Publishers Weekly - November 24, 2014

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a lot of work, but we got such great support from artists, fans, friends, and families that we kept climbing, and the momentum got us over our goal,” Turner said.

Previously, Last Gasp had survived on
the strength of a hybrid business
model that mixed publishing and
distribution. As the years pro-
gressed, comics became a smaller
and smaller part of the busi-
ness, and it shifted to focus on
publishing books. Turner said
Last Gasp now releases between 10
and 20 books a year. The company also
handles exclusive distribution for a num-
ber of overseas publishers, as well as some
single-title publishers. It also offers
wholesale distribution, buying from ma-
jor publishers such as Hachette, Random
House, and Simon & Schuster and resell-
ing to bookstores and other retailers. The
mix of publishing and distribution al-
lows Last Gasp to be flexible. “Some-
times our publishing is strong and car-
ries us when our distribution isn’t, and
vice versa,” Turner said. “The mix helps
us be nimble and adjust.”
Last Gasp has turned to Kickstarter to
support a range of projects, including
one-off titles and entire lists. Turner said
he believes crowdfunding will become a
fixture in the independent publishing
scene. “Right now it’s in the back of my
mind, as I’m mulling over different ideas
for the future. Whether it will be a larg-
er Kickstarter for specific titles or re-
printing backlists, I don’t know, but I’m
sure that we will do some sort of crowd-
funding in the future—there’s no doubt
about it.”
Turner also said he would love to col-
laborate with an indie bookstore on a
Kickstarter campaign, noting that it
would be the “missing link” bringing
together indie publishing and indepen-
dent bookselling. “If there’s a way to fig-
ure out how to bring bookstores into [our
Kickstarter campaigns], so that it helps
everyone, that would be the ultimate win
for us.” —Anisse Gross

Last Gasp: Crowdfunding the Counter Culture Indie Publishing Last Gasp Books, a San Francisco-based pub- lisher and distributor of comics and art books, recently found itself in a precarious ;- nancial situation. But instead of taking its last gasp, it followed in the footsteps of other indie publishers and launched a Kickstarter campaign, raising more than $83,000.

Even though Last Gasp has, over the last four decades, published work by acclaimed artists such as R. Crumb, Todd Schorr, Robert Williams, and Junko Mizuno, it suffered in the sluggish economy of recent years. Colin Turner, associate publisher and son of Last Gasp founder Ron Turner, explained that the cash crunch was due, in part, to the fact that many bookstores were taking a cautious approach to buying. “A lot of our books have high retail prices, so it’s hard for them to stock. That conservative stance [on the part of bookstores] put us in a difficult position.” This, in turn, forced Last Gasp to think of alternative ways to print the high-quality books for which it is known.

Turner said the company was already considering a Kickstarter campaign when the success of fellow comics publisher Fantagraphics Books inspired it to take the leap: “When we saw that Fantagraphics’ Kickstarter was so successful, that really gave us a boost of confidence.” Fantagraphics raised $222,327 in December 2013 via the crowdfunding site, which was enough to fund the publication of its entire spring 2014 list.

Last Gasp’s Kickstarter had a more modest goal of $75,000, but it managed to exceed that amount by more than $8,000. The campaign offered high-value rewards, such as books, original artwork, and invitations to a private party at Last Gasp’s warehouse. “Kickstarters are stressful and