Phew, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind since the publication of The Meep Sheep a few months ago and I am still going strong. The thing that wears you out with the book process is the promotion, as I have said before, but it’s also some of the most fun you have. Getting the book out to people lets you gauge interest, lets you fire people up about the book, and lets you feel the satisfaction of selling something you made. It really reminds you how special writing (or any art, really) is. Man they are rough though. It’s lots of work to get out there, to talk up your book, and to tell people, over and over and over again what your book is. Me, I always go for the soft sell because, heck, if someone is interested in the book, then they will come to me, if not then I certainly don’t want to bully them into looking at something they are not into. Seems silly and I hate when people do that to me.
I have done a lot of shows during this ‘season’ and the last big one is coming up this weekend in Detroit. It’s The People’s Arts Festival and is a fantastic art festival near downtown Detroit. I did it with my girlfriend last year and we had a blast and I really moved a lot of books, which was great, as was meeting the other artists and seeing the amazing art on display. This year we go with a new book, a lot of new art and hopefully a little more wisdom on how to set up effectively. After this weekend though I go into the downward portion of the shows. I am hoping to get into a writer’s show I did last year that will happen in October and am going to be putting together the second annual Halloween show that some friends and I did last year. Other than that it’s promoting the books online, looking for an agent for my Meepies, and seeing what lies ahead.
It really has been a busy Spring and Summer and I could use the break but will definitely miss meeting all the awesome people out there. For now though, we still have some time. Hope to see some of you on the trail before the journey ends.
c
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 