AnderCon?!

I’m kinda really excited about the book coming out, and, assuming it does modestly well, I’m looking at doing a few more this year.

And lately I’ve been thinking about marketing Andertoons a bit more.  I’ve tried some advertising, I’m doing the monthly newsletter (and let’s not forget the blog), but the books open up another possibility – conventions.

After some searching I ran across ComicBookConventions.com, and while there a lot there that wouldn’t fit Andertoons well, there’s a few that look interesting:

  • MoCCA – No chance for this year, but maybe 2009.
  • SPX – Another really good opportunity, and it looks like I could register for this year.
  • SPACE – Close to home, but it doesn’t look as well organized or presented.  Another for 2009 maybe.
  • APE – Another possibility for this year, but it looks pretty comic booky.

I’ve only been to Wizard World here in Chicago once, and I wasn’t really paying close attention to the artist alley, so I have no idea if any of these would be worth it.

I think what I’m looking for is to:

  1. Sell a few books
  2. Create some new fans
  3. Get some publisher attention

So whatcha think?  Does this make any sense?  Or am I just looking for a way to justify a few days out of the house?

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Wording

cartoon writing wording

I love words.

And it’s a good thing since writing is really the crux of the whole cartoonist thing. You can be the greatest artist in the world, but if your writing stinks, believe you me, nobody is going to be buying.

One of my favorite tricks when I’m stumped is to hit the books. Actually, a few specific books. I’ve got a number of different reference volumes to kick start the writing process:

So if I’ve got a specific topic in mind, say for a custom cartoon, I’ll obviously start by looking for that specific word. Each book is organized a little differently, but they all make finding related content fairly easy.

If I’m just writing to write, however, I love to just leaf through and see what strikes my brain’s fancy. I try not to linger too long on any specific page, I just quickly skim and see if anything pops.

A favorite trick of mine is to look at phrases about and/or containing a word and seeing if there’s some way to combine them. It doesn’t always end up in a successful cartoon, but, if nothing else, you’re priming the cartoon writing pump.

Now remember, these books aren’t going to solve all of your problems. Nothing beats just sitting yourself down regularly, staring down a blank piece of paper and actively writing cartoons. (You’d be surprised how often I hear budding cartoonists complain about waiting for their muse to visit.) But used judiciously, they’re all great tools to have in your gag writing toolbox.

It looks like a few might already be out of print, but you should be able to pick them up cheaply on Ebay or Amazon.

Word up!

Book Update

Rubmytummycover

I’ve gotten my ISBN, my Library of Congress control number, and my bar code all put on and in the book now.

I also threw in some page numbers! (Oops! Forgot all about that last time!)

Now I’m just waiting for my preview copy to arrive. I’ll letcha know once its available, but it should be soon! Woo-hoo!

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New Anderithm

Some subtle changes to the Andertoons homepage recently.

The same cartoons were becoming cemented under Highest Rated and Most Viewed. And, subsequently, those were being rated and viewed more. It was an ugly circle.

So we made some changes to the algorithm so a greater number of cartoons could get their chance in the homepage sun. We also added a few more choices under most viewed.

Here’s a look:

Anderythm2

And then here’s another look after a refresh:

Anderythm

See the difference?

It was as much for me as anything. I just couldn’t take seeing that damn Frankenstein cartoon there every morning!

Hope ya like it!

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Chicago Tribune Changing Sunday Comics to Tabloid Format

So I reading about the last season of BSG last Sunday, and I notice this on the inside cover of the Trib’s TV Week:

Starting next Sunday, TV Week is becoming The Guide to TV and the Internet, with fresher TV listings, more channel listings and more color. And tucked inside The Guide will be your favorite color comics in an easier-to-scan tabloid format. Plus you’ll get our experts’ and readers’ advice about the best sites on the internet, including those on chicagotribune.com and elsewhere.

Here are the details:

In our more up-to-date listings grids, you’ll find nine new cable channels, plus color coding that will instantly guide you to movies, sports, news/talk, and our Best Bets.

In Comics, which will be a pullout section inside The Guide, Chicago’s best comics and puzzles – now including the popular TV jumble – will be easier to hold ad share among the entire family.

Each week in our guide to the internet, we will cut through the jungle of millions of sites to the best ones as determined by Tribune experts and readers like you. Each week, we’ll offer different topics for time-saving surfing.

Look for it next Sunday in the same spot you’ve been finding TV Week.

From the look of the graphic, it looks like The Guide is gonna be sized like Parade or the Trib’s weekly local news mag.

Interesting huh? I’ll post some pics next week of the new comics section.

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