The Open Page: Book & Print News – 3/19/08
 
1) Free Comic Book Day is May 3rd in the United States. On that day, U.S. comic store retailers give select comics away for free as a promotional celebration and may offer other sales discounts. See your local store for specific terms.
 
2) Cory Doctorow’s publisher is taking a different approach for publicizing his new novel Little Brother, a YA story from Tor Teen in the U.S., due out in late April. Tor is offering free advance review copies of the book with press kits to high school newspaper reviewers. The book is about a future Earth which is increasingly ruled by technology and security at the expense of civil liberties. Tor intends to link on-line versions of the reviews to its website. Interested teen reviewers should email torpublicity@tor.com with "DON'T TRUST ANYONE OVER 25" in the Subject line.
 
3) Dynamite Entertainment is re-launching the first space cowboy Buck Rogers in comics, reprinting classic editions of the original series and doing new comics featuring the character, with cover art from Alex Ross and John Cassaday. Dynamite licensed the rights from the heirs of Buck Rogers creator John Flint Dille, and will also be putting out fine art prints, posters, action figures, trading cards, statues and high-end collectibles of the character. The new endeavor will be promoted at the San Diego ComiCon in the summer.
 
4) Simon & Schuster in the U.S. have been running a Pulse Blogfest for their YA authors, including numerous SFF writers, in which the authors offer lots of new information in their blogs and answer fan questions. The Blogfest runs until March 27th. Contact http://pulseblogfest.com/authors.htm for more information.

5) Beloved satirical fantasy author Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the end of last year, at age 59. Discovering that the government’s health care system in the U.K. does little to help Alzheimer’s patients or research the illness, and will not fund medications for younger patients of the disease, Pratchett – whose Discworld novels have sold around 45 million copies worldwide – has announced that he is donating 500,000 pounds U.K. to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust. A group of his fans have banded together to form a fund-raising campaign to match Pratchett’s donation. “Match It For Pratchett” is attempting to raise 500,000 English pounds ($1 million U.S.) for Alzheimer’s research, with efforts in the U.K., North America, Australia and elsewhere. To donate and for more information, visit http://www.matchitforpratchett.org/

6) Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon, the first book in her popular children’s fantasy series, is being made into an animated CGI film. The story concerns the timid son of a Viking chieftain who must catch and train a dragon as an initiation rite. The film will feature the voices of America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Gerald Butler and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.