The Thanksgiving Project: for bloggers & libraries

It’s nearly Thanksgiving again, which for me means reflecting on and being grateful for you, the wonderful people who allow me to make ridiculous things for a living. Thank you all so much! And this year, I would like to extend a particular thanks to two groups who’ve meant a lot to me: bloggers and libraries.

Bloggers are the lifeblood of my business. You folks who mention Wondermark on your blogs, Twitters, LiveJournals, Facebooks, CraniumDumps, or even just email a favorite strip to a friend, are what keep this enterprise growing and running on all cylinders. So here’s my offer:

I will give away ten free copies — not just copies, Artist Editions! — of Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death to folks who blog about Wondermark between now and the end of November.

Stated another way: Blog about Wondermark, send me the link to what you wrote using this handy form, and I’ll enter you in a contest for one of ten free sketched-in copies of my latest book. You can write about anything Wondermark-related — a favorite episode, a particular product I offer, or just the strip in general — and you can enter as many times as you like (as long as each entry is for a separate post, on any platform). I’ll choose and award the winners in the first week of December, and the books will be absolutely free. I’ll pay the shipping, anywhere in the world! And even if you already own the book: a second copy could make a great gift for someone you love.

The second institution I’m indebted to is libraries. The Los Angeles library system has been of tremendous aid to me over the years of Wondermark, and I regularly patronize my local branch for all types of materials. I got super-inspired in a library in Charlotte once, and I’ve even browsed the Library of Congress in Washington for Wondermark-related material!

I know many libraries are chronically under-funded, so here’s my offer for libraries: send me a note explaining a little about your library (or similar institution that could use more books), and I will choose ten to receive a copy of Clever Tricks, absolutely free. I wish I could afford to give away more, but I am pleased to award these ten. One request per institution, please — and I’d like to also ask that the requests come from library staff, or at least from someone acquainted with the library’s donation policy. I don’t really want to send books to someplace that won’t know what it is or why it’s being sent! A staff member is a good point of contact.

All requests — bloggers and libraries — must come through the forms on this page; emailed or other requests will not be considered.

Finally, an opportunity for everyone else: If you would like to buy an extra copy of Clever Tricks, or Beards of our Forefathers, to be awarded to a library — you can do that here. Simply buy the books and write “Library donation” in the Special Instructions box at checkout. I’ll donate these copies to libraries above and beyond the ten I’ll already be sending out. If you’ve been enjoying my comics for free, but don’t necessarily want a book or a shirt or anything for yourself, this is a great way to help out a worthy institution. If you don’t want me to thank you publicly, please also write “Anonymous” in the Special Instructions box.

The deadline for both contests is November 30. Go to it!