<\/p>\n
Finding myself feeling frustrated this month. <\/span>I think it kicked off when I had a disappointing phone call with the Frazettas.<\/p>\n I had been given Frank Frazetta\u2019s phone number by Frank Frazetta Jr. (which was pretty exciting and scary). <\/span>I was told to speak with Mrs. Frazetta. I called her and told her I’d been given her number by her son, and had he told her about my situation? No, he hadn’t. I suddenly felt so spellbound and confused, I didn’t know what to say, or where to start.<\/p>\n I began to ask about commissions, and she said he wasn’t doing commissions. I started to ask about letting me pay for publishing rights of one of her husband\u2019s previously drawn monster drawings. I began to describe my book, and all the names who had given me pin-ups so far. She asked what company I was with. I told her I was a self-publisher, and told her about my book with Sam Kieth for Oni. <\/span>She said she wasn’t interested, and that I had interrupted their dinner. <\/span>And that was my call with the Legendary Frank Frazetta! Oh how humiliating and embarassing. Good work, Chrissy!<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n I sent out a mailer, and was given lots of GREAT advice by a noted comics store owner, who really knows the business. <\/span>It\u2019s so overwhelming, because there\u2019s just so much to do, and I don\u2019t really want to do all this business work. <\/span>I just want to draw. <\/span>I just want to write.<\/p>\n So the advice was sobering and frustrating. <\/span>It made evident all these things I feel like I\u2019m doing wrong, or not doing. <\/span>Even though it was all good, important advice. <\/span>I feel like I want to just have someone be able to do it all for me, but whenever I try and go out to conventions, or send out emails to publishers, no one is interested in me as a commodity.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the advice he gave.<\/p>\n Come up with a concise catch-phrase to describe my book. Always list the book title, size, format, price, and item number. <\/span>Make advertising tools available to stores at my website, such as flyers, posters, etc. <\/span>Work with my distributor to offer deals to stores, such as, \u201cIf you buy so many of these, I\u2019ll give you one of these.\u201d <\/span>And basically be relentless and work my ass off about forcing the project out there onto people.<\/p>\n He is the man who gave me an in to what I call the comics secret society. It’s actually called the Comic Book Industry Alliance, or CBIA. <\/span>It\u2019s a website for comics industry professionals only, including a lot of stores, and I can post when I release books, or have promotions or whatever. <\/span>So I posted a blurb about my upcoming Lump trade paperback, and no one commented on it, so I posted my previously published Doris Danger monster book, and a couple people commented on it, but no one tried to order it. <\/span>One person recommended I be careful about offering too good a deal, because then stores will just order through me, and my distributor\u2019s orders will come down and not make the minimums, and then I\u2019ll screw myself out of having a distributor. <\/span>Too true, except\u2026 As it is, my orders suck enough at Diamond that they have a perfectly good right to dump me already. And to slap me while I’m down, no one bothered to take me up on the good deal I had offered anyways.<\/p>\n I just don\u2019t know how to get my books out there in people\u2019s hands. <\/span>I feel like I try, and no one\u2019s interested. <\/span>And why should they be? I’m an unknown, and there are so many great, great artists out there doing professional books for big companies, that people actually hear about and are interested in. Am I doomed to just keep trying, and no one will ever be interested, or is there honestly an audience out there that\u2019s just itching to find me, but just hasn\u2019t found me yet?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been trying to get my humongous Doris Danger treasury distributed for bookstores. <\/span>I sent a copy and a cover letter to my distributor, at his request, and he said he\u2019d forward it to their bookstore representative. <\/span>He said it would probably take a few weeks to get word back. <\/span>After a month I checked in, and my distributor said no word yet, but he wasn\u2019t expecting anything, in part because the bigger format is a tougher sell to bookstores. <\/span>I replied by saying, “Man, this is a tough industry. <\/span>There are sixteen big-industry names attached to that book, and you’re telling me bookstores still don’t think they can sell it.” <\/span>He wrote again to say bookstores are looking for content and a hook. <\/span>So I read the email a few times. <\/span>And I\u2019m feeling negative and thinking. <\/span>Content: there are FIFTEEN PIN-UPS by THE GREATEST ARTISTS IN COMICS, and stories INKED BY THE GUY WHO INKED THE ORIGINAL GIANT MONSTER GENRE FORTY YEARS AGO. <\/span>Hook? <\/span>Drawings of giant monsters by MIKE MIGNOLA, SAM KIETH, LOS BROS HERNANDEZ, TONY MILLIONAIRE, GENE COLAN, JOHN SEVERIN, MIKE ALLRED, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, RYAN SOOK, STEVE RUDE… And besides, it\u2019s KIRBY-STYLE GIANT MONSTERS! <\/span><\/span>It\u2019s like, is he saying my books just don\u2019t have any content, and I need to come up with something decent for my subject matter?! <\/span><\/span>He\u2019s my representative. <\/span>Shouldn\u2019t he appreciate what I\u2019m doing? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And of course, that’s not what he’s saying. But DAMN…<\/p>\n Add to this that I got the order numbers for my Lump Trade Paperback, and they were very low. <\/span>A piddly 142 sales. It makes me feel like I must personally know every one of those people who ordered it, those numbers are so low. <\/span><\/p>\n Keep in mind, this is the first comic story I wrote and completed, and I really think it’s such a hell of a good story. It’s got everything I like to see in a story: lots of shadows, private detectives, mad scientists, creepiness, disturbing images and ideas, mad scientists, a barn full of bodies, mystery, pseudo-intellectual post-modernism. I was very proud of the story’s construction and subject matter. And producing this story is so important to me. And it got nothing.<\/p>\n My wife tries to force me to look on the bright side, and she points out that even though the numbers were smaller, the more expensive cover price made me more money than four of my five Tabloias. <\/span>But on the other hand, that book cost me $4831.75 to print and get mailed to me. I made back $806.70 from those pathetic 142 sales. So my most personal, most personally important comic was my worst financial hellhole yet, with an utter, instant loss of $4000. That’s a lot of money. I’ve been told by other self-publishers that you lose money on the comics you print, but you can make your money back with the trades. So I’ve managed to make MINUS FOUR THOUSAND on the books that you’re supposed to make your money back!<\/p>\n Believe it or not, I still felt pretty proud that I made that 800 bucks…<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n If I settle down and take a deep breath, I\u2019m forced to acknowledge that this month hasn\u2019t been all frustrations. <\/span>When I stop dwelling on all the failed marketing and poor sales I\u2019m doing.<\/p>\n I went to a wedding, and Sam Kieth was there as well, so Elizabeth and I got to spend some time with Sam. <\/span>This was a real rare treat, because Sam pretty much never comes out for anything, or lets us see him. <\/span>He told us about his Batman Joker project, and how that\u2019s going to be followed by a Batman Lobo series. <\/span>He said that\u2019s it for the Batman stuff though, presumably because Batman Joker hasn\u2019t been selling well. <\/span>Of course, whenever Sam tells you about anything, he makes it sound like nothing is ever going right.<\/p>\n He talked about working on the next story in the Ojo series, \u201cMy Inner Bimbo.\u201d <\/span>This is the book he had originally asked me to do, before I got bumped over to Ojo. <\/span>He said he\u2019s tried to explain it to people, and they don\u2019t get it. <\/span>They think it\u2019s a porn book, or they think it\u2019s a gay porn book. <\/span>He keeps trying to tell them, No, it\u2019s not that, you\u2019ve got to read it, and then it will make sense.<\/p>\n I bugged Sam, because he wouldn\u2019t let me take a picture of him at San Diego, and I think he felt guilty about it. <\/span>So I pointed out that he was dressed up now, and could we do a picture. <\/span>And he agreed this time. <\/span>We snapped some fun photos, and before I knew it, Sam and his wife had to leave.<\/p>\n I told Elizabeth after, Sam is one of those people, I could spend a whole lot of time with him, and afterwards, still not feel like I\u2019ve spent enough time with him. <\/span>I was disappointed, when he left, that he had to go.<\/p>\n I wrote Steranko recently. <\/span>I keep emailing him on occasion, not because I expect to ever hear from him, but just so I can say I tried. <\/span>And lo and behold, I check my messages, and Steranko has emailed me. <\/span>So I timidly, carefully brace myself to check it, half expecting his usual playful insults and meanness, and instead he\u2019s the friendliest I\u2019ve ever heard from him. <\/span>He wrote as if we were ol\u2019 buddies. <\/span>I think, Who is this, who got onto Steranko\u2019s computer and replied to his emails? <\/span>But I know it\u2019s him, because the wit is dry and sharp and sarcastic as ever.<\/p>\n He said he\u2019s really busy, because he just landed a job doing Batman and Superman covers. <\/span>Wow, that\u2019s quite a gig. <\/span>He says maybe in a few months! <\/span>Maybe in a few months? <\/span>Wow! <\/span>I write him back to let him know I\u2019ll be at San Diego, and that E and I are having a baby. <\/span>He writes a second letter! <\/span>He\u2019s still in his friendly mood, congratulates us on our little one on the way, and visits as if maybe he\u2019ll be doing a pin-up for me! <\/span>What the hell\u2026Amazing.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve decided to pound out some mini-comics of Dr. DeBunko, and I want them ready for Super-Con May 20-21. <\/span>I had hoped to get three finished, but I\u2019m barely going to have two ready. <\/span>Just the same, I think it will be nice to have some new merchandise for my third convention in the Bay Area since February.<\/p>\n I\u2019m really enjoying doing these mini-comics. <\/span>I think the format looks real sharp. <\/span>It\u2019s one panel per page, 5 \u00bd\u201d x 4 \u00bc\u201d. <\/span>I like that they\u2019re so much cheaper than actual comics, they’re smaller and quicker and easier to read, but they\u2019re still twelve or twenty pages. <\/span>I\u2019m curious to see if anyone buys them and likes them, and kind of excited about doing more of them.<\/p>\n I realize the limitations of Dr. DeBunko at this point, if I don\u2019t ever get into some characterization. <\/span>The stories are so formulaic. <\/span>At some point I\u2019ll have to try some new things (of which I have plenty in mind, incidentally). <\/span>But screw it, I\u2019m enjoying them as they are for now. <\/span>I just don\u2019t know how long I can sustain it before people get bored of the formula.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to try to get three actual comics out in stores by the end of the year. <\/span>I want to do two sixteen page Doris Danger comics, and a 32-page collection of all the Dr. DeBunko mini-comics and stories from Tabloia. <\/span>I fear the Dr. DeBunko formula might wear thin if people try to read a full issue of his adventures. <\/span>It makes me wonder if I might need to include a bonus origin story, or day in the life, or something to make the character less one-dimensional. But <\/span>I don\u2019t want to think about this kind of thing right now.<\/p>\n I assume Diamond would agree to distribute these three books (two sixteen-page Doris Dangers and a Dr. DeBunko 32-page collection), especially if I publish all three on a monthly schedule. <\/span>But of course I could be out of luck with that as well. <\/span>It makes me wonder if I should just screw the self-publishing and do a bunch of minis for a while, since I\u2019m enjoying them so much anyways, and they’re not such an enormous financial loss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Finding myself feeling frustrated this month. I think it kicked off when I had a disappointing phone call with the Frazettas. I had been given Frank Frazetta\u2019s phone number by Frank Frazetta Jr. (which was pretty exciting and scary). I was told to speak with Mrs. Frazetta. I called her and told her I’d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diary-of-a-struggling-comics-artist"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"woocommerce_thumbnail":false,"woocommerce_single":false,"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"cwisnia","author_link":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/archives\/author\/cwisnia"},"uagb_comment_info":43,"uagb_excerpt":" Finding myself feeling frustrated this month. I think it kicked off when I had a disappointing phone call with the Frazettas. I had been given Frank Frazetta\u2019s phone number by Frank Frazetta Jr. (which was pretty exciting and scary). I was told to speak with Mrs. Frazetta. I called her and told her I’d…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriswisniaarts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}