EP 364 - 40 Years of Rubes® Cartoons with Leigh Rubin

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Leigh Rubin about 40 years of his Rubes® cartoons and his latest book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Leigh talk about:

• The fact that in 2024 Leigh is celebrating 40 years of producing Rubes® cartoons
• Some of the things that have changed since Leigh first started writing the cartoons - such as the way he delivers the daily cartoons
• The tools that haven't changed over the years, such as the drawing instruments he uses
• How far in advance the daily cartoons need to be sent in for syndication
• The fact that Leigh rarely ever takes a day off from drawing something new for the cartoon
• Leigh's book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST and the story behind it
• The various types of essays that appear in this book
• Leigh's Cartoonist Pledge (inspired by the Boy Scout pledge)
• The ease of sharing cartoons on social media without any compensation given to the artist
• What a "workaround" is for cartooning
• The challenges of when humor doesn't age well because of changing sensitivities
• Testing the cartoons and deciding not to use certain ones that don't hit just right - (and the big stack of un-used cartoons that Leigh never submitted because they weren't funny enough)
• And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of what Leigh calls a "workaround" and how a similar thing might apply to writers in general as well as the idea of testing cartoons and not publishing them unless the hit right.

Links of Interest:

• Leigh Rubins Website / Rubes Cartoons
• Think Like a Cartoonist (RIT Press Website)
• EP 152 - Drawing Inspiration with Cartoonist Leigh Rubin
• Dramatic Exit (YouTube Short Inspired by one of Leigh's cartoons)
• EP 316 - Free Your Inner Non-Fiction Writer with Johanna Rothman
• ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link)
• DropCap Marketplace
  • Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off
• Cruising Writers
• Buy Mark a Coffee
• Patreon for Stark Reflections
  • How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds
• An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
• The Relaxed Author
  • Buy eBook Direct
  • Buy Audiobook Direct
• Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
• An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
• Wide for the Win
• Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
  • This Time Around (Short Story)
  • A Canadian Werewolf in New York
  • Stowe Away (Novella)
  • Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
  • Fright Nights, Big City
  • Lover's Moon
  • Hex and the City
  • Only Monsters in the Building
• The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

Leigh Rubin is an accomplished author and cartoonist. He has written more than 20 books. 2024 will mark the 40th anniversary of Leigh's internationally syndicated cartoon, Rubes®, which is distributed by Creators Syndicate to hundreds of newspapers and media outlets worldwide.

His work has been featured in film, television, and advertising. Leigh also enjoys a busy schedule giving thought-provoking and entertaining presentations on art and creativity at conferences, as well as professional organizations all around the country.

In 2018 Leigh began serving at Rochester Institute of Technology as the college's first Cartoonist-in-Residence.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0