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Thank You

Terry Hooper-Scharf

Friday 31 March 2017

Amazing.

"674 new views" this morning on the Black Tower Face Book page.

I'll add that to the few thousand other views and place them in the folder marked "Looked but didnt buy"!

Now I am off. Just off.

"So, How bad is it then?"

When someone emails me a question like that my first reaction is to tell them to "f*** off" but I dont. I simply point them to posts published and this.

I am, officially I am told, "destitute".  Another word to add to my Cv!

Hamelin Newsletter 31 March 2017


31 MARZO 2017

BOLOGNA CHILDREN'S BOOK FAIR 2017 - TUTTI GLI EVENTI

Dal 3 al 6 aprile 2017 si terrà a Bologna la Fiera del Libro per Ragazzi.
Ecco l'agenda degli incontri e delle inaugurazioni  a cui non potete assolutamente mancare.

Per informazioni: www.hamelin.net

HAMELIN IN FIERA

Hamelin sarà presente, come ogni anno, presso ilPadiglione 25 - Stand A3.

Al nostro stand troverete il nuovo numero della rivista,Visione laterale. Riflessioni sullo sguardo, ma anche tutti gli arretrati. Avrete inoltre la possibilità di fare o rinnovare il vostro abbonamento.

Troverete anche il primo numero di Oblò, una nuova collana di monografie dedicate agli illustratori e alle loro narrazioni per immagini. La prima uscita approfondisce l'opera di Gilles Bachelet.

Sarà presente inoltre una selezione delle guide bibliografiche e di tutte le nostre pubblicazioni passate, oltre a Le carte - Romanzo di formazione, mazzo di 21 carte che è uno strumento giocoso di lavoro, prima bussola per orientarsi nella lettura e nell'interpretazione delle opere.

Per informazioni: www.hamelin.net

GLI EVENTI IN FIERA

Lunedì 3 aprile

H 11.00 - Digital Café (Pad. 32)
Transbook Symposium: Fuori della cornice: carta e digitale nel lavoro di Julie Stephen Chheng

H 12.30 - Caffè Illustratori 
LA REGOLA E IL GIOCO 
Frutto del progetto Transbook Children’s Literature on the Move, una mostra interattiva a misura di bambino che esplora l’albo illustrato attraverso le interazioni fra oggetto libro, narrazione e lettura. Con Massimiliano Tappari; Daniela Olejinkova; Isidro Ferrer; Adrien Parlange.
Modera: Ilaria Tontardini

H 17 - Area Workshop e Masterclass - The Illustrators Survival Corner (Pad. 26)
Masterclass con Lucas Zanotto

Martedì 4 aprile

H 12.00 - Digital Café (Pad. 32)
Transbook Symposium: Disegnare, combinare e ballare: l'universo Yatatoy. Un incontro con Lucas Zanotto.
H 14.00 - Caffè Illustratori 
GLI ALTROVE DI LORENZO MATTOTTI 
In occasione dell’uscita di Ghirlanda, ritorno al fumetto di Lorenzo Mattotti, una conversazione con l’artista per ripercorre la sua carriera e addentrarsi nei suoi mondi onirici. 
Conduce: Emilio Varrà

H 14.45 - Caffè Illustratori 
THE ILLUSTRATORS ANNUAL COVER ARTIST: ROTRAUT SUSANNE BERNER WINNER OF THE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN AWARD 2016
L’autrice della copertina dell’Annual, Susanne Berner, dialoga del suo lavoro con Ilaria Tontardini e Dolores Prades (member of the H:C: Andersen Award 2016 jury).
Modera: Marcella Terrusi
H 15.00 - Area Workshop e Masterclass - The Illustrators Survival Corner (Pad. 26)
Masterclass con Daniela Olejnikova

H 15.45 - Caffè Illustratori 
PRESENTATION OF CLOTH LULLABY – THE WOVEN LIFE OF LOUISE BOURGEOIS - ABRAMS, USAWINNER OF THE BOLOGNARAGAZZI AWARD 2017 – SPECIAL CATEGORY CHILDREN’S BOOKS ON ART
L’illustratrice Isabelle Arsenault dialoga del suo lavoro con Ilaria Tontardini e Marcella Terrusi.

H 16.30 - Area Workshop e Masterclass - The Illustrators Survival Corner (Pad. 26)
Workshop con Adrien Parlange

Mercoledì 5 aprile

H 12.00 - Digital Conference Room (Pad. 32)
Cosa rende buona una App?
Ilaria Tontardini presenta alcune tra le migliori app per bambini realizzate nel corso degli ultimi anni e individua quali di queste sperimentano e utilizzano nuovi formati digitali da un punto di vista estetico, interattivo e narrativo.
H 15.00 - Area Workshop e Masterclass - The Illustrators Survival Corner (Pad. 26)
Workshop with Julie Stephen Chheng

H 15.45 - Cafè Illustratori 
OPERAZIONE BACHELET
Un’opportunità unica per tuffarsi nell’universo ironico dell’illustratore Gilles Bachelet attraverso due mostre gemelle che celebrano il talento e la fucina creativa del grande autore francese. 
Conduce Emilio Varrà

Per informazioni: www.hamelin.net

GLI EVENTI IN CITTÀ

MOSTRE

La regola e il gioco
Biblioteca Salaborsa  - Urban Center (P.zza Nettuno 3)
Inaugurazione: lunedì 3 aprile - ore 19.30

Le meraviglie - Mostra di Isabelle Arsenault
Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica (Strada Maggiore, 34)
Inaugurazione: martedì 4 aprile - ore 19.30

Operazione Bachelet - Missioni compiute
ABC Arte Bologna Cultura (via Alessandrini, 11)
Inaugurazione: mercoledì 5 aprile - ore 18.30

Operazione Bachelet - Distrattegie
Hamelin Associazione Culturale (via Zamboni, 15)
Inaugurazione: mercoledì 5 aprile - ore 19.30

INCONTRI


Nella testa di Bachelet - Incontro con Gilles Bachelet
CuBO Unipol (Piazza Vieira de Mello, 3/5)
Martedì 4 aprile - ore17.30

La mela mascherata - Incontro con Martoz
Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (Via Belle Arti, 54)
Lunedì 3 aprile - ore 15.30

Fare libri - Incontro con Hervé Tullet
Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (Via Belle Arti, 54)
Mercoledì 5 aprile - ore 10.00

Io sono una cerca-cose - Incontro con Beatrice Alemagna
Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (Via Belle Arti, 54)
Venerdì 7 aprile - ore 11.00

Per informazioni: www.hamelin.net

BOOM! CRESCERE NEI LIBRI

BOOM! Crescere nei libri è un cartellone di appuntamenti ed attività proposto dalle realtà pubbliche e private che si occupano di letteratura, illustrazione, editoria per bambini e ragazzi e più in generale di educazione alla lettura, alla visione, all’immaginazione promosso dal Comune di Bologna e BolognaFiere, in occasione di Bologna Children's Book Fair, dall'1 al 9 aprile.

Per informazioni: Comune di Bologna

GLI APPUNTAMENTI DI IBBY ITALIA 
IN OCCASIONE DI BCBF17

2 aprile - ore 19.30 
Accademia Drosselmeier via Nosadella 51/a - Bologna
Un'asta per Jella

Una silent Auction con figure speciali per sostenere l’associazione, e buoni progetti di promozione alla lettura.

In Fiera

4 aprile 2017 - ore 16.00 - Sala Boero
Incontro con Chiara Carminati e Guido Scarabottolo, candidati all'Hans Christian Andersen Award 2018

5 aprile - ore 10,30 - Sala Suite
Bill. Biblioteca della legalità - Parole, figure, libri per narrare ai ragazzi responsabilità, diritto, giustizia, dignità.

al tavolo:
Daniele Paci, magistrato
Elisabetta Morosini, magistrato, progetto Bill 
Marzia Sabella, magistrato, Commissione Parlamentare Antimafia
Luisa Mattia, scrittrice
Guido Scarabottolo, illustratore
Silvana Sola, presidente Ibby Italia,progetto Bill
Modera: Riccardo Guido, collaboratore Commissione Parlamentare Antimafia

5 aprile - ore 14.00 - Caffè degli Autori
Libri senza parole. Destinazione Lampedusa
 - terza edizione

ne parlano:
Deborah Soria responsabile progetto Lampedusa IBBY Italia
Rotraut Susanne Berner illustratrice
Mariella Bertelli storyteller 
Silvana Sola presidente IBBY Italia
Paola Vassalli fondatrice dei Servizi educativi-Laboratorio d’arte del Palazzo delle Esposizioni e delle Scuderie del Quirinale di Roma;
Elena Fierli Palazzo delle Esposizioni
Alberto Emiletti Amnesty
Elena Zizioli Università degli studi Roma 3

6 aprile 2017 - ore 9.00 - Sala Concerto
IBBY International Bridging Worlds Reaching out to Young Refugees

with Books and Stories
European Regional Conference
Interviene Deborah Soria per IBBY Italia

Per informazioni: www.ibbyitalia.org

Wednesday 29 March 2017

IT - Official Teaser Trailer

A VERY Bad Day

After 43 years an un-elected leader who seems to not understand what she and her pals are doing, have decided to leave the EU because of a Brexit campaign in which lies, and promises that were also lies, fed on "foreigners" "Our money" and "Foreigners and OUR money!"

And the sheep followed. And are now panicking.

Bristol voted to remain.

This is a very, very sad day.

To our friends in Europe -We still love you!

Normal service will resume.

Monday 27 March 2017

I ALWAYS Feel I Am Being Watched???

crumbs I have lost SO much weight since then!

A Project....

One I would like to complete one day since it has bben on the boil since 2010....



Steve, John and Kevin -Here Is My Response

I swear it is not just me.  Really, it is NOT just me not getting sales from comic fans who have been life long readers of comics "for the last six years" and know nothing about comics outside the current Marvel or DC vomit..and hip, cool and trendy Image.

David Gordon has produced great work and Dave -A Cosmic Oddity really should have gotten some type of graphic novel award...or been picked up by a major publisher.  You can read about it here and let me say that since February 2011 that interview has been seen 16,364 times and is the third highest viewed post on CBO.

http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/blog-post.html

And there is the much bigger post about the man's Chang3lings dolls as well as toys and sample pages from Cosmic Oddity here:

http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=David+Gordon

So, has Mr Gordon been flooded with orders? No.  Seriously, I find it incredible.  This is NOT my stuff.  Not Black Tower yet another under rated creator in the UK gets no attention while people who can hardly draw a square are hailed as hot new talents.


And what of that fashionable thing (I really could NOT bring myself to write "young" and lie to you)? He is finding it hard to get tables to sell his books.  What about all the plugs for his books on CBO? All those views?

Nothing.  He can't even afford a new walking stick.  But there was a Focus post on him so check that out:

http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Paul+Ashley+Brown

Ben R. Dilworth is one of the most under rated creators and I have showcased his work on CBO numerous times.  People check out those posts.  I did a focus on the man here:

http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/ben-r-dilworth.html

Lots of views.  Sales....none.

This, despite what the frauds in UK comic cliques tell you, is not a good sign.  It does not show a healthy 'industry'.  There is no UK comics industry.

These are just three creators who cannot even make modest earnings from selling their books. And if Black Tower Comics & Books is the biggest Independent publisher of black and white comics and graphic novels in Europe and cannot get sales you have to be an outright mental defective to say this is healthy for the comics scene.

Middle class, arty cliques playing at Small Press publication (and 98% of them never having read a comic before) while egotistical gas bags lie about how great they were when working in comics is all you will get.

So, Steve, John and Kevin -this is what you should think about before jumping into comics as a career since no such job exists.


Sunday 26 March 2017

Sunday Truth....grimmer than the newspapers!

You know, it is 11:20 am (or 11:20 hrs for you 24 hr clock people) here on a sunny Sunday. And I was just checking the stats.

Currently well over 2000 from the United States alone and other countries tend to visit CBO more than people in the UK.

Pageviews by Countries

Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers
EntryPageviews
United States
1551
United Kingdom
69
Russia
56
Germany
27
United Arab Emirates
19
Ukraine
19
France
17
Australia
10
Netherlands
7
Brazil
6


CBO has had between (Midnight to Midnight UK time) 3000 to 4000 hits a day. Someone said "Get Adsense! Make some money!"  Well I have tried Adsense twice and money mounted up, not a lot but still okay, and Adsense never paid up.

So I started again and built up revenue and then I got an email that one of the adverts Adsense popped up was of a sexual nature. So I checked because I was not having that -people viewing CBO in certain countries can get in trouble if those kind of things suddenly pop up. I checked and it was quite adult orientated. So I sense Adsense an email explaining I had specified family safe advertising only.

Adsense got back to me. They had noticed "unusual activity" on my blog. What? What were they talking about? It all boiled down to the fact that I had clicked on the advert to check it out. "We are therefore with holding your funds".

Seriously, Adsense broke the agreement and my catching them out meant I had broken the agreement. So I wrote back and explained they could shove their agreement up their arses. That was it, twice Adsense had stiffed me on payments for allowing its adverts on my blog.

I then got reminded that on the old WordPress CBO I had accumulated $50 but Adsense never paid and come a new month...it was gone.

Quite by accident I found a non-comics related blog and read it.  The blog owner had accrued Adsense money and tried to claim it. Nothing from Adsense. Then the money vanished. But, apparently, he decided to set things up again. Guess what?  Yep, he never got the next lot of money either. Here is another "Guess what?"....guess what he is thinking of doing after a year with "a few more visitors now"?  Yeah...get Adsense back on his blog.

Once...bad luck.

Twice...you been ripped off. Learn the lesson.

"I am going back for a third try!"......do you have a responsible adult who looks after you?

So I checked -you can do the same if you want to, I ended up with ten blogs were the total Adsense never paid out was $500 in total.

See, Adsense is about getting their adverts on to YOUR blog to make money....for themselves. They are an advertising company. So, no, I am NOT putting Adsense back on CBO!


Now as a lot of those views involve seeing a post about Black Tower Comics and Books -people clicking straight on to that particular post- you might think that means there is interest? It seems not. Last month there were 59, 801 views. So, take away casual one off visitors and look at how many views a post got....combining all the views for Black Tower posts...54,000.  That is 54,000 views of Black Tower posts alone in a 28 day month.

Sales from those views?  The above Revenue Information says it all.

I keep trying to explain to Ben Dilworth, currently living in Japan but one of the UKs most under rated comic creators (who should be getting paying graphic novel contracts!), that comics and the Small Press is not what it was. Lots of little friends niches and if you aint in a certain clique..do you even exist??

I have always been open about my business. In UK comics that is...rarer than a unicorn walking through Marble Arch with Lady Godiva on its back.  The reason has not been, as some might want you to believe for their own petty lying reasons, that I hope to get sympathy buying.  That is almost black humour. EVERYONE has seen my business nose diving to a point where I have no idea how I am surviving day-to-day (that stuff I do NOT tell you) and look at all those sympathy sales!!  If I could eat internet revenue statements I would!

Like with tips on the materials and tools you need to draw comics, you do not have to buy the highest quality, ultra expensive pens or brushes (IF you can draw without a computer). Cheap tools do the same thing. If you are thinking of getting into comics I want you to know it is not "Have art....look at all that money rolling in!!" Since the 1930s, comic book artists have struggled. Ask why alcoholism was such a big problem along with depression and even being homeless. And suicide.

You are going to have to work day-in and day-out, long hours (mine were around 20 hour days) and not just pop down the pub or go off to meet friends every night. You can work hard and long and produce some of the best artwork going and some cant-draw editor is going to scratch his balls and say "yeah. You need to progress a bit more in your art" and that's it. Where did you go wrong? Are you NOT a good artist??

Editors can be arschlochs who are self important because they see themselves as almost being god-like (Not every editor -Archie Goodwin was the kind of editor you hope for!) and they only care about their pay cheque and self importance. Look how some former UK comic editors are parading themselves as wonderful gods who did so much good....look at the hangers on wanting some of that brown nose glory. You go by the hype and books and you ask "If he was so fantastic, such a fantastic thinker who was keeping these great comics going...what happened?"  They will say "Oh it is YOU the public. I created these works and you lot could not appreciate it and buy the things!"

No. Crooks and incompetence ruined comics in the UK...and to an extent the US (though the US survived!).

If you are going to get into comics know the score. No one wants to buy your work (not in the UK anyway) so self publish? Look at the books and genres on my online store -90+ titles and 9 pages. Over the last year a  couple million have seen my posts. Sales are very rare.  Be aware of that and if having an empty stomach is "not you" get out quickly!!

Now, I need to go eat...the feckin mice are NOT getting that cheese!!

Cosplayer ausgefragt und ein großer Sieg! – Nerdzig auf der MCC 2017 Tag 3

Saturday 25 March 2017

JUSTICE LEAGUE - Official Trailer 1

Pageviews by Countries

In the UK it is currently 14.40 hrs (2.40pm). THANK YOU to CBOs American visitors. Not that the rest you are not important....after all ONE of you may be thinking about buying Black Tower comics!


Pageviews by Countries

Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers
EntryPageviews
United States
3672
United Kingdom
37
Germany
25
Netherlands
14
Russia
10
Ukraine
9
France
8
Italy
6
Japan
5
Brazil
4