I am now running a big sale on the first 2 books. Buy Vol 2 (in either paperback or hardcover) and get Vol 1 FOR FREE!! I’m hoping to draw in some new readers before RUNNERS Vol 3 launches here later this year. Very excited to be finally returning to this series with Vol 3 and for the long haul! Please share this deal with anyone you think would enjoy the series. Now would be a great time to give it a try. Get the deal at my runnersuniverse.com Store!
Happy day! The first pass of the script for Vol 3 is in the can! I still need to do a minor refinement pass, but all the scenes, dialogue, and action are done!! And as I predicted, it will indeed be an extra long story. My formatted script for Vol 2 came out to 45 pages total. This one is 81! Instead of 5 issues (chapters), it will be 7, with issue 1 probably still being close to double-sized.
On that topic, does anyone know of any graphic novel series that vary in length significantly from volume to volume? I know most graphic novels are pretty standard and have similar page counts, as they mostly collect 6 single issues at a time. But going forward, I would rather tell the story I need to tell and let the page count fall where it may. I guess I’d like to follow more of a Harry Potter route, where some books may be longer than others. Not sure if this is necessarily a good idea, since different page counts might result in different prices for the books, as opposed to each book having the same price, which is easier for buyers to digest. If anyone has any thoughts, I’d love to hear them. And if they know of other series that do this (that I can research), that would be great.
Just a quick update to report that I am about 2/3 done with the script for Vol 3! It is a beast, but in a good way! Definitely much more going on than the last two books as far as plot and character development go. Plus the introduction of an all-new crew that will eventually cross paths with Roka and company! Not sure what the final page count will be, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be longer than either of the previous volumes. I’m planning to finish the script by end of Jan 2018, at which point I’ll move on to concepting and then actual production! YEAHH!!!!
In the meantime, a couple notes:
After a long hiatus, I am officially resuming the RUNNERS newsletter. In recent years, I’ve relied on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc) to make announcements, but I hate not knowing if all of my followers are seeing my posts. So I am now leaning back towards newsletters again. I will continue posting on social media, so feel free to follow me there as well, but I think the newsletter may be the most reliable means of getting information out. So please feel free to sign up using the box on the right.
I sent the series out to a number of comic and graphic novel publishers, since it would be great to have publisher backing to get the series into more stores and increased visibility. But I know it is a long shot. As of yet, no major publishers have reached out, and I am weighing options with some smaller companies. But if all those avenues don’t pan out, I will continue to self-publish the series and post it online in webcomic format, followed by printed graphic novels. Self-publishing will definitely be more difficult, but I am hoping that I can utilize Kickstarter and Patreon to help fund the ongoing creation of the series. I will have more info on the plan once I know if I am going with a publisher or doing it on my own.
Having plotted out the entire 10-volume series, I am super excited to see it through, come hell or high water! And I truly think it could be something really great and memorable when all’s said and done. Hope you all stick with me!
Follow me (@seanwangart) on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr to see concept sketches for the series (and other random art)!
Huzzah! I’m officially done breaking the main story points for the remaining 8 books of my RUNNERS series. Here’s what that looks like, with post-its color-coded by character/event:
Kinda like the last image, but now with more post-its to mark gruesome character deaths. Just kidding. Or am I?? Definitely very exciting to know where everything is going, plot- and character-wise. And I really like that feeling of, “I can’t wait for people to get to this scene in Book 3! And then this reveal in Book 4! And then this sequence and plot turn in Book 5!” etc etc. It’s definitely a much better feeling than, “I just finished an arc. I wonder what the next one will be about.”
Anyway, the toughest work is now done. Now on to fleshing out Book 3 in full detail and script…
In the meantime, please feel free to keep posting book reviews on Amazon and Good Reads at the links from my previous post, if you haven’t already. And follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr (@seanwangart), where I will be posting artwork every day next month for Inktober, the majority of which will be alien and starship concepts for the upcoming series.
It’s been a very light RUNNERS schedule the past few years as I focused on freelance work, but things are ramping up, so stay tuned!
Just a quick update. As I mentioned, I’m currently working on breaking the story for the remainder of my RUNNERS series. It’s currently looking like 8 graphic novels. Ack! It’ll be a lot of work, but I am super-excited about how much story is coming. Here’s a photo of the story wall thus far, with post-its color-coded by character and/or event:
There’s a lot more to be fleshed out, but the bones are looking good!
In the meantime, I would still very much love to start building some awareness and support for the series. Along those lines, if anyone is willing to add a review to Amazon, Good Reads, or any other review site, I would GREATLY appreciate it. I think the more positive reviews/ratings I can get, the better traction I can get in pushing the series. Here are some links:
Vol 1 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Runners-Vol-1-Bad-Goods/dp/0976851709
Vol 2 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Runners-2-Big-Snow-Job/dp/0976851717
Vol 1 on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2089405.Runners_Vol_1
Vol 2 on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19571289-runners-vol-2
Again, any help would be greatly appreciated. And please feel free to keep directing people to this site, where they can read the series for free online or order books and PDF digital copies from my store. Thanks everyone!!
