In this issue:
* FIRST, AN EXPLANATION
* COMPLETE PEANUTS VOLUME 1: WOW
* COMPLETE PEANUTS VOLUME 2: COMING
* COMPLETE PEANUTS 1+2: A BOX OF GOODNESS
* OTHER UPCOMING BOOKS
* THE FUTURE OF AAUGH.COM?
FIRST, AN EXPLANATION
A number of you have noticed that it’s been a long time since
the last AAUGH.com newsletter. In fact, some of you assumed
that I’d dropped you off the mailing list, because it can’t
have been that long between newsletters.
The truth is simpler. No newsletters have come out in a
while. AAUGH.com, delightful as it is, is just one portion
of my life, and the other portions have been quite hectic
in recent weeks. I’m still dealing with the aftermath of
24 Hour Comics Day, the international event I spearheaded
(and will do so again next year.) As an editor and publisher,
I’m putting out books at a more rapid clip than ever before.
As a writer, I’ve been working on promotion of my Complete
Idiot’s Guide To Creating Graphic Novels and cutting a
licensing deal for one of my existing projects. And in my
personal life… let’s just say that there are developments
that have demanded considerable focus, and will demand even
more in the days to come. I actually did squeeze in some
time to create a newsletter a few weeks back, and then a
computer kerfaffle caused it to disappear without a trace.
I never intended the gap between issues to be this long,
but at any given moment there was something that needed to
be done -now-.
But I will find the time when I can… so here is a newsletter,
if a short one.
COMPLETE PEANUTS VOLUME 1: WOW
The first volume of The Complete Peanuts has been shipping
for a while, and people seem quite happy with it. The book
hit the New York Times extended best-seller list, coming in
at number 19 on the hardcover fiction list for May 23. While
this is far from the first time that a Peanuts book reached
best-seller status, it should be noted that the publisher,
Fantagraphics, has never hit the charts before with any
project. Reorders are coming in rapidly. People love Peanuts.
Whodda thunk?
If you haven’t gotten one for yourself yet (or need a gift
for someone else!), it’s still at a hearty discount at
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?156097589X
(And yes, I am the Nat Gertler mentioned in the
acknowledgements. No, I’m not employed by the publisher. I
just helped them locate some hard-to-find strips, and field a
few other questions from them. That’s another things that
takes up time these days.)
===============================================================
COMPLETE PEANUTS VOLUME 2: COMING
Volume 2, containing all of the strips from 1953 and 1954
plus an intro by newsman and Peanuts fan Walter Cronkite,
isn’t due until October — but you can preorder it now
and lock in a price of under $20. Or you can just go and
look at Lucy on the cover.
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?1560976144
===============================================================
COMPLETE PEANUTS 1+2: A BOX OF GOODNESS
If you haven’t gotten Volume 1 yet, and can bear to stand
to wait for it, you might want to simply order this boxed
set with 1 and 2 in a simple slip-case. It will ship
around the same time that volume 2 ships:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?1560976322
The good news is that the current pre-order price of the
boxed set is less than volume 1 and volume 2 combined.
The bad news, at least for the collectors among you,
is that the box probably won’t have the first printing
of volume 1, but whatever printing is currently available
of this fast-selling book. (On the other hand, that may
also be an advantage; the book was carefully edited, but
then someone accidentally sent the un-edited versions of
certain text files to the printer, rather than the edited
ones. I don’t yet know if the errors will be corrected
in future printings.)
And to answer the next question: no, from what I hear they
are not currently planning to do a slipcased version every
two books. This is just a push to get people to buy the
first couple volumes as a gift set, and thus hook the
recipient into buying the following 23 volumes.
===============================================================
OTHER UPCOMING BOOKS
Well, the storybook IT’S FATHER’S DAY, CHARLIE BROWN is
already out:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689868197
as is the Baby Snoopy board book COLORS:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689869983
July brings us calendars, both a 365-day calendar:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0740744453
and an 16 month one:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0740744402
plus the storybook GO TO SCHOOL, CHARLIE BROWN
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689868189
August brings the long-awaited, previously-delayed
pop-up book PEANUTS: A POP-UP CELEBRATION
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689854536 — and if you want
to save more, check out all you can save on the more
expensive limited edition!:
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689863896
September has the storybook THE GREAT PUMPKIN STRIKES AGAIN!
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0689873395
and TRICK OR TREAT: A PEANUTS HALLOWEEN (which is described
as “a goody bag of comics delights featuring the whole Peanuts
gang!” and featuring “Halloween tips, costume ideas, and
recipes”. It’s also got an intro by R. L. Stine, the guy
behind the Goosebumps series — and who, under the name
Jovial Bob Stine, used to write comics himself)
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0345464133
And then there’s the mini-book with the strange title
MERRY CHRISTMAS, SWEETY! WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!, which is an
odd line of dialog taken from a strip where Snoopy
(dressed as Santa) actually appears to speak.
http://AAUGH.com/to.htm?0740746480
And October brings the storybook I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS,
CHARLIE BROWN, which is not yet available for preorder.
===============================================================
THE FUTURE OF AAUGH.COM?
The hecticness that has marked my life lately might calm down
slightly for the next few months, but there are signs that it
will come back strong in the fall and stay for a long while.
I am -considering- phasing out both the AAUGH.com storefront and
the email newsletter. That does not mean my information will
go away, however; the Peanuts book list would remain and continue
to be maintained, and new information would be kept on a blog.
It just means you’d have to go visit the blog from time to
time, rather than getting a newsletter. This would mean that I
would stop making any money from the site, but it also means
considerable less time involved.
None of this is definite. I just thought I’d let you all in on
my thoughts at this stage.
But for now, you’ll continuing getting the newsletter… as
long as you keep sending your email address updates to nat@AAUGH.com
(which is also the address you should use for your comments,
complaints, insults, and such.)
