After much secrecy and sneaking around, I’m excited today to announce Wishtales Publishing Studio! What is Wishtales you ask? This pretty well sums it up:
We are all awakening to a publishing reality that looks very different. That path may be changing. It may have completely gone away. Agents are swamped with wannabes. Big publishers are too large and too conservative to take chances on anything. And syndicates make an increasingly small living by keeping the newspaper comics section exactly as it is today. Basically, the publishing structure exists to say “NO”.” NO” to new ideas. “NO” to new creatives. “NO” to anything that looks like a chance, anything that hasn’t been tried before, anything that isn’t a sequel or a sequel to a sequel to a spinoff.
In short, we didn’t want to start a publishing company; They made us do it. We’re putting our money where out mouths are. If no one wanted to take a chance on us, OK. We’ll do it. If no one wanted to let us choose non-standard formats for our books, OK. We’ll do it. We’re taking a chance on us, and if it works out, who knows? Maybe one day we’ll take a chance on you. Somebody has to do it.
- Tom Dell’Aringa and Steve Ogden
Yes, this is a joint venture between me and my good buddy Steve Ogden. We’re tired of trying to play corporate games and trying to fit into a mold that is constricting and limiting. We’re going to forge our own path.
The first step along that path is my very own Marooned book, Out of Orbit, which will be a Wishtales imprint.
We’re just getting started, but there’s some interested posts over there already. We’re looking forward to publishing a Moon Town book as well, and we’ve got lots more ideas cooking in the pot. So head over to Wishtales and take a look, and let us know what you think!
This is so Awesome! I was starting to wonder if you two had something up your sleeves.
Thanks Matt
We did, and we hope to make it something awesome.
i wish you the best of luck, guys!
Thanks B!
I hope someday you both have to choose between your successful business and continuing your comics. And I hope you figure out how to do both. And then I hope you share your time management secrets.
Thanks Rocco! And man, we don’t have any time management secrets. Darn!
Great idea- Tom you’ll do great! And you’re in great company…I remember meeting Eastman and Laird at the comic con, and buying a copy of their self publised TMNT ; ). Looking forward to buying the Marooned Book!
I guess I don’t understand. Is this simply a label that you and Steve will be putting on your books? Is this the start of a independent publishing company? Is this just a branding? Is it a mini-collective?
More info please!
@Matt – thanks!
@Tony – It is a label for our stuff yes. It’s also the start of a publishing concern that will publish stories. We’re starting with our stuff – we have lots of stories to tell. But the idea is to eventually work with other artists in various ways. It’s early for that yet, but we’ll be posting about projects and what we want to do as things come up. One step at a time
Good luck! I’ll be interested to see the type of projects you get into.
Thanks Chris!