Narratives: Description for Sales People1. Key selling points: * An annual broadsheet newspaper examining themes of personal identity in mass culture and popular aesthetics through artworks, interviews, comics, essays, illustrations, manifestos, reviews, histories and short stories. Each issue takes on a different theme; LAAB #0: DARK MATTER explores representations of Blackness in science fiction and comics. The issue includes issues with prominent Black artists and musicians like Saul Williams, Trenton Doyle Hancock and Alexandra Bell, essays from John Jennings, James Romberger and Ronald Wimberly, and an astonishing array of comics and visual experiments that dig deep into the themes of the magazine. * In an age of twitter fights and hot takes, LAAB is an exploratory experiment and bold intellectual publication that digs deep into thorny issues of identity, representation, race, gender and culture.* Lavishly illustrated, beautifully designed and printed in gigantic broadsheet format, each spread is essentially a massive fine poster fit for framing or wheatpasting.* Top Shelf''s massive success with THE MARCH by Rep. John Lewis shows the demand for politically relevant material like this in visual form.
* Picture the Paris Review if it were a giant newspaper run by Black Panther cartoonists.2. The competition: What is the competition and how does this book overcome it?* Frankly, I''m not sure of LAAB has any real equivalents. N+1? The Paris Review? LAAB is a massive broadsheet newspaper filled with artwork, design, and deep-dive essays, interviews and articles. I''m not sure there''s anything else like it.3. News tie-in/current relevance: Indicate whether the book is a companion to orcomplements a recent news story, social trend, upcoming movie, sporting event, or a best- selling title. Why is this book relevant now?* In the current climate of increased awareness of police violence, income inequality, abusive employment practices and racial prejudice, LAAB could not be more relevant or timely.
* The massive successes of films like BLACK PANTHER and GET OUT show a desire for forms of entertainment and culture that reflect the Black experience in artful and creative ways.* In the age of Trump, LAAB is a necessary corrective. * I believe that Ronald Wimberly''s previous books, PRINCE OF CATS for Vertico/DC and BLACK HISTORY IN ITS OWN WORDS for Image were considerable successes.4. Notable author, series, illustrator, other contributor, or blurber: Describe how a book or author is notable. List any relevant book or author/contributor awards. If there are several notable contributors, name them. List relevant sales figures and titles, or copies sold in the series (must be over than 20,000 copies sold).
Point out if the book/author has already received early notable endorsements from name authors or experts or booksellers. Note if the author has been interviewed or reviewed in major US publications or national broadcast or online outlets and list any media connections the author may have.* Ronald Wimberly is a celebrated and award-winning cartoonist who has many highly placed fans and admirers throughout comics, animation and the book trade.* The magazine includes a long interview with the best-selling musician and artist Saul Williams. * Jeet Heer (The New Republic, New Yorker, Paris Review) calls LAAB "the most mind-bending comic artifact I''ve seen since the early issues of Acme Novelty Library."5. New editions: What percentage is new material?* Has a new chapter, an introduction, or a foreword been added? If the previous edition(s) has sold over 20,000 copies combined, include sales figures here.* LAAB is primarily new material, though some of the illustrations have appeared online or in anthologies before.
All of the writing is new and never-before-published.6. Notable elements: Outline how the packaging or specific content is a selling point (photos, a resource section, unusual shape or size, type of recipes).* LAAB is HUGE -- a solid pound of crisp white newsprint overflowing with artwork and ideas. At 16x22.75", it''s a format people are just not familiar with, and they are frequently awe-struck by it. * Giant format allows it to be disassembled and used as posters or prints; many customers have bought multiple copies from us, one for reading, several for cutting up.* Find more info here: https://www.
kickstarter.com/projects/beehivebooks/laab-magazine-a-comics-tabloid-on-identity-and-pop7. Other fields in the tipsheet:* Market: there is a massive and diverse market emerging for bold art by Black creators. LAAB engages with ideas that are at the heart of our cultural discourse right now.