June Press Roundup!

As any author will tell you, writing a book is one thing, but if you want it to sell, people need to know the book exists. Publishers do what they can to get the word out, but authors must do their part as well.
My efforts in this area are beginning to pay off, with two magazine pieces currently on the stands. The first is a mention of The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim in CFQ Magazine, which I mentioned on www.miketrimart.com last month. Here's the cover if you're trying to find it.

I had a devil of time locating a copy; I finally found one at Barnes & Noble, after trying two other stores that were already sold out. CFQ is a great magazine, and many thanks go to editor Jeff Bond for including us in this issue. To order it online, stop by their website at http://www.cfq.com.
Also on newsstands now is ImagineFX issue #5, the magazine of Fantasy & Sci-Fi Digital Art. This is a very slick, all color British magazine devoted entirely to the creation of digital SF&F art. Definitely recommended, even if you aren't an artist yourself because of all the gorgeous color paintings. Here's the cover for the issue that contains a nice article on Mike and the book in their news section.

Many thanks to editor Rob Carney and writer Ed Ricketts for covering the book.

In July, the September issue of Toy Shop Magazine will include an article on Mike's designs that have been released as toys and model kits. This issue will be distributed for free at the San Diego Comic Con, so stop by the Comics Buyer's Guide/F&W Publications booth on your way to see me in booth #506, signing copies of the book.
In September, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Modeller 'Bookazine" issue #3 will feature a 10 page interview with Mike Trim as well as a review of the book. More info on these when they hit the streets.
If you see any coverage of The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim in magazines or newspapers, please drop me a line at webmaster@miketrimart.com so that I can include it here.

San Diego Smackdown!

Do I even need to tell any of you that the San Diego Comic Con International is the largest pop culture gathering in America?
Surely you know that last year more than 100,000 fans of comics, movies, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, anime, and more descended upon the San Diego Convention Center, creating a crowded but exhultant gestalt that transcended the term convention and burst into a convergence...? Ok, flowery prose aside, the SDCCI was one big honkin' con last year, and 2006 promises to be even bigger. Click here to visit their website.
What better place to premier The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim? No place, of course.
This year the convention runs from Wednesday, July 19th to Sunday, July 23rd. I'll be in the Hermes Press booth (#506) most of the weekend, but I will make it out for this panel:

The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim
Friday, July 21
6:00 - 7:00 P.M.
Room 2
Mike Trim began his career as a designer and model maker for Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, The Secret Service, UFO, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, and Space: 1999. In 1978, he designed the Martian fighting machines and illustrated the album cover for Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, which has sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. A new book of Trim's work is being premiered at Comic Con this year by Hermes Press (Booth #506). Join author Anthony Taylor (The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim), CFQ Magazine Editor Jeff Bond, director Robert Burnette (Free Enterprise), and legendary model maker Greg Jein (Star Trek, CE3K) for a peek at the new book and a discussion of Trim's influence on the current generation of filmmakers. Presented in association with www.miketrimart.com.

Pretty cool lineup! We may even have a special guest who's name I won't mention (Richard Taylor), but you might be able to guess if you know who wrote the foreword for the book. Come see us at the booth and the panel and let me know I'm not writing this stuff only to have it vanish into thin air.

This is the beginning...

Welcome to the blog! I'll be posting updates on Mike's projects regularly. Let's start with the press release for the new book, The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim, shall we?

In 1964, young Mike Trim answered a newspaper advertisement seeking modelmakers for a film production crew and began an odyssey that would last for more than 40 years. Beginning in the final days of Stingray, Trim would work as a modelmaker and designer for Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's television series Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, The Secret Service, and UFO, as well as their feature films Thunderbirds are Go, Thunderbird 6, and Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (a.k.a. Doppleganger).
Starting out in the model shop, Mike eventually became Special Effects director Derek Meddings' assistant in designing the fabulous futuristic vehicles, buildings, and look of the Andersons' imaginitive series. Eventually, he would take on the bulk of design work for the series as Meddings became more involved in feature films.
Contributing a single (unused) vehicle design and model to Space: 1999, Trim then moved into freelance illustration, creating an iconic cover painting for one of the best selling albums of all time; Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War Of The Worlds, in 1978.
The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim is an in-depth look at the career of this creative and talented man. Featuring hundreds of full color and black & white drawings, paintings, marker comps, and photos from his entire career, the book offers a detailed view of how to foretell the future at the end of a paintbrush. Along the way, Mike relates humorous and interesting stories of his years working with Derek Meddings and the Century 21 Films crew, as well as his experiences as a freelance artist and how the instantly recognizable cover art for The War of The Worlds was designed. With chapters covering his techniques and early influences, unproduced and upcoming projects and more, The Future was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim is a fitting tribute to an artist whose work has permeated the pop culture landscape for the last 40 years.
By Anthony Taylor with Mike Trim
Forewords by Richard Taylor and David Tremont of Weta Workshop
Published by Hermes Press
128 pages, Trade Paperback - 8.5"x 11"
Limited Edition Hardcover available separately
Shipping in late July
Now available for pre-order http://fabgearusa.com