06 September 2005

Where be the Nantucket Brown Roasters?

Good question. I've been trying to figure out how to keep Roasters on a good schedule for some time now. I had always figured that I'd reward you patient readers who wait out the gaps between issues with larger, more comprehensive Roasters adventures. The now slightly overdue NBR: The Third Twin is 64 pages long. And, unfortunately, it's delayed indefinitely…

Why? Good question. It really boils down to sales and momentum. The sales figures for NBR: The Third Twin were the worst in NBR's history. Circumstances play into that, for sure. Having a year go by between issues doesn't help. A lack of advertising and promotion doesn't help, either. The word of mouth on Roasters is flattering and heartwarming. I have gotten so many repeat retailer customers that it makes the NBR situation even that more aggravating. Sales. Simply put, low sales makes publishing indy comics prohibitive. I've published at a loss for a while. It's hard not to, really, unless you're one of the fortunate few who have caught the industry's eye for one reason or another. Publishing a 64-page squarebound comic would be a terrible loss with the sales numbers – one that I can't swallow at this point. Not with so many other things coming about – a future Wormwood sequel (the book is selling really well, and has gotten me some wonderful feedback and responses) being first and foremost.

There's certainly hope for Roasters. The only thing that I'm saying right now is that there will be no new NBR comics from House of Usher between now and next summer. After that, there are many possibilities. It has always been my dream to self-publish my comics my way. But, if that's not possible, then I'll gladly bring my books to other publishers. I'm in the process of finding a new home for NBR, plus work on the sequel to The Great Wormwood, plus put together another comic project that's been stewing away for a while in my brain. Lots of stuff. Lots of possibilities. All possible with a couple of breaks falling my way.

Until then, keep checking back with the website for all sorts of stuff. Columns will start appearing much more frequently, and if you haven't checked out TheDarkerTower.com, then now's the time that you should.

Later,

Jason