The Big Book of Bisexual Trials and Errors

Northwest Press·October 2017216 pages · foreword by Avery Trufelman · named one of the best LGBT graphic novels of 2017 by The Advocate

Written and illustrated by Elizabeth Beier

A graphic memoir, published and reviewed. Buy it, or read the reviews below.

The front cover: a figure seen from behind in a crowd under stage lights, the title The Big Book of Bisexual Trials and Errors in hand lettering above, by Elizabeth Beier with a foreword by Avery Trufelman. — Front cover

The back cover: a photograph of Elizabeth Beier singing into a microphone against a red curtain, beside the jacket copy and review quotes. — Back cover

Inside the book

A black and white page: a woman re-watches a film and realises she was always drawn to a character, in six panels ending on the line that it took another two years to figure out why.

A black and white page drawn in heavy brush: a first kiss with a woman under a night sky, with the narration that her lips were soft and skilled.

A black and white page: two women talk on a sofa while a cat leaps across the middle of the page, and one asks the other to stay the night.

A black and white page: a woman sings into a microphone on a dark stage, with the caption that she looks like someone she wants to know, and am lucky to be.

A black and white page of tightly packed panels: two women lying together and talking, with narration about lips still parted and not knowing how to be so clean.

A black and white page: a couple embrace among heavy brushwork, framed by the word DOGWOOD drawn into the branches above them.

A photograph of an original hand drawn page on a wooden table beside a mug of coffee, the ink lines and hand lettering visible on the paper.

What the reviews said

“Beier has an acute eye for people and their stories, and it’s not surprising that she’s a Moth StorySLAM winner.”
Lambda Literary Cathy Camper, 7 January 2018
“It is always rewarding to follow a cartoonist’s artistic trajectory as captured in a collection like this.”
The Comics Journal Robert Kirby, 31 January 2018
“This raw chronicle is a dispatch from the front lines of modern app-assisted dating.”
Publishers Weekly 8 January 2018
“This is a definite recommendation if you’re a fan of Lucy Knisley or Ellen Forney, and Beier is a cartoonist to keep an eye on.”
Bleeding Cool Greg Baldino, 16 December 2017
“When Beier flies, she soars. A fantastic first book and here’s hoping that she’ll soar even farther now that she appreciates her own wings.”
Okazu Erica Friedman, 11 December 2017 · overall 8
“The stories by Beier are funny, sad, beautiful, and intriguing. The art by Beier could be museum paintings.”
Graphic Policy 18 November 2017 · 10 out of 10
“The artwork clearly comes from a very personal place and lets readers feel right at home in the story.”
ComicsVerse Kelsey McConnell, 28 October 2017 · 99 percent

More reviews ran at Book Riot, Smash Pages, Comicosity, Bisexual Books, Sequential Tart, Pixel Pop Network, What A Nerd and the Gay Entertainment Directory. Back to all work →