As I write this, copies of Tonoharu: Part Two are en route from the book binder to me. I should have copies to sell by next Monday, October 4th, so stop back next week to order yours!

In the meantime, I thought I’d have one last artwork preview before the book comes out.

For all these previews, I’ve been careful to pick artwork that was spoiler-free, which excluded some of my favorite panels. Maybe once Tonoharu: Part Two is widely available I’ll show some of those panels, but for now this is it.

Check back Monday to get your copy of the book, folks! Oh boy!

I just got copies of Tonoharu: Part Two in over the weekend, and would be delighted to exchange them for your hard-earned cash! Be one of the first to get a copy, weeks before they’re available in stores!

The cost is $19.95 USD, plus shipping ($2.38 to USA, $5.01 to Canada, and $10.76 to anywhere in the rest of the world). MN residents pay 7.125% sales tax. To order, click on the “buy now” button (you’ll need either a credit card or a Paypal account).

One more thing: By default, I’ll sign all copies and include a little doodle. If you’d prefer your copy unsigned, or would like it made out to someone or whatever, click on the “Add special instructions to the seller” link on the checkout page:

And then type your instructions into the text box that appears:

That should do it. Please share this entry on twitter/facebook/wherever to get the word out! Thanks!

GraphicNovelReporter.com has an exclusive seven page preview of Tonoharu: Part Two. It can be found here:

http://graphicnovelreporter.com/content/tonoharu-part-two-0

Note: contains mild spoilers.

Buy Tonoharu: Part Two in our STORE>>>

An interview with me can be found on the David-Wasting-Paper blog here:
http://david-wasting-paper.blogspot.com/2010/10/lars-martinson-cartoonist-survey-172.html

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Also, I’m planning on attending the Minneapolis Comics Jam at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe tomorrow, October 7th 2010 @ 7:00pm. Come on down! You can check out Tonoharu: Part Two, and talk to ME! (OMG, right???) Details can be found here:
http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/conspire/?p=2616

All are welcome! They’re a friendly group.

Just this week, I’ve started offering copies of my graphic novel Tonoharu: Part Two for sale on this website. You can order it (as well as my other books) from my store. I’m selling it at cover price ($19.95) plus shipping:
http://larsmartinson.com/buy

You may have heard of this other site called Amazon.com, where you can get the same book at a discount, and get shipping thrown in for free if you order enough stuff. I’ll admit, they offer a pretty sweet deal.

Now: if you decide to order through Amazon (or decide to order it at all for that matter), that’s awesome; my sincere thanks for your support.  But for this week’s entry, I’d like to argue a case for why you might consider buying comics directly from me instead. I’ll do so in the form of the ever-popular Top 5 list:

5 All the books I sell are first editions
Amazon.com will be selling the first printing of Tonoharu: Part Two of course, but they sold out of the first printing of Tonoharu: Part One years ago. All the comics I sell are pristine first editions, perfect for the debonair, sophisticated comic book collector.

4 I offer a better selection (of my own work, anyway)
Right before I started working on Tonoharu, I did a 44-page comic called Young Men of a Certain Mind. I printed up about 1000 copies. I didn’t put a barcode on them, which excludes them from sale at most retail outlets, including Amazon. So the majority of them are still sitting in my closet. It’s the cheapest book I offer at just $4 plus shipping, and is pretty much available nowhere else. It still holds up, I think; it’s the oldest work I’ve done that I can still read without cringing. :-)

3  All the books I sell are signed*
I’ll make them out to whoever you want, and include a doodle. That’s sure to impress your friends… er… right? 
(*Copies are also available unsigned too, of course)

2  Copies of Tonoharu: Part Two from me will arrive sooner
Amazon won’t be selling copies of Tonoharu: Part Two for another few weeks, so if you want a copy sooner than that, I’m your man!

1  Ordering directly from me helps support me
When someone gets a book directly from me, I get more money than if they buy the same book from Amazon.

Why should you care? Well, at present, my book sales unfortunately don’t earn me a living wage, so I need to do other work on the side. The more money I make from my comics, the less time I need to spend looking for money elsewhere. This in turn will allow me to devote more time to Tonoharu: Part Three, which will allow me to bring it out sooner.

So that’s my list. The link to my store, once again, is this:
http://larsmartinson.com/buy

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Disclaimer:
All that said, I’d like to mention that I really & truly appreciate any sale, no matter where you choose to make it. I’d also like to make it clear that I’m not trying to vilify Amazon or booksellers or anything. They provide a valuable service, and deserve to be compensated for it. Without them my book wouldn’t have reached nearly as many readers, and for that I am truly grateful.

In fact, let me again mention the link to pre-order Tonoharu: Part Two from Amazon:
Tonoharu: Part Two pre-order from Amazon.com

And a link to my super-awesome distribution partners over at Top Shelf:
Tonoharu: Part Two pre-order from TopShelfComix.com

Thanks!

Just a quick note to Twin Cities residents that I’ll be at the Twin Cities Book Festival this Saturday, October 16, 2010.

I’ll be at the Pliant Press table, signing copies of my latest graphic novel Tonoharu: Part Two, a few weeks before it’s available in stores! I’ll also have copies of Tonoharu: Part One, and Young Men of a Certain Mind, and some original art.

Admission is free, so if you’re in the Twin Cities area, Come on out!

Twin Cities Book Festival 2010 Details
Place: Minneapolis Community & Technical College, Downtown Minneapolis
Date/Time: Saturday October 16th, 2010 10AM to 5PM
Admission: FREE!

Further information, including directions and programming, can be found here:
http://www.raintaxi.com/bookfest/

This week Tonoharu: Part Two received a paragraph-long review in Publishers Weekly, an important industry mag!

Warning: contains a few spoilers:
Publishers Weekly Review of Tonoharu: Part Two

It almost reads more like a synopsis than a review; I’m honestly not sure if the reviewer liked the book or not. (Though I do like that they described my art style as “fanatically cross-hatched”.)

But either way, Publishers Weekly is one of the book trade’s most important publications, so it’s great coverage to get. My thanks to “PW staff”* for the writeup!

*That’s how the by-line credits them; no reference to the name(s) of the actual reviewer(s). I guess that’s to protect their anonymity against disgruntled authors.

Buy Tonoharu: Part Two directly from me>>>
Preorder from Amazon.com>>>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DRAWN-OUT DRAWINGS
Cartoonist learns the hard way how demanding his craft can be

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA‒ Shortly after arriving in Japan in 2003, cartoonist Lars Martinson began work on Tonoharu, a graphic novel about the experience. He estimated that he would finish the book in two or three years. Now, more than seven years later, he has just reached the halfway point.

It’s a familiar story in the world of independent comics. When cartoonist Chris Ware began Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, he figured he’d be done with it in a summer; it ended up taking six years. Charles Burns spent a decade drawing his graphic novel Black Hole. Art Spiegelman devoted thirteen years to his Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus.

If Lars continues at his current pace, Tonoharu will take him even longer. So what is it about graphic novels that makes them so time-consuming?

“Unlike movies that have crews of hundreds, independent comics are usually the product of just one person,” Lars said. “It’s great in that they give you complete creative control, but they take a lot longer to finish, especially if you have an intricate art style.”

Tonoharu certainly falls into that camp. The book’s tight crosshatching is more evocative of woodblock prints than comic book illustration.

“I’ve always admired the detailed engravings in books from the nineteenth century, and felt that style would be a good fit for Tonoharu,” Lars said. “If I had known how long it would take, I might have reconsidered!”

Tonoharu: Part One is available now; the follow-up Tonoharu: Part Two hits shelves this December. For further details, visit:
http://pliantpress.com/media

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Yup, it’s press release season folks, where I write “articles” in the third person talking about how great I am. (That’s right, they’re boastful and deceitful! Yay!)

BTW, if anyone knows of a good way to disseminate press releases, lemme know; I have to plead ignorance on that point.

Can I sell you some cartoon books, sir or madam??

Last Saturday I had a table at the Twin Cities Book Festival. It’s the third show I’ve ever “tabled” at, and was my most successful so far.

This was probably due in large part to the fact that I had a new book to sell (Tonoharu: Part Two). Or maybe I just got lucky this time around. But I think part of it was that I’m getting better at convention sales.

I’ve previously written about my thoughts on selling at conventions here. For this entry, I thought I’d write continue writing about that, with a focus on table presence.

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At the last convention I did (the Minneapolis Indie Xpo) I took a picture of my table so I could use it for a blog recap I wrote about the event. It wasn’t until I looked at the photo later that I realized how sparse and depressing my setup was:

The empty coffee cup was a good design choice, don’t you think?

So this time around, I tried to jazz up my space a bit more (see image at the top of this post). At MIX, I noticed many exhibitors brought a table cloth to decorate their table. It’s a small thing, but it makes a difference. So I did that this year. I also got little book stands to give the book covers more visibility.

My entire creative output for the last seven years

I only have three books for sale, so to fill up the rest of the space I designed a tabloid-size poster with quotes about the book, to try to pique people’s interest. If you want to closer look at it, you can download a high resolution PDF of it here (file size: 1.1MB, right click to save). Feel free to print a bunch out and hang them up around town, folks! :-)

I also brought framed original art. I didn’t sell any, but they served as good conversation pieces when I talked to people about my work. And again, they filled up the space and made for a more appealing table.

Either end of my table

I also finally got business cards printed up. (Okay, I know; that’s Networking 101, and I should have done it ages ago.) They were good to give to people who were interested in my work, but who weren’t ready to buy. Quite a few people grabbed one as they passed by. Since I had them printed up specifically for conventions, the cards just have my name and website. I figure that’s all most people would want anyway; a reminder of who I am and where they can find out more about my work.

My card

Well, that’s it for now. See you all at my next convention appearance, at the Miami Book Fair on November 20th-21st! (You’re all coming down for that, right?)

Previously: Thoughts on Selling Comics at Conventions (Part 1)

Join us December 4th, 2010 for a book signing & after-party to celebrate the release of two graphic novels by three Twin Cities cartoonists!

Book Details
Francis Sharp in the Grip of the Uncanny! Chapter One
By Brittney Sabo & Anna Bratton
http://www.bsabo.com/francissharp/

Tonoharu: Part Two
By Lars Martinson
http://larsmartinson.com/tonoharu2

Signing Details:
When:  Saturday, December 4th, 2010. 4pm to 7pm
Where: Big Brain Comics, 1027 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55415
(612) 338-4390
[Google Maps]

After-Party Details:
When:  Saturday, December 4th, 2010. 7:30pm to around 9:30pm
Where: Grumpy’s Bar & Grill, 1111 South Washington Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55415 (Just down the street from Big Brain)
(612) 340-9738
[Google Maps]

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[Facebook Event Page]

Can’t make it? You can order Tonoharu: Part Two right now from my store!
Or you can order Francis Sharp: Chapter One from Brittney’s store!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE MIDWEST MYSTIQUE
Dating in the Land of the Rising Sun

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA ‒ How favorable is the dating scene in Japan for Americans? It depends on your gender.

“It’s a lot easier for men than it is for women,” says Lars Martinson, a cartoonist who’s lived in Japan for five years. His latest graphic novel, Tonoharu: Part Two, explores aspects of the international relationship dynamic.

“Japanese men still expect to be treated as the proverbial ‘master of the house’. This makes it tough for American women who are looking for equal partnerships,” Lars said. “Conversely, it makes American men seem chivalrous in comparison, elevating their status in the eyes of Japanese women.”

One of the main characters in Tonoharu: Part Two, an American named Steve, takes advantage of the favorable cultural preconceptions about American men, and acts like a modern-day Casanova. The character represents a familiar type, Lars says.

“It’s not often that a guy from, say, Wisconsin can be perceived as exotic and mysterious, but in Japan they can. Some guys become intoxicated by their elevated status, and act like kids in a candy store.”

Tonoharu: Part Two will be out this December. The preceding volume, Tonoharu: Part One, is available now. For further details, visit:
http://pliantpress.com/media

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