I was forwarded this link to a recent PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY article, about Buzz Dixon's line of graphic novels, (Serenity, Goofy Foot Girl) currently published by Thomas Nelson:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6544434.html?nid=2789
Having first met Buzz back in 2004, when he was shopping the concept of Serenity and I was releasing the first Eye Witness graphic novel, (See: http://www.headpress.info/) , we seemed to both be on the same wave-length about bringing more books with a Christian foundation into the market of comics, manga and graphic novels, (from the subtle to the overt). Therefore, it somewhat saddens me to see him basically speaking the Thomas Nelson company line, "that our graphic novels are not necessarily Christian"...in the hopes of gaining wider reconition in the secular book trade, (see my blog from 2/12 on Thomas Nelson, to more fully understand how I view this stategy).
But then again....Buzz has high hopes for his properties, (as adressed in the article), being tranferred to other media and has partnered (ironically) with this "Christian publishing giant" to help make that happen.
It's funny but this very situation is one I've sat and talked about with brother Christian creators (of all of the arts...music, movies, comics etc...), for years and years! What if one of us created a book/movie/song that became widely popular and was offered a deal with a major company/publisher to make some serious dollars with it, would we be willing to tone down its Christian themes to make it more widely accessible? It's a fork in the road anyone wishing to create works with overt Christian themes, or messages, must deal with when working in a pop culturish industry. Do I stay my course and not sacrifice my desire to expand the kingdom through my works, or do I go down the path for more sales, more exposure, more money, in exchange for potentially having to give up some of my editiorial control of my creations to do so?
Is this moral conumstrom unique to Christian creators?...of course not, think of how many tales of creative types "selling out to take the big money" you've heard in your lifetime. It's just that with those who profess a goal larger than earning money or fame, (re: the great commission), it seems like the decision becomes magnified.
Disclaimer: Since I have not talked to Buzz about this yet, don't be mislead that I'm inferring that this is the course Buzz has taken with his books...it's just that this interview, coming on the heals of a similar statement from his publisher a month earlier, has caused me to wonder out loud. Buzz Dixon is a wonderful person, an honorable businessman and to date Serenity has been one of the more pleasant and well received Christian themed american-manga published and my hope is that his core mission for his properties does indeed stay the same.
RJ Luedke
Head Press Publishing
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Is Thomas Nelson Moving away from the CBA?
A very interesting article was brought to my attention this morning from fellow author, Sue Dent, (www.shoutlife.com/suedent), that Thomas Nelson had gone on the record with the trade publication, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, that they are not a publisher of Christian Fiction!
Wow...that would be news to the publishing world indeed. Before going any further, read the entire article to understand the context: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6530751.html?industryid=47140
Now that your back ....Let me explain what I think this all means, from a position of one who's been in these Graphic Novel publishing trenches.
Thomas Nelson (http://www.thomasnelson.com/) is indeed a company that people look to for quality "Christian based Fiction" (which I define as stories that go anywhere from overtly Biblical, to those with spiritual or Christian principles or ideas at their core), but a company who is now attempting to make headway into the GRAPHIC NOVEL MARKETPLACE, which is not so friendly to Christian based works (partly due to a bias created by years of persecution from the politically Christian Right, over freedom of speech issues with the product...among other issues).
With their upcoming line of GN's they are attempting to parlay the success they've found with their prose fiction (re: Dekker's works) to their GN lines...which is you read the orginal article talks about that 70% of their prose fiction sales come from outside of the CBA, while only 50% of their current GN sales are outside of the CBA (re: Dekker's trilogy and Serenity).
For those of you who are not in the know, GN's represent the largest catagory of growth in Publishing over the past few years in the USA. Outside of the USA it represents the top catagory of publishing worldwide and now we in the states are catching up in sales, beause the US book market is finally understanding that ANY KIND OF STORY can be told in this format, not just kids stuff or superhero's, but serious literary works of all genres.
So far the CBA has been kind of resistent to the GN format for a number of reasons, (a. don't really understand the format or it's potential to attract teens into their stores... and b. don't really understand how to display and market it, etc....). So TN, is being proactive to all book retailers by making this statement. They are in essence announcing...HEY, we're not just publishing illustrated Bible adaptations or tracts...this is serious fiction here FOR ALL BOOK RETAILERS, not just the CBA! But that does indeed kind of put them in a rocky place where their membership with the CBA is concerned. But, in the big economic picture they realize there is much more money to be made outside the CBA then their is inside. They just have to have a internal sitdown, I'd guess and decide what kind of publishing house they really want to be!
Footnote: We here at Head Press Publishing have been traveling down this Christian Graphic Novel path and clearing the brush for these larger publishers to follow. Through the publication of the AWARD WINNING Eye Witness graphic novel series, (which premiered in August of 2002), we have experienced and worked through many of the same barriers to our product in both the CBA and secular book trade that TN now is attempting to overcome. As they are finding, given the format, it creates challenges that are unique and quite different from prose only works.
But unlike TN, (or other very large publishing concerns), our bottom line goal with Eye Witness is not to generate the most income possible, but rather to impact the most people with the story of the Gospel shared within it who may not hear about it otherwise. Now don't get confused and think we're socialists (LOL)....if the books sell big-time and generate a healthy profit, we won't complain, but on the other hand that is not what spurred us to create this work, that would just be a nice benefit.
And when all is said and done, staying centered on that goal is what will keep the series on track through it's conclusion (all four books of the tetralogy published)!
Bob Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Wow...that would be news to the publishing world indeed. Before going any further, read the entire article to understand the context: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6530751.html?industryid=47140
Now that your back ....Let me explain what I think this all means, from a position of one who's been in these Graphic Novel publishing trenches.
Thomas Nelson (http://www.thomasnelson.com/) is indeed a company that people look to for quality "Christian based Fiction" (which I define as stories that go anywhere from overtly Biblical, to those with spiritual or Christian principles or ideas at their core), but a company who is now attempting to make headway into the GRAPHIC NOVEL MARKETPLACE, which is not so friendly to Christian based works (partly due to a bias created by years of persecution from the politically Christian Right, over freedom of speech issues with the product...among other issues).
With their upcoming line of GN's they are attempting to parlay the success they've found with their prose fiction (re: Dekker's works) to their GN lines...which is you read the orginal article talks about that 70% of their prose fiction sales come from outside of the CBA, while only 50% of their current GN sales are outside of the CBA (re: Dekker's trilogy and Serenity).
For those of you who are not in the know, GN's represent the largest catagory of growth in Publishing over the past few years in the USA. Outside of the USA it represents the top catagory of publishing worldwide and now we in the states are catching up in sales, beause the US book market is finally understanding that ANY KIND OF STORY can be told in this format, not just kids stuff or superhero's, but serious literary works of all genres.
So far the CBA has been kind of resistent to the GN format for a number of reasons, (a. don't really understand the format or it's potential to attract teens into their stores... and b. don't really understand how to display and market it, etc....). So TN, is being proactive to all book retailers by making this statement. They are in essence announcing...HEY, we're not just publishing illustrated Bible adaptations or tracts...this is serious fiction here FOR ALL BOOK RETAILERS, not just the CBA! But that does indeed kind of put them in a rocky place where their membership with the CBA is concerned. But, in the big economic picture they realize there is much more money to be made outside the CBA then their is inside. They just have to have a internal sitdown, I'd guess and decide what kind of publishing house they really want to be!
Footnote: We here at Head Press Publishing have been traveling down this Christian Graphic Novel path and clearing the brush for these larger publishers to follow. Through the publication of the AWARD WINNING Eye Witness graphic novel series, (which premiered in August of 2002), we have experienced and worked through many of the same barriers to our product in both the CBA and secular book trade that TN now is attempting to overcome. As they are finding, given the format, it creates challenges that are unique and quite different from prose only works.
But unlike TN, (or other very large publishing concerns), our bottom line goal with Eye Witness is not to generate the most income possible, but rather to impact the most people with the story of the Gospel shared within it who may not hear about it otherwise. Now don't get confused and think we're socialists (LOL)....if the books sell big-time and generate a healthy profit, we won't complain, but on the other hand that is not what spurred us to create this work, that would just be a nice benefit.
And when all is said and done, staying centered on that goal is what will keep the series on track through it's conclusion (all four books of the tetralogy published)!
Bob Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Friday, January 25, 2008
WARNING: AOL DICARDING LONGTIME CUSTOMERS
I discovered last evening that my AOL account, (of almost 12 years) had been arbitrarily terminated. I say arbitrarily, since I cannot find out why this even occured or do ANYTHING about it.
Calling AOL's customer service number, I got to jump through the usual hopes, having to talk to the customer service department which is outsourced to some far-off land, where many times you cannot even understand the operators due to their heavy accents, (no racism intended here Time Warner, but if you are dealing with English speaking customers it behoves you to have support people that can fluently speak the language). Then I was told my account was terminated by something called a "MESH TEAM"...and that the reason for this action would not (could not) be discussed by anyone in customer service. If I wanted answers my only option was to "write a letter" to this Mesh Team at AOL's Dulles, VA address. WRITE A LETTER?!
Besides the obvious irony of having to attempt to communicate with this corporate giant, the slowest, most technologically ancient of methods, when it's focus is speeding communications and the flow of information...I find it particularly disturbing that this is how they choose to deal with customers that have been loyal to them for so long. It's obvious this method is meant to totally cut off any option on the part of the long term AOL customer to discuss this action, or for that matter, see if it is even justified in any way!
SO USE THIS AS A CAUTIONARY TALE....do not sign up for AOL, or if you are already a subscriber, I would take steps to begin transferring your data, address book and any mailing lists to a new provider, since scanning the web I find this behavior of terminating of long term accounts by this MESH TEAM, with no explaination proveded (even if you do choose to write them), seems to be happening at an alarming rate all over the country. This unethical action by AOL has locked me out of over a decade of my contact information, and allows me no recourse or action to retrive it at this point! Having been a client of AOL for so long I stopped making hard-copy duplicates of contact information long ago, since I had total confidence in their service.
So if you have been trying to contact me through any of my normal email channels and have gotten it returned, please resend the information through the "CONTACT US" page on our website: www.headpress.info ....and I will respond through a new email address.
I apologize for any inconvience this may have on the hundreds of people we communicate with monthly, but hope my sharing this information helps other people abandon the AOL ship, figurativly speaking, before this happens to them.
If you have a good referal for a email, group mailing provider, feel free to pass it on to me. I've been locked into AOL so long, truth be told, I don't know what's all out there.
Bob Luedke
Head Press Publishing
Calling AOL's customer service number, I got to jump through the usual hopes, having to talk to the customer service department which is outsourced to some far-off land, where many times you cannot even understand the operators due to their heavy accents, (no racism intended here Time Warner, but if you are dealing with English speaking customers it behoves you to have support people that can fluently speak the language). Then I was told my account was terminated by something called a "MESH TEAM"...and that the reason for this action would not (could not) be discussed by anyone in customer service. If I wanted answers my only option was to "write a letter" to this Mesh Team at AOL's Dulles, VA address. WRITE A LETTER?!
Besides the obvious irony of having to attempt to communicate with this corporate giant, the slowest, most technologically ancient of methods, when it's focus is speeding communications and the flow of information...I find it particularly disturbing that this is how they choose to deal with customers that have been loyal to them for so long. It's obvious this method is meant to totally cut off any option on the part of the long term AOL customer to discuss this action, or for that matter, see if it is even justified in any way!
SO USE THIS AS A CAUTIONARY TALE....do not sign up for AOL, or if you are already a subscriber, I would take steps to begin transferring your data, address book and any mailing lists to a new provider, since scanning the web I find this behavior of terminating of long term accounts by this MESH TEAM, with no explaination proveded (even if you do choose to write them), seems to be happening at an alarming rate all over the country. This unethical action by AOL has locked me out of over a decade of my contact information, and allows me no recourse or action to retrive it at this point! Having been a client of AOL for so long I stopped making hard-copy duplicates of contact information long ago, since I had total confidence in their service.
So if you have been trying to contact me through any of my normal email channels and have gotten it returned, please resend the information through the "CONTACT US" page on our website: www.headpress.info ....and I will respond through a new email address.
I apologize for any inconvience this may have on the hundreds of people we communicate with monthly, but hope my sharing this information helps other people abandon the AOL ship, figurativly speaking, before this happens to them.
If you have a good referal for a email, group mailing provider, feel free to pass it on to me. I've been locked into AOL so long, truth be told, I don't know what's all out there.
Bob Luedke
Head Press Publishing
Monday, December 24, 2007
"HOLY NIGHT", Batman!!
Dec. 24th, 2007
In this day and age I think we easily hear the same old Christmas songs on the radio over and over again (on stations in their 24-7 Christmas music modes)...and maybe tend to dismiss them as our parents or grandparents music.
Last night in my church's Christmas presentation though, the music director took the time to take one of those old tunes and make it relevent and come alive for me. So much so, I felt compelled to share this bit of history with all my brothers in the blog-o-sphere.
"Oh Holy Night", is a song that's been around since the late 1800's. It was originally written in poem form by Placide Cappeau, (who was a French wine merchant and poet and not a very devote church goer). Cappeau as asked by his local parish priest to write a Christmas poem that he could use in his sermon that week. The poem was later put to music by Adolphe Adam in 1847.
In 1855, it was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight, (an Unitarian Minister and editor of Dwights Journal of Music). Because of it's reverent homage to a first person viewing with awe the birth of Jesus, and it's verses concerning freedom from slavery and opression it became widely popular and an instant classic in the civil war era.
On December 24th, 1906, Reginald Fressendon, broadcast the first AM radio program, during which he played "Oh Holy Night" on the violin....making it possibly the first piece of music ever broadcast on the radio?!
It's rumored that on a Christmas eve during the ongoing trench warfare of World War one in Europe, a French solider arose from his trench and began to sing the hymm loudly over the battlefield in his native French language. In reponse a German soldier also stood up and began to sing the hymm in German. Soon the whole battlefield was filled with the sound of "Oh Holy Night"....and for the next 24 hours of Christmas day, not a shot was fired and there was peace on the battle fields in honor of the birth of Christ.
So next time you're singing this old tune in church, with your kids, your friends or along with the radio...remember it's significance and revel in the holy spirit that inhabits both its creation and development in our society.
May you all have a blessed Christmas celebration.
RJ luedke
www.headpress.info
In this day and age I think we easily hear the same old Christmas songs on the radio over and over again (on stations in their 24-7 Christmas music modes)...and maybe tend to dismiss them as our parents or grandparents music.
Last night in my church's Christmas presentation though, the music director took the time to take one of those old tunes and make it relevent and come alive for me. So much so, I felt compelled to share this bit of history with all my brothers in the blog-o-sphere.
"Oh Holy Night", is a song that's been around since the late 1800's. It was originally written in poem form by Placide Cappeau, (who was a French wine merchant and poet and not a very devote church goer). Cappeau as asked by his local parish priest to write a Christmas poem that he could use in his sermon that week. The poem was later put to music by Adolphe Adam in 1847.
In 1855, it was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight, (an Unitarian Minister and editor of Dwights Journal of Music). Because of it's reverent homage to a first person viewing with awe the birth of Jesus, and it's verses concerning freedom from slavery and opression it became widely popular and an instant classic in the civil war era.
On December 24th, 1906, Reginald Fressendon, broadcast the first AM radio program, during which he played "Oh Holy Night" on the violin....making it possibly the first piece of music ever broadcast on the radio?!
It's rumored that on a Christmas eve during the ongoing trench warfare of World War one in Europe, a French solider arose from his trench and began to sing the hymm loudly over the battlefield in his native French language. In reponse a German soldier also stood up and began to sing the hymm in German. Soon the whole battlefield was filled with the sound of "Oh Holy Night"....and for the next 24 hours of Christmas day, not a shot was fired and there was peace on the battle fields in honor of the birth of Christ.
So next time you're singing this old tune in church, with your kids, your friends or along with the radio...remember it's significance and revel in the holy spirit that inhabits both its creation and development in our society.
May you all have a blessed Christmas celebration.
RJ luedke
www.headpress.info
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