Dear Dumb Diary Year 2 Giveaway!
Dear Dumb Diary fans know that Jamie Kelly is in Year 2 of writing her dumb diary (which you do NOT have permission to read)! But. . . in case you did happen to sneak a peek into the first book from Year 2: School. Hasn't This Gone on Long Enough?, then you might be interested to know that the next book, titled The Super-Nice Are Super-Annoying, is coming out this month. (Steal a sneak peek at the first chapter here.)
AND, you can enter for a chance to win both books from Year 2 plus an autographed print from the author, Jim Benton! When you enter your reading minutes in the Summer Challenge, you can also enter for a chance to win this amazing prize! The contest ends on June 27, so go to the Summer Challenge now.
PS. If you haven't already seen how awesome Jim Benton is, then you should also watch this random, hilarious pancake love story video. Just watch it. That's all I'm sayin'.
— Sonja, STACKS Staffer
Only a few minutes to post a few tidbits…as usual, compared to even a few years ago, everyone in the book biz knows what graphic novels are, and even if they aren’t publishing them outright, nearly everyone has a book that’s “sort of” like a GN with words and pictures.
Workman has just rereleased two of B. Kliban’s classic cartoon books, including CAT, one of the most successful cartoon books of all time. The books have been out of print for a while, but “everyone is still so fond of the originals,” said a Workman spokesperson.
Sam Hiti has a kids book coming out from Lerner called WAGA’S BIG SCARE. WE flipped through it and unsurprisingly, it’s gorgeous.
This book will sell a million copies.
Not too much other comics news, new title-wise. Over at Papercutz, marketing’s Jesse Post told us that Ninjago Graphic Novels #4: Tomb of the Fangpyre 
, the latest in a series of Lego-tie-in GNs, has sold over 425,000 copies, via libraries, book fairs, Wal-Mart, and, of course, bookstores.
The message we’re hearing overall is that comics aimed at young readers (children and teens) and nonfiction memoir comics (Persepolis) are definitely on the upswing.
As reported previously, Alan Rickman will be staring in
CBGB as club owner, Hilly Kristal. Alan Rickman released his first statement
about his role in the movie to the Daily Telegraph. According to the article, Mr.
Rickman is very excited to “vibe” and live a "second youth”, stating:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" ?>
“Sadly I never got to go to the club when it was around,
but they’re reconstructing it as we speak in a studio in Savannah so I’ll have
my second youth there,” the Harry Potter star declares.
“I’ll get what might be called the vibe when I go there
in three weeks, I’ll be vibing."
As part of its collaboration with J K. Rowling, Sony revealed a new game for the PlayStation 3 which will allow players to learn and perform spells from The Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk. This game will also feature new written content by J. K. Rowling:
Featuring exclusive new and original writing from J.K. Rowling, Wonderbook: Book of Spells comes to life as you read, allowing you to cast spells with your PlayStation®Move Motion Controller which becomes your own magic wand. Go on a fantastic journey to read and learn the secrets of wizardry and the art of spell-casting, just like a student at Hogwarts™, when it is released in November 2012 in Europe and December 2012 in North America. Wonderbook: Book of Spells will also be coming to other countries and regions following this window.
J.K. Rowling said, "Wonderbook: Book of Spells is the closest a Muggle can come to a real spellbook. I've loved working with Sony's creative team to bring my spells, and some of the history behind them, to life. This is an extraordinary device that offers a reading experience like no other."
Book of Spells is presented as being written by Miranda Goshawk over two hundred years ago, and can be found in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library. It is an advanced textbook for students, which will assist them on their journey to becoming an accomplished witch or wizard.
Released in November 2012, Wonderbook: Book of Spells provides students with a safe environment in which to read, discover, learn and practise spells they already know and love, such as Incendio, Wingardium Leviosa and Expelliarmus, as well as discover mischievous notes and spells scribbled into the margins by previous Hogwarts students. In addition to humorous anecdotal facts relating to the spells, J.K. Rowling has written a conundrum that leads you through the experience, providing insight into what makes a successful witch or wizard, and inviting fans to journey through the book and unlock new tales at the end of each chapter rewarding students for their successful spell-casting.
Book of Spells will be released in November, and you can watch a trailer for the game below.
God help me, but I just pre-ordered I Could Pee on This.
And I was thinking it was a memoir by our late cat, who looked a bit like the one pictured on the cover and had similar tendencies.
It was cool to see the various iterations of comics/gn/text. The category has seriously exploded across the traditional publishing segment and there is a lot more work for comics folks-if they know where to look. HOWEVER, the biggest issue facing a lot of the material is in how much support the publishers are giving it. Creators will need to work hard to self-promote and not assume anyone is doing this for them. Pricing for a lot of stuff is still unrealistic and needs to reflect the reality of the economy. For the publishers, if youre pushing the price past the 15.00 mark it will seriously choke your ability to sell. If the book really is worth more than 15 bucks, you need to spend money and advertise the damned thing. The more people you tell about your books, the more books you sell. That also applies to the creators…
A cool small moment at BEA? Lerner had Monkey King mini-action figures! Congrats too to Carol Burrell, Editor for the graphic novel imprint at Lerner. She’s doing fantastic work!