Why You Are Coming To Penguicon
Posted April 12th, 2006 by Howard TaylerI’ve been telling everybody who missed out on a sketch edition that all you need to do is “catch up with me at a convention” where I can sketch in books onesy-twosy.
Unfortunately, the books won’t be in my hands until May 10th or so, which means that Penguicon attendees can catch up with me at a convention and have no way for me to sketch in their copy of the Schlock book.
So… Sandra and I discussed it, and we’re going to cut Penguicon Attendees a deal. I will accept orders for sketch editions (which cost $10 more than the other pre-orders) from Penguicon attendees. You have to place the order with me at Penguicon, you have to be wearing a Penguicon badge, and the limit is one per customer.
Most folks who “catch up with me at conventions” in coming months will NOT have to pay the extra $10. But their sketch editions will not be numbered. That’s right, there will be a little number under the sketch, like #211/350, telling you and the world just how incredibly rare your book is — but ONLY for the pre-ordered sketch editions.
This may sound like a shameless attempt to make money, or maybe a shameless attempt to get people to come to Penguicon. Frankly, it’s both. After all, there is no shame in honest work, and sketching in who knows how many books is going to be serious work for me. Even if I spend just 10 minutes with the pencil and ink, the 200 books I’m already committed to are going to take FORTY HOURS.
Now… if you’ve already ordered a non-sketch edition, AND you’re going to be at Penguicon, here’s what you do: print out your reciept, and you can pay the extra $10 there at the show. I’ll indicate that your order is to be upgraded, and your book will show up all nice and sketchy.
Now then… I know that lots of you are going to scream about how unfair it is that Howard only travels around points A through F, and you live at point M. This is easy to rectify… get me invited to M-Con, where the M-Con organizers pay my travel and lodging, and I’ll draw in whatever Schlock book you care to put in front of me. It might not happen this year, but it WILL happen. After all, I can’t hope to take over the world without doing a little more travel.
(By the way, as of this writing we’ve pre-sold 1,241 books. Thank you, everybody.)
Explore posts in the same categories: Business, Conventions, Merchandise
April 12th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
See! I said you’d reach 1200. Now .. in order to take over the world we need to get to 2000, and I >>>>KNOW
April 12th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
See! I said you’d reach 1200. Now .. in order to take over the world we need to get to 2000, and I KNOW that is just a fraction of the number of Schlockers out there.
Come on people :) You read Schlock, you like Schlock, and every book you buy means that Howard can eat, drink, and draw us more Schlock of course. So, if you’re been hesitating, and you have the money (you know, it costs less than eating out for two in a nice restaurant) .. why not support Howard, and buy a book?
-Martin
April 12th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Hey Howrad :)
Just a quick msg to thank u for your continued efforts in this web comic and not only giving me a great oppertuninty to get a portable version of your art work so i can show friends but allso it allways me to give some money back to a person who has provided so much entertainment to me.
There are 2 web comics i read every night , one being sluggy freelance the other being Shlock mercenary
Personaly i dont know how u do it , with continouing great dialoge day after day non stop for so many years .
I for one salute u .
From a fan way down in australia
greyghost
April 12th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Penguicon is one of the things I really miss about Michigan. It’s one of the best conventions I’ve ever been too. Have fun!
And congratulations on the preorders. That surpasses that 1225 number you referred to before as sufficient to get you through to the next book… another milestone down! I agree with Martin – time to shoot for 2000!
(That forty hours doesn’t sound easy, no… but at ~$60 an hour, you’re at least making some decent money doing it.)
April 12th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
1200+ preorders. That’s really fantastic! Rock on guys!
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
April 12th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Definately gonna find a way to start a Con called M-Con now…
And I still say that we need to turn the book release into a mini-con…
I’ll bring my desire to play Frag…
And a couple of old sheets from RPGs, and see what happens…
And if only it weren’t Michigan…
*shudder* I’d be near DETROIT!!!!
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
April 12th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
This makes me really sad that I didn’t know about Penguicon when I used to live in MI.
Oh well, just plan for it later.
April 12th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
Say it does take 40 hours for the 200 sketches, 40 hours ain’t bad for $2000. =D
Bah, 40 hours for me gets me a little over roughly $250, after taxes and other deductions. Got medical insurance, but I’m young yet, I never go to the doctors as it is, so I ended up getting the $1000 deductible insurance + dental (neither which I’ve used), for about $13-$14 (I think) every check (bi-weekly) And, I get some taken out for company stock, which they match 15%. So, it’s not *too* bad. Though, I’d be losing a lot more to medical if I opted for the lower deductibles. Bah. But, whatever. I’m rambling.
Looking forward to the book, I hope you sell TONS more. Though, I bet your wrist doesn’t. Because, even without the sketches, you still have over 1241 books to autograph. (Oops, sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have reminded you? Your wrist is probably aching already.)
April 12th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
Well, I’ve never posted before, but I’ve been reading this comic for quite some time. I managed to get a sketch edition of the book, and now I’m really curious to see which number I get. I do hope that you number them in the order that they were ordered (that sounds weird). I also have to say that this will be the first web-comic book that I’ve ever bought, just because I like Schlock so much, and as a college student, I’m so broke. Can’t wait to get it!
April 12th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
Congrats from another Aussie, Howard!
Grey ghost, I thought I recognised a Footrot Flats reference . . . :)
April 12th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Hmmm…
Is it just your travel that needs covering for you to consider a visit to foreign parts or do you insist on a retinue…Not that Sandra couldn’t teach “Survivng life with an artist 101″ and “Suddenly finding you are the other half of a business”.
Do you need hotel style accomadation or are you the fluffy type that is agreeable to being accomadated in someone’s guest room as long as it has a real bed and the hot water works?
Would you like a chance to conquer bits of Australia?
If so then I think Some suitably effective whispers may need to be made…
Sasha
April 12th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Sasha: this page has the details for “how I like to be taken care of.”
In a pinch, yes, I can put up with a guest room at somebody’s house. If that’s what it takes to get me to Australia, I’m game. We would want to make a full event of it, though — contact a local comics shop, ship a bunch of books over, get the word out to fans who are within Aussie-reasonable driving distance (I’ve no idea what that is), etc.
Ultimately, I can’t be spending money out-of-pocket on travel. Also, I have to be far enough ahead on my buffer- and book-work that I can afford the time away from my drawing table.
–Howard
April 13th, 2006 at 2:47 am
I, for one, will put out some feelers. I’d love to see you in person!
I’m not a real afficionado of most comics. So it will take some interesting research to find out who needs to be ready.
I’ll let you know!
April 13th, 2006 at 4:01 am
Howard, you left out the important part about going to Penguicon: It’s a heck of a nice con! Not overwhelmingly big, with a real mix of SF and geek stuff, and neat folks (not just you) who actually like to talk with people.
Oh, and I’ll have my costumes with me. All three of them (nothing new this time around). Haven’t decided which one gets worn when yet, though.
April 13th, 2006 at 7:02 am
You and Sandra deserve for this book to be successful, and the next after it. You’ve both sacrificed and worked so hard to get to this point, even if your comic stunk, you would deserve it.
But see, it doesn’t stink. It reeks of awesomeness. So IT deserves it too! Winners all ’round, everyone.
If that gorgeous sample is any indication, it’s a beautiful book. Can’t wait til my copy gets here….
April 13th, 2006 at 11:33 am
LOL well spoted johno
I must admit im very suprised some one knows the origins of my nick :) i have had it for close to 13 yrs
On the subject at hand
I think it would be a good idea to get people like howard to come to cons in australia to give us a better understanding of drawing/humor and some fresh ideas for dnd and the such {even thou i dout i will be able to come to such cons since i live in wa and quit frankly theres nothing on this side of australia ,unless u count Gengis con but that has a small following of only about 120 poeple ? maby less}
And i wouldnt mind trying that game call frag :)
And it may seem strange , since i havent resived a copy of the first volume of schlock yet but i cant wait till howard gets the next one out and ready for us to buy