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!