Freebird book!

[layla]

LOOK LOOK LOOK! I have a BOOK!

All the info: The book is 8.25×6″, 152 pages, and retails for $12 US. It collects all of the Freebird strips from 2006-2008, the ones that ran in the now-defunct Fairbanks entertainment paper fbx square plus the online ones that I did after square died. There are also new strips (bringing the story to the conclusion that it was originally supposed to have) and two backup stories, plus extra sketches and previously unseen strips from the development process.

How to sample: You can read nearly all of the story online, starting here — although the book contains about 30 pages of newly drawn strips that aren’t online, plus all the backup stuff.

How to buy:

• You can buy it from Amazon.com. If you’re in Europe, you can get it from your local Amazon in your local currency — I’ve checked Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.de, and both of them have it! (Since I’ve never done this before, for those of you who are in the UK and continental Europe, could you tell me if the price seems really wrong to you? I just based it on the US price — it’s a more or less straight currency conversion from the US price into UK pounds and euros, so you pay just what you would if you bought it in the US. But I have no idea what “common” book prices are like in those currencies.)
• You can also buy it from my estore on CreateSpace. Amazon still handles payment processing and order fulfillment, but (fair warning) it’ll be more of a hassle for you than buying it from Amazon’s main site, because you’ll have to create a CreateSpace account (if you don’t already have one), can’t get Supersaver shipping, etc. The advantage to me is that I get a significantly higher percentage on sales through the estore than I do through Amazon, but frankly, I am absolutely delighted and flattered if anyone wants to buy my book, and you are definitely encouraged to do it wherever and however is easiest and best for you!

These books will be available locally in Fairbanks at The Comic Shop very soon (possibly even today; I’ve been severely hampered this week by Lack of Functional Automobile or they would be there already!) and subsequently in every other local bookstore that I can convince to carry them. ETA: They are available in The Comic Shop now!

At this point I don’t have anything set up for people to buy the books directly from me, aside from catching me locally at a book signing. (There will be book signings, but I don’t have dates/venues yet — more information forthcoming soon!) I did my own book shipping in my last self-publishing venture, but honestly, living in Alaska, so much of my profit is eaten up by shipping costs that it’s just about as cost-effective for me to sell them through Amazon. On the other hand, I know how some people feel about Amazon (I am entirely sympathetic, believe me!) so I’m hoping to have more non-Amazon options available for you soon.

Questions? Please ask! I will have a reaction/discussion post for the book up soon.

In conclusion: BOOK! \o/

Originally published at Layla's Wordpress blog. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[veleda_k]

Whoo! That is so awesome. Many congratulations!

[layla]

Thank you so much! ♥

I am PSYCHED. \o/

ETA: GetBackers icon ftw!

[veleda_k]

Some levels of exuberance can only be expressed with chibi Ginji. :)

[layla]

Heeee! Chibi Ginji is MADE OF BOUNCE!

I was never fannish about GetBackers (and there are still large chunks of both anime and manga that I've never seen/read), but every so often one of the theme songs comes up in my iTunes shuffle and it just makes me smile. :D It was such a happymaking show. And it had great music!

[trobadora]

Congrats! It looks gorgeous. :D

[layla]

Thank you so much! <3

[killing_rose]

~earmarks money from next paycheck~ I will probably be picking it up from Amazon unless I can manage the cognitive function to set up a createspace account. (Or nag someone in my house to set one up.)

Were I still in AK, I would probably go, "...Convince Title Wave to carry it?" because, well, Title Wave.

[layla]

Yayayay, thank you! :D

Title Wave is definitely one of the places I want to talk to (my very favorite bookstore when I lived in Anchorage!) but it'll have to wait until I'm down that way again, which probably won't be 'til December.

[thingswithwings]

Congratulations! It looks beautiful. :)

[layla]

Thank you so much! <3 <3 <3

And I am sorry about not getting together again while I was in Ithaca! I wanted to, and I really enjoyed the small amount of time that we did have to spend together. I just ran out of time to do everything I wanted to do.

[thingswithwings]

Oh, don't apologise! I totally understand. It sounds like you had a blast while you were here, which is what's important. And I enjoyed the small amount of time we spent together too! :)

[malnpudl]

Okay, I followed your how to sample link... and here I am, what, an hour or two later? Anyway, time disappeared and I was entirely captivated and left needing to know what happened next -- which is to say, needing to buy your book.

Congrats on publication! I am delighted that I'll get to have a print copy of my very own. :-)

ETA: Edited for non-crossing of the streams, just in case.

[layla]

Yayyyyy! \o/ This comment made my day. Seriously. I'm so delighted you enjoyed it and I really hope that you like the book as well. <3 <3 <3

As for your ETA, a small amount of stream-crossing is okay and probably inevitable. :D Actually, the deleted part of your comment is something that I seriously would LOVE to see happen someday. In fact, if dangling the book in front of the fannish part of my flist/dwircle results in fic, I would be made very very happy by that! :D