for immediate release!

If you just felt a huge disturbance in The Force, that was me checking my e-mail and sending out an Akira-like Neo-Tokyo-destroying mental explosion of joy.
This is really happening!

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the author, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or [email protected]

Geek + Blogger + Actor = Author Wil Wheaton
O’Reilly Releases “Dancing Barefoot”
Sebastopol, CA–Not all geeks are into sci-fi, and not all sci-fi fans are geeks, but there’s enough of a crossover to explain the appeal of Wil Wheaton — self-proclaimed geek, blogger, and former ensign Wesley Crusher on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Even non-sci-fi fans have been drawn to the candid, highly personal, and occasionally opinionated account of his life that Wheaton offers on his blog at www.wilwheaton.net. The reason? While it’s true that in the grand scheme of things, the reflections and musings of the typical blogger-geek-actor-turned-book-author are not expected to be momentous, Wheaton writes with an honesty and disarming humanity that resonates with geeks and non-geeks alike.
In his book “Dancing Barefoot” (O’Reilly, US $14.95), Wheaton offers a collection of five short but true stories about life in the so-called space age. Based on pieces first published in his blog, the stories in “Dancing Barefoot” chronicle a teen TV star’s journey to maturity and self-acceptance. Far from the usual celebrity tell-all, the book is a vivid account of one man’s version of that universal story–the search for self. If you’ve ever fallen in love, wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a Star Trek convention, or thought hard about the meaning of life, you’ll find a kindred soul in the pages of “Dancing Barefoot.” In the process of uncovering his true geek self, Wil Wheaton speaks to the inner geek in all of us.
Like many authors, Wheaton hadn’t considered writing a book until the idea was suggested to him, and even then he resisted. As he explains, “I sort of know Dan Perkins, who draws ‘This Modern World.’ I linked to one of his brilliant comics on my web site, and he emailed me about it. We exchanged several notes over a few months, and one day he said, ‘You ought to write a book about your experiences.’
“I never considered myself a writer, and told him that. Dan pointed out that I’d been writing for my weblog almost daily. This fact sat in my brain for a long time, and I did everything I could to ignore it.” In spite of his intentions, many visitors to his site encouraged Wheaton to write a book, and the suggestion became harder to disregard. He finally decided to collect a year’s worth of blog entries from WWdN (Wil Wheaton dot Net) and publish it. “I figured I’d sell ten, maybe even fifteen of them at a Star Trek convention or something,” says Wheaton.
“I cut and pasted the web site for a few days, and then wrote some behind the scenes stuff to tie all the weblog ideas together, narrative-style,” Wheaton recalls. “In my head, I heard some strange voice — it was like Danny Stern’s ‘Wonder Years’ VO meets the ‘Behind the Music’ guy.
“I worked on that for about a week, and I had about 50,000 words. I realized that there was sort of a character arc in there, where ‘Wil’ went on this quest to cast off Wesley Crusher and find out exactly who he was. A few weeks later, I had several hundred thousand words, and it was looking like a freakin’ phone book. My friend Andrew said, ‘Don’t put all your best work in your first book.’ It was very good advice, and I cut out a bunch of stories that I liked, but weren’t central to the story. Those stories became ‘Dancing Barefoot.'”
The five stories in “Dancing Barefoot” are:
Houses in Motion–Memories fill the emptiness left within a childhood
home, and saying goodbye brings them to life.
Ready Or Not Here I Come–A game of hide-n-seek with the kids works as a
time machine, taking Wil on a tour of the hiding and seeking of years gone by.
Inferno–Two fifteen-year-olds pass in the night leaving behind pleasant
memories and a perfumed Car Wars Deluxe Edition Box Set.
We Close Our Eyes–A few beautiful moments spent dancing in the rain.
The Saga of SpongeBob VegasPants–A story of love, hate, laughter, and the
acceptance of all things Trek.
First self-published by Wheaton in May 2003, available only on the Internet and in select independent bookstores, “Dancing Barefoot” quickly sold out of its first run of 3,000. Wheaton’s next, longer work, “Just a Geek” will be released in early summer 2004.
Praise for “Dancing Barefoot”:
“I just put down Dancing Barefoot. Simply put, it was terrific. If you are a fan of Wil’s Weblog, WWdN, then you will love this book. It’s only 117 pages from cover to cover, but it is definitely worth getting…I really want to talk about the stories a lot more, but I think it would be cruel to take away anyone’s chance to read it for themselves. I give the weblog 4 spuds out of 4. Enjoy!”
–Mitch Malone, BananasOnToast.org, December 2003
http://www.bananasontoast.org/archives/000124.html
Further reviews can be found at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/barefoot/reviews.html
Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index,
author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/barefoot/
For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596006748.jpg
Dancing Barefoot
Wil Wheaton
ISBN 0-596-00674-8, 115 pages, $14.95 US, $21.95 CA
[email protected]
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
About O’Reilly
O’Reilly & Associates is the premier information source for leading-edge computer technologies. The company’s books, conferences, and web sites bring to light the knowledge of technology innovators. O’Reilly books, known for the animals on their covers, occupy a treasured place on the shelves of the developers building the next generation of software. O’Reilly conferences and summits bring alpha geeks and forward-thinking business leaders together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new industries. From the Internet to XML, open source, .NET, Java, and web services, O’Reilly puts technologies on the map. For more information:
http://www.oreilly.com
# # #
O’Reilly is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

93 thoughts on “for immediate release!”

  1. Congrats!! And I agree wholeheartedly. I was so impressed with your Spongebob Vegaspants story that I read the W.F**ing.S. part to my best friend over the phone, he laughed so hard I had to stop reading parts of it so he could catch his breath! I am DEFINITELY getting JAG!!

  7. W00t! Congrats on seeing your toil and enduring optimistic outlook congeal into a success! I look forward to the opportunity to get a copy and have you sign it in the near future!

  8. When Stand by Me came out, I was too young to know any of the actors’ names, and I seldom give a rat’s ass about science fiction. I say that only to point out that the first way I knew you was as a writer, and as a writer myself, I’m always in awe. You are an incredible talent, Wil. You deserve all the good things that happen to you, both personally and professionally.

  9. Wee Ha Wil ! My book should be arriving any day now, I can’t wait to read it. Congratulations, you have worked hard and you deserve the praise.

  10. Summer of ’04 for JAG? Aw man, I’m tired of waiting. Now I better go put my signed first edition of Dancing Barefoot someplace safe.

  11. Awesome, Wil! I’m on Kathryn’s press list, so got this yesterday. Now just waiting for answers to a couple of questions from her… such as, “Are there any substantial differences between editions?”

  12. After a couple years of lurking about your site, I have to say, “Gosh, you’re all, like, a real writer now! :)”
    All that hard work *does* pay off in the end!

  14. Woo-hoo! All the finger-crossing has worked. It’s very cool to finally realize that, like you said, it’s actually HAPPENING. Congrats, Wil.

  15. Great job Wil! I’m glad you’re finally getting the success you’ve toiled after all these years.
    Now, you need to start thinking about what you’ll write next! Keep the books coming!

  16. I could not be any more proud of you than I am right now, Wil! It’s finally come to pass…. And you have been so cool to include us all in this momentous event!
    Thank you!
    Jeannette

  17. I guess this means I can no longer be lazy. I will go down to B&N and pick one up. 🙂
    Summer ’04? Damn, good luck on finishing!

  21. Wil, what way is the best way to purchase the book so that you get the most benefit of it? i.e. is it better to purchase direct from Oreilly so that you get the most money? or better to purchase from Amazon so that you’re pushed up in sales rank? please let me know =D

  23. Whoo-hoo! [air guitar]
    Kick ass!
    I shall be picking up a copy as soon as I can, and will be sporting it to Penguicon for a autograph.
    Congratulations! May this be a launching point for ever better things to come.

  24. Congratulations Wil! I am so happy for you. That’s a great press release and I wish you many, many editions of DB and JAG, as well as all of your future work.

  28. Sweeeet! I ordered a copy of the book a few days ago from Amazon. *taps finger* Eagerly waiting for my copy to get here! 😀

  29. I ordered my copy yesterday from amazon.co.uk as a treat after a tough week (my husband had a health scare, so I thought it was something we could both enjoy – me first!), so now I’m really looking forward to receiving it, hopefully on Monday!
    Best

  30. *dances around happily*
    ^_^
    I know you’re more excited than I am, no question, but… I’m excited. ^_^ Do you have any clue as to the ETA?

  31. Umm… Ignore my last message. I guess it was published last month. ^_^;
    Must pout in parents’ general direction?
    (As a parent, what’s my best tactic?)

  32. Well timed.. My Copy of Dancing Barefoot arrived from amazon TODAY! I was actualy checking WWDN to see if the arrival of my personal copy was noted…
    Congrats Wil.
    And now I have something to read in the waiting room during my dads Valve replacement..
    -Jason

  34. Wil, the autographed copy of “DB” that I received from you at the 2003 Trek Expo in Tulsa is and continues to be one of my most treasured, valuable keepsakes. Not only did I read the book several times, but I also related many of the stories to my wife who also enjoyed them. The book now resides in a secret location in my home under tight security where no one can see it and no light can ruin it’s luster….er, um…sorry about that. Thanks again for allowing me the honor and privelidge of meeting you and your wonderful wife and I hope you can return to a future Trek Expo sometime soon. Take care!
    Greg in Tulsa

  36. At moments like these, I wish I could whip out some immortal words to mark the occasion.
    But I guess we aren’t all blessed with your talent and perseverence (is there an ‘a’ in that word? It looks funny). So I’ll just stick with a cliched, yet heartfelt,
    Congratulations Wil!

  38. I agree your blog is instresting to read. If I don’t always agree with everything that you say. Your blog is a good read. Congrats to you and your web blog.

  39. Congrats, Wil! That’s great news.
    I knew I should have picked up a copy from the original run when I had a chance…

  41. It made me smile when I got that email from O’Reilly this morning. Since then, I’ve been trying to figure out how to justify purchasing a copy for my academic library collection. “But it’s published by O’Reilly, and the Computer Science department likes their books!” I don’t know if that one will work….

  42. Wow, you got your very own ISBN. You know you hit the big time when you get your very own International Standard Book Number. Congrats!

  43. Wil,
    Just last night I received my O’Reilly & Associates; 1st Edition edition copy of Dancing Barefoot form Amazon.com. I can’t wait to get home from work tonight to start reading it. Congratulations on all your success.

  47. Ok, as I said before my copy arrived today.. I actualy couldn’t put it down.. and I just finished it.. Great book Wil, can’t wait for JAG.
    -Jason

  48. Sweetness – how wonderfully delicious for you! You must be absolutely giddy…congrats! I’m going to go out and buy a copy…right away!

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