How Comics Were Made Will Shortly Be Made
Hello! A short update on my latest projects.
How Comics Were Made at the Printers
I delivered the electronic files for How Comics Were Made yesterday to the printers up in Canada. I’ll be receiving color proofs soon, making any corrections, and then heading up to the Vancouver, B.C., area later in the month to be on press while it’s printed. The book remains on track to start shipping in October!
You can still pre-order a copy.
In the latest news about the book:
Through his syndicate, I was able to ask Calvin and Hobbes’s Bill Watterson several questions about how he approached drawing and coloring his well-loved strip. He gave me thoughtful answers and permission to print them, along with clearance to reproduce some original artwork and Sunday color comics.
Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventuers of Kavaliar & Clay and Wonder Boys (among many other great American novels), agreed to the write the foreword and, boy, howdy, it is something. He wove together family biography, industrial history, and the rediscover of lost knowledge. I’m so pleased to have him opening the book with his essay.
I’ve updated the website with the latest cover, a preview of the full cover (front, back, spine, and french flaps), and several pages from the contents. You can also read a full update at Kickstarter.
The Last Six Centuries
In the previous newsletter, I noted I was down to 45 or so copies of Six Centuries of Type & Printing, my letterpress-printed title about the scope of technology innovation and change across oceans of time. There are roughly 25 copies left, and then they’re gone forever. You can get a copy by ordering it via this link; the print edition is bundled with the ebook version.
Take Control Book Refresher
Since the last newsletter, I released Keep Safe Using Mobile Tech with Take Control Books. I wanted to write a book that brought together all the mobile tools for Apple and Android devices, including smartwatches, that you can use to improve your physical and personal safety. That includes safety from online and text message/phone scams and abuse, deterrence of theft and assault, and automatic assistance when faced with a crash or health event.
With Apple releasing its operating system updates next week, I’ll also have updates to several of my Take Control titles. Watch your email box if you’ve purchased a previously edition of any.
We’re dropping a few books that have become unwieldy due to length and sales of which had fallen as people had learned all they needed to, combining some, and updating others to make the information more approachable!
Watch for updates to my book on Mac security (which will now include iPhone and iPad security, too), FaceTime and Messages, Find My and AirTags (updated to include Google’s trackers and cross-ecosystem anti-stalking alerts), and Calendar and Reminders.
What’s Next?
A dear friend asked me a few weeks ago, “What’s next for Glenn? You alway have something cooking that overlaps with the current project!” I said, “Whew! That is not really my plan!”
Last year, the ridiculous success of my client Marcin Wichary’s book, Shift Happens, and some bizarre production and shipping problems led to us having to delay shipping by about two months, which bled into February 2024, the month I launched the How Comics Were Made campaign.
This time around, I’m going to focus on getting the comic-history book out into the world and plan my next steps with some consideration.
I also hung my shingle out for Kickstarter consulting in the spring when posting this enormous Medium article with lessons learned from a decade of crowdfunding culminating with the Shift Happens project. I expect to spend a lot of time later this year and in 2025 consulting and even managing other people’s campaigns.
Thanks for letting me keep you up to date!
—Glenn