I liked Larry Winget from the start. He appreciated that a comic book was a cool extension of his brand and it fit his image so naturally. Coming to terms on an agreement was fairly straight forward. We did have to work out an agreement with his former publisher Wiley and Matt Holt and Adam Levison over there were easy to communicate with and were good guys. It took some time, but ultimately we came to an agreement that allowed us to work with Larry and create the comic version of Shut Up, Stop Whining & Get a Life. It was our first deal with a brand name author and it lit my fire to get out there and cut my teeth with additional authors.
It was around this time that Franco and I were trying to determine what our future together looked like. Business comic books were Franco's idea and I wanted to remain loyal, but I also needed assurance that if I devoted the majority of my time to his brand and changed my entire business model to focus on these comics that I wasn't going to be left in the lurch. I wanted to be the exclusive packager of the series, but VCs looking at SmarterComics understandably didn't want the company tied to anyone else at such early stages of its growth. The issue nearly drove us apart - we're both alpha males. We fought for an entire week like a couple who was engaged and having the big blowout before they got married. Ultimately, Franco found a creative solution and we agreed that Writers of the Round Table Press would retain print publishing rights for the books we were packaging for SmarterComics. It turned out to be a great move, giving me the right financial motivation to put everything on the line and fight to bring all my skills and connections to the party. Franco had my full devotion and I had a strong partner who was willing to move his family across the globe to launch the brand. We were both in it fully, and I followed my gut down the rabbit hole.
Meanwhile, Larry Winget's comic is friggin brilliant. Larry's candor partnered with Shane Clester's artwork is a blast. The perfect lead off for the series. Bold. Even obnoxious at times. But dead on packed with truth about how ridiculous we can be as human beings. Gotta Love me some Larry Winget. Since the beginning he's been fair and kind and appreciated what we've done with his book. Even when I mucked up our launch date and we had to push it back until April 2011, Larry was supportive (it messed with his marketing schedule for the end of 2010). He didn't throw a tantrum as some authors might. We worked it out. He's good people. You can check out Larry's book at http://www.smartercomics.com/ShutUp and there's a sweet one minute book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu9dsoV7_lI.
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