Today I wanted to start by sharing something that has the potential to scare off half my readers who aren’t already aware of this little fact: I am Catholic. I can promise you that am not interested in converting anyone to anything, and there will not be a sales pitch for cleaning products at the end. I just wanted to share where I’m coming from and relay a neat story. However, please be advised that the Internet is a big place and you're free to surf elsewhere if you are uncomfortable hearing viewpoints that may be different from your own. Whether it be good, bad, or ugly, it is …
What This Author Is Doing on Launch Day
Well, today is the day! My book, Penguins Can’t Fly, officially launches into the world! Perhaps you’re wondering, “What does an author do on launch day?" More on that in a sec, but first, a little housekeeping. Thank you for putting up with all the onslaught about this book. Many people have praised us for our effort, but I am sure there are others who have been driven away. So...if you’re still here, I am grateful! Sometimes, when you really believe in something, it’s worth putting everything you have into it. I’d rather have a few unsubscribes than a sackful of regret that I didn’t do …
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A Public Declaration
The picture above is from 2002, eight months after 9/11. I was focused on my comic strip back then and was three years away from the start of my speaking career. We were in New York City for the first time to walk the National Stationery Show. While there, we met a licensing agent who agreed to represent my Kim & Jason artwork. It was so exciting, and it felt like such a big break. It amounted to a handful of small deals, mostly overseas (I think they made some sort of photo album in Japan), but it didn’t really make the dent we’d hoped for. That was thirteen years ago. Since then, …
Rattling Cages: Behind the Scenes of Our Latest Battle Against Adultitis
Writing, designing, and illustrating Penguins Can’t Fly was easy and fun, at least compared to the marketing, promoting, and selling part of the process. Since the beginning, I knew that the bulk of the latter was on us, not the publisher. This is something that few authors grasp. You see, with all the books that they publish, there are only so many resources a publisher can put behind a first-time author. (Technically, I am not a first-time author, with four books and several thousands of copies sold, but I AM a rookie when it comes to the traditional publishing game.) St. Martin’s has …
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How to Make Good Things Happen
Many folks have asked me how I got my book deal. Basically, a literary agent came out of nowhere after seeing my art on Facebook, asked if she could represent me, pretty much wrote the proposal, and pitched it to a bunch of big New York publishers in person. I know. If ever there was a "must be nice," this is it. And it's completely unhelpful for anyone looking to land a book deal of their own. But that's not really the full story. The real story is a bit longer and a lot more useful. It starts about ten years ago during Kim's lunch break when she was still teaching kindergarten. She …
7 Escape Lab Highlights…So Far
The first Escape Lab is almost halfway done, and I am blown away by the response so far. When Kim and I brainstormed this late last year, we thought we might be on to something special, but you just never know. Well, this has exceeded all expectations! Last night we took a first step at Escape Lab LIVE, which is basically a party on Facebook in real time. Through our special members-only group, we took questions, posted some of our own, and gave out door prizes. The discussion was fast and lively, with topics ranging from figuring out our superhero names and sharing our favorite black & …
Book Update: A Cover, A Release Date, and the End of a Long Beginning
There’s some big news to report on the book front. I have learned that Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist will officially be published on June 23, 2015. (That's the cover right there!) It will be published as paper-over-board, which is basically a hardcover book without the dust jacket. And it will cost $16.99. It was originally going to be $14.99, but after doing a more thorough cost estimate, St. Martin's Press decided to raise the price rather than cut corners on quality. They are really committed to making a beautiful book, which I couldn't be happier about. The …
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Behind the Scenes of My Book Writing Retreat, Part 2
You guys! I am thrilled to report that today I completed drafts for all 40 rules that will be in the book! I ended up including 6 of the top 7 rules voted on by you, so thank you to all who voted! (I decided the rule "Thou shalt take yourself seriously" was a theme that ran throughout many of the ones I already had, so that didn't make it.) Almost all of my writing took place outside near Lake Michigan today, as it was finally sunny and beautiful :) Tomorrow I will be hitting the sketchbook hard. I have plans to use much of my existing art in the final book, but I need to create a lot more …
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Behind the Scenes of My Book Writing Retreat
Pretty productive writing day yesterday! I have drafts of 28 of the 40 chapters for the book done, a feat I attribute 50% to focus & freedom from distraction and 50% to me drinking coffee for the first time :) Here are 10 things I wrote that I'm pretty proud of... “No one ever died at the age of 100 looking like a 19-year-old.” “And if you don’t want to make the bed, no evil will befall you. Sure, the ghost of your mother may haunt you, but it’s not like she wouldn’t have anything else to hound you about, right?” “The tuxedo I wore was a rental, but if it were still in my possession …
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Behind The Scenes: Studio Tour
When Kim was little and in Catholic school, she was one of two children who were selected to answer a question from a priest during an all-school mass. The answer would be recorded for posterity in the city newspaper. The priest asked them, "If you could change anything in the world, what would it be?" In front of hundreds of students and parents, including her own, Kim confidently declared that she would change her room around. She was quickly upstaged by the jerky classmate who wished that no one in the world would be sick anymore. Kim immediately regretted her answer. But it was …