownership, are non-exclusive, and a large portion of all proceeds go directly to artists).

One of the books we host, Stacked Deck Press's Come Out and Play: The Queer Sports Project, was just nominated for two Eisner Awards, among the most prestigious in comics (Best Anthology and Best Story). Making this important work available to library patrons for free is a win-win-win.

Now, we've partnered with the CREATIVE VISIONS FOUNDATION to help us continue to help independent artists as we expand and scale up. This work isn't easy, and our staff has graciously donated their time and expertise to make this project come to life, but it's crucial to do right by everyone involved. We're asking for $75,000, which will allow Aggregate Ink to fairly pay our web developer, who basically built the entire ingestion and export portal from the ground up, hire an accountant to make sure our creators are paid promptly and our taxes are done correctly, and cover some of our travel expenses, as we physically attend conventions to find our talent where they are. We're not expecting to get a ton of gross receipts this first year, so it's crucial that we make up some of that shortfall. I still have a day job (as an Emergency Medical Technician, it's pretty interesting but a story for another time).

Even a small, tax-deductible donation will go a long way to help us meet our goal.

Checks should be made out to “Creative Visions Foundation” with "Aggregate Ink" in the memo section and mail to:

Creative Visions
℅ Grace Breuer
1047 Ford Drive
Nipomo, CA 93444

To make a donation by wire transfer, please email: Contact@AggregateInk.com for more information.

Thank you, and Excelsior!
Eric Gladstone
Managing Director | AggregateInk.com

PS: One of the things that really got me choked up was this wonderful illustration, made unprompted by Dashawn Mahone, to promote his book The Brothers Boom, which is now accessible to everyone through our service. This really captures the spirit of what we're going for. This was how I knew we were doing the right thing.