Hungry for some nerditude to the second power? Then we’ve got good news, because Michael Adam Jones is back with his second installment of Nerds in the Burbs. What’s going on in the burbs this time around and what’s next? Get the scoop below! Then keep reading to learn about the Jones’s background in the world of publishing.
Nerds in the Burbs, Book Two, continues documenting the adventures of Billy Bathwater and Jack Nerdstrom. What inspired Book Two and can you hint at what readers can expect this time around?
I have enough “backburner material” for about 10 books total (each having two stories and some filler materials) without running the series into the ground. I had a blast writing the four rap songs in the second story. As a huge Weird Al fan, I liked the idea of adding comedic songs—some as parodies into the work. Eccentric to the core, I’d unwind in my middle school days of the mid-90s by coming home, making a cup of tea, then lip syncing to Weird Al tapes and playing my balloon Gibson Flying V guitar.
Both stories in Book Two came about from older ideas from the aughts that I finally got to flesh out for this book. I also wanted to shift focus on which characters get more limelight than others in the stories, so that over time, the full cast will be well-developed and relatable.
It seems like you’re constantly pumping out new work. What is your writing and illustrating routine, and how do you know where to take your story next?
I had a group of friends, and we started a production group around 2000. I was the writer and started coming up with ideas, plays, and whatnot. We lost momentum quickly, and I was left with my large binder of skits, ideas, jokes, etc. Then my sister in 2001 wanted to write a children’s book, and we were extremely proactive in getting that project off the ground. When my sister started a family, the project was abandoned and the paperwork joined my binder of notes.
I do rough outlines but mostly through storyboards, so I can see where I can add in the maximum number of jokes and try to control the story’s pacing as much as possible.
I’ve found working in my local library has helped with focus—it’s quiet, with no TV or phone to distract from getting work done.
What goals do you have for Nerds in the Burbs, Book Two, and how do these goals compare to the goals you had for your first book?
As a huge comics fan, I’ve studied the careers of Schulz, Davis, Watterson, etc., and have begun to emulate what I can from their successes, though the paradigm is completely different now. Naturally, cartoonists have social media to use to their advantage and there are fewer gatekeepers, but each new opportunity comes with its own challenge. I wanted to push through that awkward phase that comes with initial entries as quickly as possible.
How are you marketing this book? Are your marketing efforts different this time around?
I used an agency called BrightKey to distribute my press release to numerous sources. It went fairly well, as far as I can tell. Insta and Facebook ads get you likes and little else. Using my mailing list and promote and build up anticipation and offer snippets of what to expect has also been extremely beneficial.
I’ve also purchased far more promo copies than usual. Anyone I can think of who inspired me growing up or has helped in some way gets one. Also, I’m trying to move quickly to get my book approved through the necessary channels to get it in libraries ASAP. The process is different per county so there’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’ll be worth it in the end for the exposure alone.
I think the focus just needs to stick to working more and just get seen as much as possible, let the chips fall where they may and build an organic audience.
I’ve also submitted Book Two for the Reuben Awards in the National Cartoonist Society. Fingers crossed on that one!
What feedback have you received so far on your new book?
Feedback seems to be minimal, so far. I subtitled the first book as “Book One,” to kind of force myself to get Book Two out as soon as possible so people would know I’m committed to this as a series and I’m not just getting a monkey off my back by publishing a book and fizzling out from the rest of the series. I often get asked why I don’t have all my characters on my book covers or scenes from the books interior, etc. The plain bright color covers I do use are very simple and were originally an homage to the Garfield collection books of old.
I also wanted something to contrast all the Big Nate and Captain Underpants type of stuff I was seeing and not emulate it.
Obviously, there are more adventures for Billy, Jack, and the gang. Do you already have a third book in process or do you have plans to write other books beyond the suburbs? If so, can you give us a sneak preview of what’s next?
Book 3 is still set for later in 2026, with both stories in it about halfway to completion; one is Christmas themed and the other focuses on the main villain, Shadee Fella. He’s finally able to achieve world domination, but there’s a huge catch he’s not comfortable with. Book 4 has a few parts completed already, as well, but I may hold off for a 2028 release and save 2027 for completion of a kids’ book in the works that finally puts my love of Athurian lore to good use.
And my “special child” is my high-fantasy novel in the vein of Eddings and Sanderson with bestiary art and maps, etc. I have the first book in the series about halfway done, but a novel is a much different animal than a graphic novel, I’ve found. I had the initial idea at age nine, revamped it in my teens, then twenties, and now I think it’s “heavy” and “sophisticated” enough to carry itself well.
Is there anything else about you, your writing, or your second publishing journey you would like to share?
It can feel like there’s a lot to live up to. My family are all involved in publishing: my father sold books for decades for Oxford, Zondervan, and Barbour, my mother has written numerous Christian romance novels under the pen name Joyce Hope, my sister (Lauren Connelly) published Mr. Lee D’Looo, the New Year’s Imp with Argyle Fox last year, and my brother Dr. Nathan Jones has written many books with his organization Lamb and Lion Ministries. I found On Writing by Hemingway to be a good inspiration as well as Danse Macabre by Stephen King. There are numerous online personalities such as Brandon Sanderson that I follow as well.
I’ve tried to “win the golden ticket” by getting syndicated, but found quick “punchline” comedy is extremely difficult for me to write and longer, fleshed out stories with situational comedy come far easier.
I was hired by RetrowareTV around 2013 and had to crank out a 1000-word blog with cartoons and whatnot every two weeks. I did about 40 blogs in my run with them, which was great in honing my ability to write comedy that is interesting and informative as well. (It helped me to get thicker skin too.)
Thanks again, and I can’t wait for readers to laugh their way through the second installment of your series!