Greetings, friends. This will be a fairly long blog post today – you’d better go get a sandwich. I’ll wait. Read on when you’re ready.
This week, I’m going back to New York City for a personal visit. I will not be taking my laptop with me; after what happened last year, it may be a good idea to just get away from the blog for a while to rest and recharge my batteries. I do have blog posts and mailing list updates ready to go however during my absence so stay tuned then for regular updates.
I will not completely be unplugging. I will have my smartphone on me so I will be active on Twitter and checking my emails.
Second, I’m looking at other venues for myself and my work. Right now, I’m reworking my Etsy page with plans to sell original artwork and comics on there. I’ve also been in contact with some advertising agencies who’ve expressed interest in my work; I’ll have updates on that in the future. If you’re interested in private commissions, I take those on too – contact me at maxwestart(at)gmail(dot)com for prices and details. Also, I’ve been busy recording jokes and gags in a notebook. Some of these are for use in Sunnyville but they are also part of something else – something that could be very big. You’ll find out about that soon enough.
What I really want to tell you is some amazing news. This is something that could be a huge boon for both myself and Sunnyville Stories.
I’ve talked to you before about Alterna Comics, an independent comics company. Alterna Comics has a really ingenious effort going on right now. They are going to be printing and distributing comics on newsprint paper for a price of less than US$2. The plan is to get a mass market distribution of comics everywhere such as in supermarkets, convenience stores, newsstands and so on. This is how comics were sold during the Golden Age and Silver Age before the rise of the direct market (the comic book store) in the 1970s. In fact, Alterna Comics has secured a deal to have this mass market distribution done! A firm called PDG will be doing the aforementioned mass market distribution while Diamond will do distribution of Alterna Comics newsprint line to the comic book stores.
Some of you may be excited to hear this, especially those who love small press comics and want more public awareness of the medium. But you’re also probably wondering “Max, this is all good but what does this have to do with Sunnyville Stories?”
Sunnyville Stories is going to be advertised in the Alterna Comics newsprint line.
The ad you see here (inspired by an old print ad for Steakum Sandwiches) will be printed in some of the Alterna Comics newsprint line titles. Specifically, this ad will appear in Amazing Age #2 in July; Mr. Crypt #1 in September; and Lilith Dark #4 in November. (All info is subject to change.)
The numbers for circulation given to me have been very high and that’s not counting the social media exposure too for these ads – the Alterna Comics Facebook page has 15,000 likes and their Twitter account at over 55,000 followers. I’ve been calculating figures of the circulation and social media account numbers that the newsprint comics will have – and this is not counting individuals who share social media posts – and, if I assume a low percentage of 3% who decide to act on the ads and buy the Sunnyville books (digital or print)…I could be looking at as many as 3,000 sales done! That’s not bad for a small press title like mine.
I’ll have more news as this story develops. Also be sure to check out the newsprint line from Alterna Comics – this looks amazing and very well could be big in the comics world!
