A collection of one hundred comics about talking back to your self-doubt and anxiety, and a plush demon to go with ’em.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
11/9 - The Final 100 Demon Dialogues Event
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Nov 05, 2018 at 10:45:39 PM
Hi friends!
Here we are in November and I have so much to be grateful for. Over the past nine months you have showed up for TWENTY-FOUR different events, shared countless meaningful stories on social media, left reviews, introduced friends, and made the entire launch of 100 Demon Dialogues a smashing success. Thank you, thank you, thank you for believing in this book and continuing to support me through this wild year of travel.
Feeling incredibly welcomed at BookPeople in Austin. Marquee placement was a major dream on this trip, and they made it come true!
My last event of 2018 is taking place at 6pm this Friday, November9th, right here in Portland at The Cleaners. (Details and RSVP here.) I’m partnering with a string quartet from the Oregon Symphony Orchestra (I know, what?!) for an evening of music and conversation about Imposter Syndrome in creative fields. We’re also going to make use of the Guest Book from the tour and try an experimental collaborative exercise that I’m super excited about. The evening is free and open to the public as part of Lit Crawl, a delightful roster of events kicking off this weekend’s Portland Book Festival. Let’s go out with a hug and a smile and some Dvořák.
Thinking about this demon a lot as I work on upping my activisim game.
To get topical for just a moment: I’m re-sharing this demon in today’s update because I think it’s been a loud one for many of us in the run-up to the US miderm elections. I wrote a brief post to explain that the fears I dissected in 100 Demon Dialogues were coming back to haunt me as I tried to get more engaged in political activism. If this also applies to you: it is okay if your efforts are imperfect. It is okay to start small. No single person is going to change this. We have to remember that we’re working in community, that we’re not alone, and that our voices matter now more than ever.
And after the election on Tuesday and the event on Friday? Well. There’s always a strange sense of emptiness that follows any undertaking of this magnitude. Lots of people on the tour have asked me what’s next, and as the months wore on I got in the habit of just saying “sleep.” The truth is I don’t know, but I’ll be talking about whatever progress appears on Patreon.
As we approach the holidays, it seems wise to remind everyone that books, plushies, and prints are still available in my shop, and books can also be ordered from your local bookstore or (if you must) Amazon. To impress upon you what excellent gifts the plushies make, here is a very adorable baby.
A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN.
With that, I’m off to help get out the vote in the last hours before Election Day. If you need a helping hand getting involved—whether with something low-key at home or people-heavy in the field—please message me or reach out on social media. I’m 100% available. I’ll see you on the next project!
With gratitude and solidarity,
Lucy
Tour Events: San Diego, Austin, Boulder & Beyond
over 5 years ago
– Wed, Aug 15, 2018 at 08:59:46 PM
Hi everyone! I'm still out here!
The 100 Demon Dialogues Tour continues apace, and I'm feeling really recharged after a productive trip home and a big turnout for the tour stops in Ojai and Los Angeles. Y'all made me feel so welcome and seen. It was an honor to pass some of that back.
Full house at Other Books in LA
I also got the chance to talk with Paul Gilmartin of The Mental Illness Happy Hour while I was in the area. Paul's show is an honest, hilarious, heartfelt podcast about mental health, creativity, performance, and life. I highly recommend checking it out.
Tour Dates
I've confirmed some exciting stuff for this next leg of the tour. Here's where you can find me for the last two months of the trip:
I'm particularly looking forward to visiting Austin and Boulder for the first time. If you've got local recommendations, let me know!
DIY Tours
If any of this wild and crazy journey has seemed intriguing to you, I'm currently running a series of blog posts for my supporters on Patreon called Ten Tips for Tours. New entries go up every other day for the next month. You can sign up here and get them straight to your inbox.
All the topics featured in the Ten Tips for Tours blog series
(If you're not familiar with the platform, Patreon is a great way to sustainably support creators. You pledge a small amount a month and get inside process posts and podcast recordings and things. I adore it. I'll be sharing recordings from all the group/conversational tour events on there over the weeks to come.)
I'll leave you with this ADORABLE shelf talker my bookseller friend made for 100 Demon Dialogues at Powell's (who, I am delighted to note, are almost sold out of copies):
Custom illustrated shelf talker by Eloise!
Hope to see you all on the road soon! If you're able to spread the word about any of these upcoming stops, I'd be greatly in your debt.
Be well, and remember to take a breath after reading this email. I'm glad you're here.
<3
Lucy
More Tour Cities, A New Workshop, and More
over 5 years ago
– Tue, Jul 24, 2018 at 07:37:59 PM
Hello hello, friends—
I'm writing to you from a fancy office in downtown San Francisco where I am trying very hard not to look like a weird interloper who snuck in off the street. I'm back on the road for another couple months, so a friend is kindly letting me crash a desk here while I throw together last-minute event pages and social media posts for the rest of the tour. It's been pretty chaotic, but it's coming together!
Big News:
100 Demon Dialogues landed in the Hollywood Reporter last week! I am beside myself with glee about this interview. It was a great opportunity to reflect on what this book has meant for me in my career (and my life) over the past few years. I'm also hoping it'll get the project in front of some new eyes.
There's also another interview up on Anxy Magazine's blog, Episode. (I'll be speaking with Bobbie Johnson, their head editor, at the San Francisco tour stop tomorrow!)
Tour Dates:
Here are some updated details for places you can find me in California and beyond over the next few weeks:
That workshop listing you see for San Diego is something new and cool! I'm teaching a two-hour class about accessing your own Inner Critic and learning how to live with it on the page. It's going to be a mix of writing prompts, group discussion, and drawing games, and I'm VERY NERVOUS BUT ALSO PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT. Cost of the workshop will include a signed copy of 100 Demon Dialogues so if you've got folks in Southern California, please send them my way! I'll be sure to post again when the workshop details are live.
Buying the Book:
I've had some kind questions from folks about where they should buy the book if they want to support me the most. This is a tricky question that I see authors trying to answer a lot, so here's a transparent rundown of benefits when you buy a copy...
From me at a signing or convention! This puts the most dollars in my pocket, and gets you a signed book. I walk away with $15 per copy on the spot, and we get to hang out in person. (You can always keep tabs on where I'll be on my website.)
From my online shop! This is a great option if you can't make it to one of my events. Buyolympia (the company that manages my store) is a wonderful indie retailer supporting many, many artists. I net $11.24 per copy, and payouts land in my account every two weeks—totally worth it for me not having to pack and ship individual orders.
From an indie bookstore (like Powell's)! I net about $4.50 per copy, which is paid quarterly(ish). While this is the least financially substantial option for me, I am VERY MUCH IN FAVOR of supporting local bookstores. (You can find your nearest one on IndieBound.) Asking a retailer or your local library to stock the book is incredibly meaningful to me.
A closing note: for authors with an Official-Big-Kid-Type Publisher, sales numbers through stores really matter. They give the publisher concrete data that proves an author's clout and desirability, and can impact the likelihood of that author getting a second book deal. They also feed into rankings on bestseller lists. The good news in our situation is: THIS DOESN'T REALLY MATTER. Since we published this book together, there's nothing to prove to an external entity! The long and short of it is: I'll just be really happy if you get a copy of the book (and, if you liked it, leave a review on the platform of your choice).
That's all from me for now. I'm so looking forward to seeing many of you in California over the next couple weeks. I'll write again once I've got registration details online for the workshop, and concrete dates for Colorado.
Big hugs to you all, wherever you are,
Lucy
Book Tour: Leg 2
almost 6 years ago
– Thu, Jul 12, 2018 at 04:43:09 PM
Hello, everyone!
It's been such a wild and crazy month. I'm still pinching myself that I'm actually at home in my own bed.
The first leg of the 100 Demon Dialogues Tour went really well, and I'm so grateful to have met so many kind, open people on the trip. Thank you for coming out, spreading the word, and helping to make it happen. Here's Leg 1 by the numbers:
I've been doing my best to keep people updated on this summer's adventures through Instagram Stories, so if you'd like to browse the whole saga thus far you can click on the Book Tour highlight at the top of my profile.
The Guest Book Experiment has been a huge success! I've been incredibly touched by how many people have filled out name tags and contributed to the project. Here are some examples:
Friends asked how I felt carrying around a book full of such hard feelings on this trip. My hunch was that people would feel better for having written these words down. The book is full of difficult, negative thoughts, to be sure, but I also take heart in knowing there are so many similar concerns coming up over and over again. It should be dispiriting, but it...isn't? I'd be curious to see if you feel the same way.
Hanging out with the wonderful crowd at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis
I'm home for a week getting my head back on straight, and then it's time for Leg 2! Here's a list of planned (and soon-to-be-planned) events:
If you'd like an image to share when you're inviting your cool friends to these events, here's a graphic version for social media:
Accessible eBook Update
I haven't yet had time to write the deep dive on what we learned trying to make the eBook editions of 100 Demon Dialogues more accessible, BUT a hybrid, Kindle-compatible version of the file is now available as a pay-what-you-will download on my Gumroad page.
Because Amazon's file format for Kindle (.MOBI) has a character limit on their alt text, we weren't able to include all the relevant transcribed information in the official listed Amazon eBook. The pay-what-you-will version is my attempt at making sure the folks who need text-to-speech support can get it regardless of income level. (Our workaround, if you're curious, was to build a file that had the images in sequence with Kate's transcription actually listed beneath each one. This means we can cover all our bases for unsighted and partially-sighted users, as well as folks who just prefer to read type instead of handlettering.)
The iBooks version has no such limitation, so if you want a handsome file to read on your iPad, grab one here.
Distribution Update
Due to the issue with the misprinted barcodes, the official in-store release date for the book got pushed out to July 19th (although I heard some comic shops got their copies this week). If you'd like to encourage friends and family to buy a copy in the meantime, you can get both soft and hardcover editions (and Demon Plushies, stickers, postcards, and prints) from my own online shop. This is actually the best place to send folks, because more of the profit goes back into supporting my work, but I also want everyone to be able to get the book from their local shops if they so choose. So...the saga continues! Cross your fingers for a real in-store release next week.
Big thanks to Malaprop's in Asheville, NC for featuring the copies I sent over on their New & Notable table at the front of the store!
I think that's all the news from me. Thank you, thank you, thank you all for your kindness, encouragement, and vulnerability. You are making this whole thing possible.
With gratitude,
Lucy
Book Tour: Leg 1 is Here!
almost 6 years ago
– Sun, Jun 03, 2018 at 05:34:18 PM
It's happening!
The 100 Demon Dialogues Hometown Release Party is TOMORROW NIGHT! This event is going to be something really special. If you're in Portland I hope I'll get to see you at Ford Food + Drink from 7-10pm. I'll be talking to Derek Powazek onstage from 8-9, and hanging out/signing books/selling merch the rest of the time. RSVP here, and share the link if you'd like to invite others to come along.
We also have confirmed dates for Leg 1 of the Book Tour! Read on for all the details:
Magers & Quinn Booksellers – June 12th, 7pm-8pm, Minneapolis, MN (I'll also be hanging around Light Grey Art Lab, where I have some work on display from my trip to Iceland last year, around 11am.)
Escape Pod Comics (Joshua Hixson's signing earlier that same day, too!) – June 20th, 5-8pm, Huntington, NY
Eight Cousins Books – June 23rd, 7pm, Falmouth, MA (Boston: I'm coming back to you for MICE in October, I PROMISE. No worries if you can't make it to the Cape for this event. I know traffic is nuts.)
You can always check my website for additional appearances (like Thought Bubble UK in September), or drop me a line anywhere online if there's a specific place you'd like me to go. We're lining up Leg 2 right now, which will likely take me through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and allllllllll of California a little further into July and August.
I'll level with you: I'm exhausted. But I'm also having a great time lining up all these puzzle pieces and getting to make plans with friends all over the country. This is such a cool thing to get to do. I bought a guest book this weekend for us to fill with name tags and demon drawings. I can't wait.
Prepping merch packs to ship ahead to each stop
If you have friends in any of these cities and would be willing to pass the event details along to them, I would be forever in your debt. (Can we have a street team? Is that still a thing people do? I hope so.) All the tour stops are listed in this handy directory.
Okay, that's it from me for now. Thank you for your belief in this project and your enthusiasm for seeing it out in the world. It means more than I can say. See you all really soon!
