So what the heck do I know? (shrugging)

Frequent readers of this blog will know that every now and then I get up on my little soapbox and scold Marvel for not doing enough to market and publicize their trade paperbacks and hardcovers to the non-comics market: the general trade bookstore where you'll find the next generation of readers buying manga, magazines, Harry Potter and most everything else except superhero comics.

Well, as this article from yesterday's Publishers Weekly shows, maybe I don't know what the bull I'm talking about:

Boffo Quarter for Marvel Publishing

Marvel’s investment in the book business paid off in the second quarter as the company cited higher sales of trade paperbacks and hardcovers into both the direct market and to bookstores as the main reason behind a 21% increase in revenue in the period. Sales in the quarter reached $25.1 million and profits improved 32%, to $10.4 million. In addition to books, comic books tied to Marvel’s Civil War series did well in the quarter.

For the first half of 2006, sales increased 13%, to $48.9 million, and profits rose 15%, to $19.3 million. Marvel said it expects “modest” top-line and bottom-line growth for the publishing segment for the full year.

Congrats, Marvel. Keep it up. But in this little stuffed bull's little button eyes, you still have a lot of work to do to increase readership numbers as well as sales in the trade bookstores.