Well! It seems as though mum has once again successfully acquired almost all of the copies of THE WOODCUTTER and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TREE and squirreled them away in the attic. I have about 20 copies left from this second printing, and am unsure as to if/when a third will be ordered. Happily, used copies are still available on Amazon:
This will never be not-hilarious to me.
Worth.every.penny.
Kickstarter rewards have all shipped, and I think it's now time to let everyone else in on the fun:)
SO! Copies of both my books are available on AMAZON and ETSY!! Amazon is great if you want a book cheap and fast; ETSY is the way to go if you'd like your copies signed/personalized. You could also throw your name into the hat and participate in the BOOK GIVEAWAY on Goodreads.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloweeeeeeeeeeeen!!!
Here are some places where I will be in the future, with books and art for sale or trade. The season of gift-giving draws nigh, and the best gift you can give someone is a hug.
But! The SECOND best gift you can give someone is a nice plant.
And third best? Well, that's DEFINITELY a book. It's always nice meeting new people and signing books for their special someones. I'll have BOTH(?!) books on hand, so come say hi!!
Saturday, November 8th - Hillside Craft Show (10am-4pm)
6100 Folks Rd
Horton, MI 49246
Saturday, November 15th - Art-A-Licious 2014 Redux (noon-6pm)
Adrian YMCA
638 W Maumee
Adrian, MI 49221
(Hopefully) more to come!
Got the books...now just gotta get 'em to the people that helped make it happen. #plastickingdom
Sushi
Po
I have the worst/most adorable assistants.
I was fortunate to attend a street fair in Adrian, MI this past weekend called Art-A-Licious. It was a 2-day, well-attended event featuring artists, crafters, food, music, and "music."
My bush league setup.
Kids love it!
So, the first, like, 98% of Art-A-Licious was awesome. Then a storm rolled-in, and the last 2% looked like this:
People screaming, stuff flying, stuff breaking
I didn't have the heart to take pictures of the worst of it...but this gives you an idea.
Thankfully, I'd packed-up everything except my tent weights by the time the storm hit. I literally closed the trunk of my car, felt a few raindrops, a few more raindrops...then a gust of wind came down Main Street like a freight train and carried with it tents, art, crafts, money, screams, and trash. A little more wind, then torrential rain for the next hour. I helped my neighbors salvage whatever they could and got them packed-up and on their way. Feeling really thankful to have gotten out with just wet clothes. It was emotional.
What an end to the season.
For serious! It's happening!!
Here are the final front and back cover designs
I can't believe this book is going to be holdable/touchable/readable soon...
Here is the layout for the new book! As you can see, this book is quite a bit more complex than The Woodcutter and The Most Beautiful Tree. The biggest challenge has been getting the correct text to fit on the correct page. I tried to allow for enough room for text in each of the illustrations, but unfortunately I didn't do a totally flawless job. So, there has been some creative tinkering and shuffling, trying to get pictures and words to mesh together in a 48-page package. There are a few more small tweaks to do before Lelani heads to the printer for proofing, but we're getting there!!
PS - Missed my (admittedly a bit pie-in-the-sky) deadline for having books delivered in July. Sorry for the delay, thanks all for patience and understanding. You're gonna LOVE this book :)
:-)
I was sort of interviewed for a little piece in Publishers Weekly, you can check it out HERE.
Or you can see my bit right now:
The Woodcutter and the Most Beautiful Tree by Robb N. Johnston
As an English conversation teacher in Japan, Johnston felt inspired by the picture books he was using to teach Japanese children. He decided to take his love of art and illustration, combine it with a simple story, and create a book that would be his contribution to the world of picture books. About a tree that must outwit the woodcutter’s ax, the story is complemented by Johnston’s own illustrations. Listed as a top-five book for Earth Day by BookTrib, the title was the recipient of a starred review in Kirkus Reviews and the product of a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign. It’s sold out of its first printing due to promotion on the author’s website, word of mouth from Kickstarter and the author’s artist community, and positive press.
“Despite being unable to secure a traditional agent or publisher for my work, I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to The Woodcutter,” Johnston says. His second independently published book, Lelani and the Plastic Kingdom, is an adventure tale about marine plastic pollution and is close to being ready for press. “If you put your absolute best work out there, it will resonate with and enrich people,” he says. “There are so many avenues and opportunities out there for independently publishing your work, and there are just as many pitfalls and traps for getting scammed. Research your options and talk to people that have been there before.” Johnston credits the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as a useful resource.
A couple of things to clarify: The Woodcutter and The Most Beautiful Tree was not funded, promoted, or in any way supported through Kickstarter. I really wish I had thought of that back then...but c'est la vie! It wasn't until my current book, Lelani and The Plastic Kingdom, that I threw myself upon the mercies of the crowd-funding masses :) (Love you guys!!!!)
So that's what the cover of the book will look like! I opted, almost on a whim, to do the name and title by hand. I'm pleased with how it turned-out overall.
In other news...LESS THAN A WEEK LEFT IN THE KICKSTARTER!!! We're over 100% funded right now, with some pretty cool stretch goals in the works as well. Thanks for all the folks who are continuing to share down the home stretch!!!