I set up book reviews and cartoonist interviews, and confirm features for our comics.
What do you do? I’m the publicist for Fantagraphics, which is a comics publishing house [in Seattle]. I’m the liaison between our books and the media. Day to day, I set up book reviews and cartoonist interviews, and confirm features for our comics in/on magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs and radio. Essentially, I talk to journalists about how great our books are.
What’s a typical day like? At Fantagraphics, no day is typical. Ha! Most of my time is spent mailing out review copies, answering questions via email from media folks and cartoonists, and maintaining communication with reporters and reviewers.
How did you get that job? In college I worked at a comic shop. I really wanted to do an internship in indie comics, so I applied at Top Shelf Comix in Portland. Diana Schutz, senior editor at Dark Horse Comics, recommended me for an assistant publicist position at Dark Horse. Two and a half years later, I started bugging Eric Reynolds (who was the publicist at the time) for a job at Fantagraphics. Seven months after I sent Eric my résumé, I got a call from Gary Groth telling me Eric was promoted to associate publisher and asked if I’d like to take over publicity.
What’s the best part of the job? Well … all of it. Every day is another chance for me to share the beauty of this medium with more people. It might sound hokey, but it’s true. There’s no glamour in alternative comics publicity. But there is an honesty and integrity in dealing with these books that makes me proud to be part of the process.
What surprises people about your job? When I say I work at a comics company, most people immediately think of superheroes and kids’ books. Only about 3 percent of Fantagraphics books are suitable for children.