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Illustration of a cool, anthropomorphic book with muscular arms, wearing sunglasses and fishnet tights, flexing its biceps in front of a blurred bookstore background. The bold, hand-drawn text reads: 'Preordering Books Matters,' emphasizing the importance of preordering books to support authors and retailers.

Imagine a world where books you love magically appear in abundance, where your favorite authors are given the green light to write more, and where indie bookstores stay alive and well. That world exists – it just requires a little thing called preordering.

Here’s why that’s a great idea:

1. Shelf it up

When you preorder a book, you’re doing more than just guaranteeing that a fresh copy will land in your eager hands within a couple of days of its release. You are also whispering – no, shouting – into the capitalist void: Hey, we care about this book. Stock this book. Give this book a fighting chance.

Retailers respond to numbers. If a book gets a lot of preorders, bookstores order more copies, ensuring it doesn’t vegetate away in a dark warehouse next to unsold Ayurveda diet guides. If preorders are bad, that book might be DOA before it even gets a chance to charm (or traumatize) readers.

2. Signal to the Publisher

Strong pre-order sales send a signal to the publisher that the book might be thriving and not being avalanched by self-published werewolf romances. The publishing house can now increase the marketing budget and adjust the print run to meet the demands.

3. The self-fulfilling prophecy of lists

Let’s talk about bestseller lists. They don’t just add up what’s sold after release – it’s mostly about preorders. A book with strong preorder numbers can land on Amazon’s “Best in Category XYZ” lists or even make its way onto those prestigious bestseller lists that determine what gets splashed across airport newsstands. In short: preordering isn’t just buying a book – it’s voting for it.

Witch reading a book

Try it out now

Does that all sound like exactly the world you want to live in? Then we have a recommendation that you can pre-order right now: Our new book HI, EARTH comes out on April 1 (no joke but still a lot of jokes) and we love every single page of it.

It contains our best comics about our favorite planet and its inhabitants.

Get it via Amazon, Barnes & Noble or BAM.

Promotional image for the book 'Hi, Earth' by Elizabeth Pich and Jonathan Kunz (War and Peas). The book cover features a cartoon Earth with large, worried eyes, sitting on a wooden chair while surrounded by flames, wearing a fedora. The title is in bold, blocky letters. To the right, a quote describes the book as 'bittersweet but lighthearted,' roasting human folly while appreciating the planet. The text at the bottom announces the release date: 'Available April 1st. Wherever books are sold!'

Something Else

We get it: clicking preorder on a big retailer’s website is easy and requires no human interaction. But if you want to be a true literary champion, preorder from your local bookstore. It keeps them thriving, fosters community, and lets you pick up your book in an actual store, where you can also impulsively buy a tote bag you definitely need.

Find your local bookstore:

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5-panel comic by War and Peas Panel 1: The Grim Reaper stands before a rack of scythes, pondering, “So, which scythe am I in the mood for today?” Panel 2: Lord Nibbles – a smug-looking black cat lounges on an ornate chair, pointing with its claws and saying, “Ohh, take that one!” Panel 3: The Grim Reaper looks at a shiny red scythe, saying, “My ruby-crested reap of doom, haha. I take this one for reaping the really rich.” Panel 4: Then, while looking at a list, he adds, “But there are no billionaires on today’s list.” Panel 5: The cat, now gripping a golden dagger, grins mischievously and says, “That can be arranged.”

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AWOOOO! It’s a FULL MOON and we’re going into rage mode with this drop of nine of our most beloved comics 🐺

🌕 Get Yours Before It’s Too Late! 🌕

Locally Sourced & Signed by the Artists

All of these come fresh from a local print studio. They’re not mass-produced, not churned out by a soulless mega-corporation that also sells mayonnaise and garden hoses. No, these are real.

We, Elizabeth and Jonathan, sign them with our own actual hands, the same hands that have shaken in caffeine-induced terror and absentmindedly petted stray cats – while thinking of stories that make you smile.

🌕 Get Yours Before It’s Too Late! 🌕

Magical Guffaw

Why the full moon? Well, because magic, that’s why. But also because a full moon does things to people. It stirs the ancient, pre-tax-document parts of the brain. It makes wolves howl, makes people google things like “can the moon make me impulsively buy art,” and generally bathes everything in a weird, mystical glow that says, Yes, you should probably own one of these prints.

So go and tell your friends! Because today the moon is full, the prints are live, and if you hesitate, you may have to live with the unbearable knowledge that someone else has the print that should have been yours. And that, my friend, is no way to live.

🌕 Get Yours Before It’s Too Late! 🌕

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This comic was created especially for our backers on Ko-Fi.

It’s is a donation-based platform where you can send us digital coffees to support our work in the short and long term.

Thank you for all the caffeine shocks that get us through the year!

4-panel comic by War and Peas. Panel 1: A vampire in a long coat and sunglasses walks under a black umbrella, saying, “Getting my coffee fix isn’t as easy as it used to be.” Panel 2: The vampire peeks from behind a tree, eyeing a small coffee stand labeled "Barista Boys." He says, “But it’s worth the effort.” Panel 3: A barista, dressed in a yellow shirt and apron, takes a sip of coffee, seemingly unaware of the lurking vampire. Panel 4: The vampire is now crouched over the unconscious barista behind the stand, presumably having bitten him. With satisfaction, he remarks, “Mhm… Viennese Roast.”

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Most of you are aware that we send out monthly love letters. Yes, the ones that land in your physical mailbox and smell like roses.

We have a level for that on Patreon and if you plan on joining the club, you should do it now. Because this letter will be special: We’re sending out one super cute alien sticker sheet with every letter and we are so amazed by the quality, we had to spoiler that.

Join the club now!

Each love letter contains:

  • one heartfelt poem
  • one hologram sticker
  • one surprise item (except this month it’s not really a surprise)

Join the club now!