I have lots of exciting things to tell you today.
First, I've been doing lots of preparation for the Myst Book of Atrus Comic Vol 1. I've just about settled on a local printer whose work I like. I'm planning on ordering 500 books. My goal is to have them in time to sell at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD on September 14-15. After that I'll need to figure out some online ordering system. I also plan to sell them at the CTN Expo in Burbank, California in November.
I've done a rough layout of the whole book. As per request, I'm going to include some illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. There's going to be an introduction, and maybe a "making of" section (I'm still deciding). As for the cover, I've been all over the map in my thinking about it. I finally decided to go all the way and do a color painting that lies across the back and front covers. I did a rough block of a painting plus draft cover copy to get a sense of what it might look like. I think it looks pretty nifty so far :)
I was trying to think of ways to make this book super awesome and I just thought, what's cooler than more pages? So I decided to make 13 EXTRA comic pages that would be EXCLUSIVE to the printed version. So I won't post them online ever, you will see them for the first time when you get the printed copy. What is this content? Readers of the original book will know it as the "prologue", events alluded to in Chapter 5: The scene where Gehn's wife dies and he leaves the newly-born Atrus with Anna. Uber-dramatic stuff! I think it's going to be good. I had a great time thumbnailing it. I have a rough draft complete of the whole thing, now I just need to render the pages. I'll post some sketches in the days to come.
In order to finish all 13 pages (and the cover painting) before the book goes to print at the end of August, I worked out that I'll need to finish three pages a week for the next five weeks. I've been struggling to finish two Chapter 6 pages a week, so this is going to be tough. If it's going to happen, I'll need to take a break from Chapter 6 pages for the next five weeks. Oh no! I know. It's not ideal, but I hope you understand. This is my chance to make this book really awesome and I'd really like to do that. My goal is to continue producing the Myst The Book of Atrus comic and sharing it with you all, which is a big, time-consuming effort. Having a spiffy, printed copy that people can buy would provide me with funds to help keep this venture going. So please buy a book! :) In the meantime, I appreciate your patience while I get the book ready for print.
What other news? Oh! Big news! Tony Fryman, president of Cyan and I finally signed a contract that gives me permission to legally sell the comic. I'm very excited. A lawyer friend of a friend helped me review the document. He's amazing and didn't charge me. I'm very happy with how it all worked out. It's all official now! I can sell the comic and Cyan will receive a percent. It's a dream come true. I can use my creative abilities to express my love for the Myst universe, share it with you all, while potentially making money to support my efforts and give something back to Cyan! It feels like my birthday!
Actually, it was my birthday, yesterday. :) Thanks for everyone who sent me nice messages!! I really appreciate it. You guys are awesome. I had a wonderful day.
I'm pumped trying to get this book ready for September 14th. I'll keep posting to let you know what's happening. Again, I'm sorry I don't have a page for your today. I appreciate your patience. Pages will resume again before you know it. And then hopefully there will be a rad new book waiting for you too!
Heather
