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50,000 Monkeys at 50,000 Typewriters Can't Be Wrong

in which sunken treasure is revised for a second edition

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There's a brand new layout of Sunken Treasure, which looks beautiful and has earned the Second Edition designation.

A ton of readers have sent feedback about Sunken Treasure, and some common themes have emerged:

1. You like the stories. This makes me so happy I want to do the Snoopy dance.
2. The layout needs work. This makes me realize my own limitations.
3. You really want a digital version that's native to the Kindle, or other eReaders. This makes me wish my eReader-Fu was stronger.
4. You want an audio version of the whole book.

I took this feedback to heart, and over the next few weeks I will address every request. Today, I wanted to announce that I took some of the earnings from the first month's sales, and reinvested them into making the book even better: the US edition has been revised and redesigned by my friend Will Hindmarch, with a beautiful new layout and gorgeous new fonts. Will is a honest-to-goodness professional designer, and he made the gutters deeper, fixed some of the typos that eluded both me and Andrew (curse you, signing! You kept looking like singing!) and improved the overall flow of the whole book. (Note: The World edition has not been changed; we're working on it, and it'll be updated soon.)

Here, take a look at this comparison, starting with the original:

Original Sunken Design

And now, the new design:

New Sunken Design

I'm not sure if the change comes across on the screen, but it looks beautiful on paper. Also, the margins are vastly improved since I did them myself, which will address the number one complaint from customers.

Also, if you're a knowledge nerd like I am, you may enjoy learning this from Will:

If you’re curious, the new design is set in the classic transitional
typeface, Baskerville, which debuted from John Baskerville in 1757 (the
same year
The Last of the Mohicans is set, I think). The interior title is in Effloresce, designed around 1999 by the great Ray Larabie.

Woo! Neat!

Whenever I revise and update my books, some people who've purchased the first printing get upset with me. If you're one of them, I hope you'll understand that I always want to make my work better, and now your first edition just became limited. Yay!

Now, about the other points people have raised:

At the moment, Lulu only supports PDF for downloadable eBooks, but I think they will let me sell other types of digital files if I don't put it into their eBook category. If I understand it correctly, I could make a .zip file that has html, .rtf, .txt, and as many native formats as I can successfully create (or pay others to create for me). If I'm right about that, expect to see that kind of offering – still for just $5 and still without DRM – as soon as I can pull it all together.

There's an audio version on the way, as well. I just haven't had time to record it.

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books "Sunken Treasure" "Lulu.com"
20 March, 2009 Wil

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33 thoughts on “in which sunken treasure is revised for a second edition”

  1. terrymr says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    You should work at Apple, they’re always bringing out new versions of products right after I buy them 🙂

  2. Eric says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    Wow, I’m first. This has never happened to me before. I want to thank my mom and dad, for always being so supportive….oh wait…sorry.
    Anyway, I guess its a good thing that you’ve gotten the feedback you did. Otherwise all of those things would be out there, making a bad name for you. I can understand how the first group of purchasers might feel, but hey, if you’re a fan of Wil, you know nothing like this is ever intentional. Speaking of which, I need to order my own copy. Sorry Wil, didn’t mean to wait so long, but payday only comes so often and I had to save up enough quarters 🙂
    Had to edit it, figures somebody would post before I got all this finished. Damn, missed again.

  3. Jeremy Schultz says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    Nice to see the indention/space after dilemma is resolved, but I guess I’m not a fan of the typeface used in the heading and outtake note. 🙂

  4. www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkfOId3MyQ7zsoQxxHYg2KZWaraC68UG7s says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    Hey, would it be possible to just release the eBook as an “epub” release? They’re basically zip files with fancy xhtml formatting, and the format seems to be supported by a number of eBook readers – although I admit, I don’t know if it’s “native support”.
    There’s a free eBook collection software for Windows called “Calibre”, and it has the capability to turn plain text files to epub. (Incidentally, there’s homebrew for the Nintendo DS called DSlibris that can read the XHTML files (if you strip them out of the epub archive)… turning -it- into a nice little two-page eBook reader.
    *cough* Just something to think about. If there’s free software that can create these, I don’t think they would have DRM attached.

  5. Wil says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    You got it. I’ve added epub to the list of file formats.

  6. pojut says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    Yay audio version!
    Imma buy it the day it’s available:-)
    Any ideas as far as pricing is concerned?

  7. www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkfOId3MyQ7zsoQxxHYg2KZWaraC68UG7s says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    Awesome, thanks.
    Now I have to figure out why Typepad totally ate my name and spat Google vomit all over. (Incidentally, this is atrustaijitu off Twitter, one of the Wheaton 300, etc etc.)

  8. Carrie says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    For typos, it helps to read the entire document backward, word by word. Time consuming, but prevents that whole “brain filling in what it wants to see” thing. But hey, I catch typos in non-self-published books all the time. No one’s perfect.
    I just got my copy of Sunken Treasure in the mail and thought it was great. I love that you’re going to improve on an already great thing.
    More please. 😉

  9. Trae says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:33 pm

    I heard of a few people liking the MobiPocket Creator Publisher edition:
    http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/ProductDetailsCreator.asp
    Since the Kindle would be your primary market (that’s a guess) this will allow you to create .mobi files that is readable on the Kindle/Sony Reader/Phones. I talked to a number of people that says it works well and can keep most of the formatting in place on the Kindle.
    Just an FYI.

  10. Sisyphus says:
    20 March, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    You might be interested in AutoKindle (http://sourceforge.net/projects/autokindle). It’s also windows only, so I don’t know what sort of hurdle that presents to you, but it’s there.

  11. RobinTX says:
    20 March, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    I simply purchased the PDF version on lulu and emailed it to my Kindle. Showed up in just a few minutes and it looked awesome. Amazon may say that the Kindle will not support PDF files, but it did just fine with Sunken Treasure. There’s really not a need for any other version unless someone simply wants a .html, etc file. If you do release as a .prc file, it can be dropped on the Kindle with no conversion at all.

  12. Sympodius says:
    20 March, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    Did you get that ePub version of the first chapter of Sunken Treasure that I e-mailed to you?
    I never heard anything back about it.

  13. Wil says:
    20 March, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    I don’t think I did. Would you resend? Maybe it fell through a hole in the ‘tubes.

  14. bbaydar says:
    20 March, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    So if we already boughted the current PDF do we get to upgrade for free?

  15. Starr01 says:
    20 March, 2009 at 3:16 pm

    The audio version sounds wonderful to me as I LOVED the audio copy of See A Little Light! Looking forward to it.

  16. brandilionknits says:
    20 March, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    Now to get my limited edition signed. Also, hella w00t to the audio version.
    (I may have sprained some kind of dork muscle there, I gotta go.)

  17. kuangning.livejournal.com says:
    20 March, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    You’re exactly right about the file types. Book projects and ebook projects both go through the same file conversion process on Lulu, which yields a PDF file at the end; this is also the file that’s sent to the printer.
    You can do a non-PDF file download by doing a digital media project instead. Choose the CD/DVD project if you go with a filetype other than a music file; you should still get the option to make it available as a download, and the CD/DVD wizard lets you upload software.
    As an aside, if you need an extra pair of hands to pitch in with pulling together those other file types, I’m willing. I’m no longer on their payroll, but Lulu’s still the best company I know, and every little bit of success helps. 🙂

  18. DocMichaels says:
    20 March, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    Wil, quick question; I’m about to deploy to Afghanistan, and I’m taking my Kindle with me, for something to do. Do you expect any Kindle-Editions of your book(s) to come out in the near future? If not, can i nudge-nudge you in that direction?!

  19. Sympodius says:
    20 March, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    Ok, I sent it again. I encrypted the email this time in case that helps.

  20. JohnBooth says:
    20 March, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    I thought Amazon had a service that will convert any file (PDFs for sure) into a Kindle-readable file for something like 10 cents a document. A friend of mine put my Lulu books onto his wife’s Kindle that way.

  21. javaphil says:
    20 March, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    It really needs to be added in this thread that See a Little Light is a perfect song.

  22. Wil says:
    20 March, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    First of all, thank you for your service. Stay safe, man.
    As for Kindle-ized versions: There *will* be a Kindle-friendly version of Sunken Treasure very soon, and though I have plans to do digital versions of Happiest Days of Our Lives, I don’t know how soon that will happen.
    My other books are out of my hands, unfortunately, but I think they are part of the Safari Bookshelf program.

  23. angie k says:
    20 March, 2009 at 8:11 pm

    Ooh, the new version looks good, even on the web. Hm, I’m going to have to make a save vs. shiny roll.

  24. gconnor.livejournal.com says:
    20 March, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    I know you published using lulu, but you might want to take a few moments to check out Booksurge as well. Booksurge recently got bought by Amazon, and I’m pretty sure they have “Put it on Kindle too” as an optional item, but it’s not automatic (at this time).
    Disclaimer: I work for CreateSpace, which is a self-publish-books-and-dvds-and-audio-cds-house, formed by Amazon combining Customflix and Booksurge. I work in the video side of the house, so I admit to not knowing much about the Booksurge side of the house, but if you were to self-publish a video dvd or audio cd, it would end up on servers I manage. Further disclaimer: I don’t speak for Amazon or CreateSpace and this comment comes with a money-back guarantee.

  25. Braden says:
    21 March, 2009 at 12:51 am

    Hi Wil,
    Completely off-topic, but I’ve been following you on Twitter and now I’m blocked. Since I’m pretty sure I haven’t been talking smack about you in third period study hall, I was just wondering what gives.

  26. Joel says:
    21 March, 2009 at 8:19 am

    I recently listened to the audio versions of “Just a Geek” and “Happiest Days…” back to back, and I have two requests for the audio version of “Sunken Treasure”:
    1: Use the mic you used on Just a Geek
    2: Use the audio compression you used on Just a Geek
    Your performance in “Happiest Days” was amazing as always, but there were times that it couldn’t be heard or understood because of those two factors.
    Needless to say, I’ll be buying the Sunken Treasure audio when it becomes available. =)

  27. Cheeser says:
    21 March, 2009 at 11:00 am

    I bought Sunken Treasure from lulu immediately after reading this. I got the pdf version, and I think it looks great. It is easy to read, typographically, and entertainingly.
    (I’m also having a blast listening to the DnD podcast on WotC, right now, in fact.)

  28. Rebecca says:
    21 March, 2009 at 5:12 pm

    Hey, Wil – have you heard that William F**NG Shatner wants to be Prime Minister in Canada?
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/1751971

  29. Marti McKenna says:
    22 March, 2009 at 10:11 am

    Kindle makes it pretty easy to publish your stuff via their DTP website: https://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin
    I understand the process is not perfect, but there it is. I actually wrote the how-to stuff for this site, but the tool wasn’t actually working at the time, so I can only hope it’s useful. 🙂
    Let me know if you need any help.

  30. TwitterNovel says:
    22 March, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Yay! Now I can have two different editions! You need to come out with a third, Wil’s Criterion Collection, so I can have the nerd trifecta!

  31. fourquestions.us says:
    23 March, 2009 at 12:38 am

    Wil,
    I’ll just post again offering my services for free for any of your books you want converted professionally into ePub and Mobi/Kindle. I own/run/am an eBook conversion company, and I’d be happy to help in any way I can.
    – Joshua
    http://kindleformatting.com

  32. chefaerztininspe.wordpress.com says:
    23 March, 2009 at 3:14 am

    Yay, yay, yay! Just this morning I decided I really needed a “Sunken Treasure” in print to go with the pdf. Now I’ll even get the new and better version! Well, when you’ve worked the changes in the world edition, obviously. 🙂

  33. Elizabeth says:
    23 March, 2009 at 11:57 am

    I think that unless you’re going to release a collection- leave the typos and such in the chapbooks. For me it felt so much more raw, and self-made, dare i say “indie”? ugh. Your truth is what draws people to you- let all the humanity come with it. The whole essence of the chapbook is its imperfection. Like with the moleskine travel books- they get bent, smeary, washed, etc. Let the final revisions come when you’re working the NYTBS circuit. Good on ya, though for continuing to polish and grow. You are great. ~D)

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