It’s the first episode of the new Comics Are Great! recorded at the Ann Arbor District Library! The show is now recorded live on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm Eastern Time and broadcasted live on Ustream! Join us for our live discussions where you can participate and ask questions of the guests via a live chat client.

When pushing into the choppy waters of live video streaming one might worry about being dashed against the rocks. That’s why I was relieved to have these world-class cartoonists manning the oars with me:

* David Malki !, creator of the Eisner-nominated comic strip Wondermark, and co-editor of the best-selling book Machine of Death

* Dave Roman, creator of  Astronaut Academy and various other titles found at the Comics Bakery

* Raina Telgemeier, creator of the Eisner-nominated Smile and the Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels

Together we talk about some marketing strategies Malki ! and Raina have employed over the past few years, some ideas for coming out of one’s shell in order to sell the work at shows, and why observation and self-assessment are crucial when building a business in the creative arts.

Links mentioned this episode:

* Malki !’s and Kris Straub’s Tweet Me Harder podcast

* Tweet Me Harder: Hey World Here Are Some Suggestions

* Vote for your favorite for the Eisner Awards!

* Lazer Blazer Stickers

* Avatar: The Last Puppetbender

* Dave Roman & Raina Telgemeier’s upcoming appearance at AADL on June 17

* Dave & Raina will be at ALA 2011 in Artist Alley

* Malki ! will be at Heroes Con June 3-5

Book Recommendations:

* Bookhunter, by Jason Shiga

* I Think You’re Sauceome

* Yokaiden

Below is the video for this episode (audio player at the bottom).

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWuHMgq43Y

Tune in next Wednesday live at 12:30 pm Eastern Time on Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

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