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Do you use a service to print your books & buttons, or do you press and collate them yourself? I really love your work and I'm curious how you approach self-publishing as a full-time independent illustrator!
Hi there! Thank you so much for asking!
All of my buttons are made via a manufacturer! They're often very cheap to have made. I 100% recommend this merch resource list created by Lily Grace if you're looking to get merch made and need a place to start! :) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mk9wl0LiYNStnXxwHAE6hd4-uzDMhfvnHsh819KlQeA/edit?gid=0#gid=0
As for books, I'm currently using https://www.grekoprinting-comixwellspring.com/ as a printer for my one little soriku book. I'm still a novice when it comes to physical print, but its a really nice option to have when selling at conventions! If you're considering printing an art book or comic book, I'd recommend having a digital option for accessibility, too! ^^
Making your own merch is still totally a valid option, if you're willing to invest in the resources to do that! There's plenty of good reasons to do stuff in house. I personally prefer to not have the extra workload because I'm already so bad about dragging my feet on the simplest of work tasks LOL!