Hey friends! Just wanted to let you know that, sadly, all of my National Park Monsters calendars are now SOLD OUT. That means two things:
Last year when people bought this counterfeit they actually received a really crappy, badly printed version of my work-in-progress images. This year I don't even know if people get anything or if the scammers just take their money and run.
I do know that the whole thing has damaged my reputation and made hundreds (thousands?) of people associate my work with inferior customer service, bad imagery, and crappy overseas printing. All of which is antithetical to everything I have tried to create.
To be clear: I don't blame people who see a link on Facebook for a fun calendar and click "buy now." I get it and I'm flattered. I blame Facebook, who forces me to keep reporting counterfeits over and over while never banning the bad actors, never helping people get refunds, and never refunding the money they make from these promoted posts.
Some people have asked what they can do to help. If you want to report a post as spam, go ahead; l'm not sure if it helps but it certainly doesn't hurt. I know that as the copyright holder only I or a licensed agent (a lawyer) can report the listings as copyright infringement.
What I will say is that you don't need to tag me in the counterfeit posts on Facebook. I can find them on my own, and while I appreciate the support, being tagged just continually reminds me of how depressing this whole thing is.
A few people have tried to point out that the silver lining here is that more people have seen my calendars and sought me out and bought my work because of it. Which is true! But honestly, I'd trade all of that if it meant this never happened. It's been a source of real depression, helplessness, and as I said above, I have no idea how this affects me and my business in the long run. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
So anyway...uh...happy new year? Onward to new and different and more fun things.