Arrow's Progress 240724: Published; Reviewed; And A Winner

William of Zeno

Jul 24, 2024

Got a few fun updates to share with you in today’s update:

I Got Published In The Drift Magazine

A Critic Says Phased Is Original With Striking Visuals

We Have A Sketchbook Winner

Sketchbook Share

I Got Published In The Drift Magazine

Something I wrote is appearing in Issue 13 of The Drift magazine! And I’m getting paid for it!!!1 Which I will turn around and spend on buying a copy of the magazine, ha.

Earlier this year I read Rental Person Who Does Nothing, by Shoji Morimoto. I had a reaction to it and felt compelled to write it up. I saw that The Drift accepts submissions for very short reviews called “Mentions” of kind-of anything really, but including books. So I wrote up a review to fit the Mentions requirements and submitted it. And then was pleasantly surprised to hear back that they were interested!

I’m not sure if Issue 13 is on shelves in bookstores yet (hardly any stores in the Seattle area carry The Drift—I bet a lot more do in New York, where they’re based), but it’s available online and you can read my review here.

Does this mean I can say I’m a “published writer” now??

A Thought On Being An Indie Author

Actually, on that last point, as I’ve spent the past number of months learning about being an independent writer/artist (authorstrator/illustwriter), I’ve come to really take to heart the kind words that friends shared to say that you are “published” regardless of if it’s “self-published”. As another writer put it, the industry has changed and “getting published” particularly by one of the big publishers is now the vanity project while “self-publishing” is just how writing actually typically gets done and put out to the public.

Let’s all join Eleanor Anstruther in changing our terminology to call self-published authors “indie authors” instead. She makes great points about why that’s better and fair.

“The publishing industry is way behind the curve of every other creative sphere when it comes to valuing independent artists. The word indie is revered in music, food, beauty, hotels, festivals; you name it. Stick the word independent on the front, you can charge double and everyone thinks it’s cool.
But publishing? It works for indie bookstores, it even works for indie publishers, but for indie authors, which is exactly what a self-published author is, forget it. It’s slapped with the denigration vanity publishing. Look too closely and you’ll see embedded into the title self-published is the notion that the contents will be a step down from anything published by a mainstream publishing house, that the production values will be a bit rubbish, that it just won’t be as good.”

To add to her list, the two biggies besides music in my mind are indie film makers and indie game makers. Indie author (indie graphic storyteller/novelist) it is.

A Critic Says Phased Is Original With Striking Visuals

A comic critic reviewed Phased! Thanks to Rob Clough for the thoughtful review.

The header is basically the high-level takeaway from the review, but if you read through the review I think “unexpected” maybe reflects his feeling better than “original” (a word he doesn’t use, but which I did for the header to put a positive spin on it). ;)

To quote him directly,

“COVID-related comics are a dime a dozen, but William Chen went in some weird directions with the topic in his visually striking comic Phased.”

In a time where we are flooded with stories that are pretty similar, I think “some weird directions” isn’t bad.2

Actually, that tells me I have something unique to add to the discourse.

We Have A Sketchbook Winner

My giveaway closed for entries last Friday, and we have a winner! I didn’t even have to do a randomized drawing for it because—there was only one entrant, haha. Congratulations, Jeanine! Thanks so much for reading and participating in my giveaway! Can’t wait to see what you create with it.