Beau Smith’s “No Guts No Glory” by Blue Line Art claims to offer everything you need and nothing you don’t. This is a book about Beau Smith. Every author puts themselves into their work. If you want to find out more about creators who have had experience doing everything in comics this would be a good book to have. As his acquaintances will attest to when you spend any time with Beau Smith, you feel like you’ve known him forever. You will know him within one page of this book. Beau Smith has a passion for keeping the industry alive. In this review, I,ll share the good, the bad, and the ugly truth. Should you buy it or not?
THE GOOD
No Guts No Glory is probably the best gateway book I’ve seen for someone just starting out marketing their comic books. It does offer some inventive ways to network, make contacts, and keep healthy, productive habits to be a professional comic book creator. Beau and I have much in common on our views of comics. I was tracking with him on a lot issues like his templates for writers and his insistence on using the Internet as a primary tool to get your name out there. His time saving techniques are also similar to mine.
This book was an enjoyable read and Beau’s personality really came out. It was very personable. I picked up a lot on how to write How-To books in a personable style. It was funny. I agreed with him on many aspects for the creator as far as his health tips, organizing tips, and entrepreneurial tendencies. I really enjoyed chapter 3 “This is the Last Stand”
The BAD
The book does not offer much new insight on marketing. (Which was the primary reason I bought the book.) Most of the techniques have been in use for years and I can’t imagine anyone in the industry getting much marketing tips from this book. Definitely an introduction to marketing for new creators or for people who don’t know who Beau is.
The UGLY Truth — To Buy or not to Buy
The book is a conversational style that is easy to read. If you are just beginning in your career this book may give you some insight on work habits that you will want to emulate. And there is some practical work habits that lazy people in the industry may want to put in their regimen if you are looking to “man up”.
The marketing info for the book (which it is primarily marketed for) is for brand new marketers or creators. This book primarily targets creators hoping to market their books to the mass population or how to market yourself to get work in comics.
This is how Beau Smith marketed his materials for the last 17 years. There is not many new ideas for marketing the future the comic book industry.
The book has a 2008 copyright. It would be a good time for a renewed book with an emphasis in interner marketing. There are some basic gems that are hidden in the pages like hints for selling on eBay and some new ideas on how to write press releases. But most of it boils down to getting yourself out there — something that has been said thousands of times. There is not much innovative marketing techniques, more so of “tried and true” methods that may or may not have worked. There is no results offered other than he has written for almost every company but Marvel and was the marketing director for Eclipse comics.
These techniques are good if you want to get into the industry, and inspire you to get busy making comics in it’s current state. This book offers small insight to market comics for today’s audience, and companies. It does inspire to change the medium to be more profitable, but doesn’t offer many specific solutions to do that.
If you have never tried marketing before you will get a lot from this book– Buy
If you want a fun romp to get to know Beau and learn how the industry was built for the last 17 years and get inspired to continue making comics– Buy
If you have been marketing or making your product on the Internet for over a year and want the best marketing techniques for today’s market — Don’t Buy.