Is The Penny Finally Dropping?

Oddly, my last post went out just as two letters (that's the squiggly stuff on paper that people used to send each other before computers) arrived.  Both from Europe.  Then an email from an acquaintance in the US.

Okay, now bear with me. The person in the United States was writing how blogs do not give Independent publishers or small press publishers any kind of thought.  It's a struggle to let people know you are out there and that you have a comic or graphic novel -and no one reviews them unless its to really be over critical and nasty "because thats how the web and these people work: nasty gets more people to check your blog out".

The other two are in Europe.  They both (in different countries) wrote that blogs do not give Independent publishers or small press publishers any kind of thought.  It's a struggle to let people know you are out there and that you have a comic or graphic novel -and no one reviews them because they are not the clique or intellectual works THEY support".

Hmm.

Now, these three people do not know each other and, as I wrote, their letters arrived after I posted the last item so were written...five and seven days ago. The email was there after I posted that piece and was sent an hour before. They all speak from experience and knowing and talking to a lot of creators. So this is their experience.

As I have written back to all three: "Why the **** do you think I am here with CBO?  You just have to send the ***** books and I'll review them and not like some jerk who thinks being nasty and belittling creators makes him/her look 'great'"   Seriously -WHAT??

The same thing happened with the print format Zine Zone International -no feedback but lots of books to review but then everyone thought "We don't need a mag now because of this new internet thing".  Never worked out for them and by that time I pulled the plug on ZZI. For a year after one bleating letter after another asking why I stopped the mag? No one was publicising their books or interested "you really need to start Zine Zone up again!" My response: "No. I am NOT starting it up again. You decided you were going to do better without my help and that never worked out.  ZZI is gone.  Forever"

Ditto CBO.  Take advantage of it.  CBO was set up to publicise YOUR comics. German, French, Italian -who gives a crap.  Send me a copy and ordering details.  Or don't.