DCML digest #772

[Don Rosa]

From: jvainio at urova.fi
>>>>Since noone's asked the man himself about this so far, I guess I'll
have to do
it: Don, how was your visit to Finland this time?

I don't normally tell about this or that on here unless specifically asked.
But even so, I've had precious little time to respond to anything lately. I
was there in Finland for over a week, then home for about a week, then off
on my usual Christmas trip to warmer climes... and now I'm back again. And
I *still* force myself to keep up with answering 100% of the e-mail I
receive every day, so I haven't had any time for extra communications.
Still, what's there to say about my trips to Finland? They are very
interesting, actually mind-boggling, to *me*, but I don't know what to say
about them that would interest anyone else. I hurried from city to city
(Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Oulu), press conference to press conference, TV
studio to TV studio, and (especially!!!) bookstore to bookstore. And it's
all I can do to make it from one spot to another before I start signing
books again, because at some bookstores they told me that people were
waiting in line for up to 6 hours *before* I arrived! (I assume that was
just a few people, I hope! I think the usual wait was more like 2 hours.)
But any length of time anyone waits in line for me distresses me, since I
*detest* waiting in line (or queues as you call them in British-English),
so I work feverishly to try to sign books as fast as possible so that I do
everything in my power to make sure everyone gets something after as short
a wait as possible. It really saddens me that the most devoted Duckfans on
the planet are the ones who get the *least* amount of individual attention
from me since there are so MANY of them! But since I can't stop the clock
and chat with each person in line, all I can do is move my little hand as
fast as possible signing the books -- but I tried to make sure that I
always picked each book up and handed it to the person and made
"eye-contact" and smiled and thanked them. They deserve so much more, but
that's the best I could do.
There seemed to be a bit less press interest in this new book than the last
one, which is what I expected since we knew I could never top the Kalevala
as a subject to interest the entire nation of Finland! But there were still
*more* book buyers at the stores than last time. Nobody was counting, but
the best estimates were that at *each* store, within about 2 to 3 hours, I
signed about 800-1200 new books, and that doesn't count the old books and
comics (and T-shirts and hats and human body parts) that people also
brought through the lines. Including all 10 large bookstores that I visited
(and two comic shops) I guess I autographed 8,000 to  perhaps over 10,000
new books. That's a heap o' signin'. Thank gosh I have a *short* name!
But you'd hafta *be* there to see these book-signing spectacles... just
telling about it doesn't seem very interesting. Of course, I had someone
walk down all the lines and film all the sessions with my camcorder, or
else no one would believe me when I told them about it back home.
Uumm... what else would you like to know? If there's some part of my
wonderful Finnish trip(s) that you'd like to know more about, just ask.
I will offer, as I try to always do, that the Finnish publisher took GREAT
care of me and it's a joy to be with them. They are the greatest buncha
people that I've encountered in all my travels.

From: "Anders Christian Sivebaek" <acsive at mail.mira.dk>
>>>>>>>>> I seem to
> recall that someone told us about The Crown Of The Crusader Kings
several
> months before it came, so without knowing HOW, I guess someone here
has the
> possibility to answer these questions?
>>>>>>>>>The nearest person to answer is sometimes Don - though noone
forces the
publishers
to tell him about when his stories comes out (I think someone ought to
force them, but
that's my opinion).

Well, most of them don't tell me since they don't feel there's any reason
for me to know. Still, with some of the publishers, it's all I can do to
find fans in the countries who will help me buy copies for myself (such as
Holland). The really nice publishers let me know since I often work with
their translators to assure an accurate translation of my scripts, but I
never hear from all the others. If you think you know a way to *force*
them, as you suggest, to tell me when they use one of my stories, I'd also
be interested in you forcing them to PAY me when they use my stories! That
would be of even *more* use to me! (But lotsa luck.)
I know that the Egmont countries must be getting ready to use "Forget It!"
and "The Sharpie of the Culebra Cut" since they are now asking me for
covers and script help. But I still can't tell you what issues the stories
will be in. And I'm still working on "Gyro's First Invention" (the 50th
anniversary story, sequel to "Christmas for Shacktown"), and that should
appear in March, I think (for proper timing).

>>>>This story is on the way in the Germany, I see on their comicforum.
In Spring it will come out - and Joachim tells that the Rosa 3d comic
(Nostildamus) comes in issue 4)

Well, that's not good news. Not to me. That was NOT a 3D story! I never
intended it to be so. Di$ney Comics hired someone to take that Egmont story
and turn it 3D, and now the 3D version is the only way it's ever seen. 3D
is okay as a novelty, but I'd hate to think that's the only way that story
will ever be seen. But please call it a "Rosa comic that somebody made 3D",
not a "Rosa 3D comic".