This and That.

Hiya,

Just wanted to send out an update and give everyone the skinny. You know: the scoop, the D.L., the Q.T., the juice. First off, my 1950s slang class is going really well.

Also, I had my first book signing at our local bookstore (Bookpeople of Moscow), who were gracious enough to fit me in during a pretty busy season. It went very well. It was short, but there were loads of people who said nice things about Saturday right to my face, which is where I prefer nice things to be said. Granted, A.) I knew most of the people who came and, B.) They have to continue living in the same small town with me and so are socially encouraged not to be super mean because I’ll see them again in the future and I can hold a grudge longer than a Hatfield and McCoy put together. You hear that, SHELDON? I haven’t forgotten about that thing.

But I digress.

It reminded me how much I love our community and why I love my hometown. And that was maybe the most Rockwellian thing I’ve ever said. Gah! Sincerity. Quick: Think of a fart joke to wash the taste of real emotion out of your mouth!

Books are arriving at their new homes at various rates and times. I know because you’ve been telling me. Not right to my face this time, but to my computer, which in turn tells it right to my face. And you’ve also given me some of the best compliments I’ve ever had. I will keep these compliments with me and take them out when I need them to keep me warm, like when you put a hot potato in your pocket on a cold wintry night. What? You don’t do that? Well, it’s great. Plus, your pants smell like potato, so…bonus.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, reviews. While it’s flattering to receive compliments from people I know, it’s also nice to get them from strangers. They’re not obligated to be kind the way friends and family sorta are. For example, here are a few of the internet reviews that have come in:

I.M. Realperson: “This book great!”

Phil Intheblankreviews: “SATURDAY  is a terrific product. I use  SATURDAY  every day and I don’t know how I ever got along without it. I would definitely recommend SATURDAY to a friend.”

ReviewBot3000: “This book adequately conforms to human standards.”

NoahsMom: “Is this where I was supposed to type something? I’m not sure how this thing works. Love, Mom.”

PaidReviews.com: “Your service or product is good.”

What? How dare you suggest these aren’t real, live humans giving my book four star reviews. All these reviews are merit-based, like every other review on the interwebs.

Ok, jokey jokes aside (NEVER!), y’all have said some beautiful things about the book, and I’m grateful. One person (granted, a friend I’ve known for 15 years, but still…) brought up the amount of “care” put into Saturday. I think it’s a great word that nicely sums up my goals for the book. I cared deeply about every panel and every page. And I’m happy to now be sharing that with you.

Ugh: “sharing”, “caring”, “community”: Today’s post is just an all-star lineup of mushy words and sentiments, isn’t it?

Now, a few S.F.A.Q. (Somewhat Frequently Axed Questions):

International Shipping Costs and their existential ramifications: (Yup, I thought I’d start out with the most exciting topics in case you lose interest and don’t read the rest): I substantially undercharged for international shipping. But the explanation is simple: I’m dumb. So much so that pretty much all that extra money pledged for Kickstarter (thank you), went toward shipping. No bigs. It was never about money. Given the amount of time and personal money I’ve invested, CLEARLY, it was never about money.

My brother in law, who’s very smart and very business savvy, did a quick calculation of the entire affair and told me that, if I sold every single book, I stood to make a couple hundred dollars. It forced me to acknowledge that I’m a bad businessman. But I’m good at making fun things and sharing them with people. So I suppose that’s the point for me.

I’ve talked about my goals for Saturday many times (good craftsmanship, big, strange, funny, etc.). But the pie-in-the-sky goal was to make something that people want to read over and over and something that maybe possibly maybe inspires people the way my favorite books inspired me. The only problem with that goal is that there’s no real way for me to know it’s happened. The only thing I can do is make something as fun as I can and then share it. And that part HAS to be enough for me. It has to be satisfying and sustaining for me (because the money sure isn’t going to do either of those things).

What Now? Book events, maybe some comicons, etc. Work-wise, I’ve started a new series of fun, single-character poster illustrations. They’re sort of a palette-cleanser after eight years working on the same project.

When will the next book come out? I’m not too sure on that one. I’ve started a new book, but it’s on hold right now. I can’t jump straight from one book to another. I need a breather. But I will definitely keep you in the loop.

Ok, that’s enough jibba jabba. If you made it this far, you’re probably exhausted. Re-hydrate and relax for the rest of the day.

And thank you again. For everything.

Cheers.

Noah