Liveblogging the hardbacks, and an open mic

Posted on By Wil

This is a big day for me, and a moment of truth: was I foolish to think that at least 300 people would want signed, numbered, limited edition hardbacks of The Happiest Days of Our Lives? I’m about to find out.

I feel the same way I do before a big poker tournament or extremely important audition: my stomach is queasy with excitement and apprehension, my hands are a little shaky, and though I’m hoping for the best, I have to be prepared — at least a little bit — for something less than the best.

Because this is an event for me, (and because I have to watch the server to make sure nothing goes wonky)  I’m going to live blog it for a little bit. I’m also going to do this thing Warren Ellis calls an Open Mic, since I’m going to be here anyway: In comments, feel free to ask me anything, and we’ll have one of those time-shifted discussions we sometimes have on blogs and message boards.

Live Blog!

11:56pm: Whoops. We threw the switch a little early. Someone must have been F5ing, because about a dozen orders went through in the first minute.

12:00pm: Okay, we’re on sale for real now! Orders are coming in as fast as I can count them. I see some familiar names in there, and that makes me really happy.

12:06pm: The first count has 65 to the US, 7 to the Canada, 3 to the the UK, 2 to the the Europe (it’s the final countdownnn . . .) and one to the Australia.

12:10pm: 80 sold so far. Anne says, "I honestly don’t know why you were worried so much." You’d think she’d know me better after 12 years.

12:15pm: I can hear a train whistle from the train yards about 20 miles away. It’s one of my favorite sounds, because it conjures up romantic images of a time when people traveled by rail.

12:17pm: I’m looking through the Romper Room magic mirror: I see Angie, I see Starshine, I see Clay, I see Alice, I see Bill, I see Chuck . . .

12:26pm: 100!

12:30pm: Secret Agent from SomaFM is the perfect soundtrack for this moment. It’s okay to feel happy and relieved and excited now, right? That’s not tacky, is it? I feel like we’re all sharing in something that’s incredibly special to me. Is that corny?

12:33pm: OH HAI APRIL! YOU CAN HAS BOOK!

12:37pm: This is a good time to thank Roughy, who did all the design work on Monolith Press dot Com, makes sure the server doesn’t barf all over itself, and keeps me sane in my moments of panic and doubt.

12:42pm: Nothing to add. I just liked that it was "42" on the clock.

12:51pm: From gabrielwalker:

300_hdool

12:56pm: This is going better than I ever dreamed.

1:03pm: My count may be off a little bit, but just about half of the hardbacks have sold in the first hour. I’m trading nervousness and apprehension for pure, unadulterated excitement and joy.

1:13pm: We’re having an awful lot of fun in the open mic. Well, I am, anyway.

1:19pm: Updated scoreboard, not counting eChecks and the few times PayPal doesn’t include an item number in the e-mail header: US – 111, Canada – 11, UK – 5, EU – 9, Australia – 3, Asia – 0.

1:24pm: From Clay:

1:28pm: Nolan just made himself a Dennis The Menace style slingshot, from a "Y"-shaped stick and some surgical tubing. It’s pretty awesome.

1:48pm: Looks like orders are slowing down a little bit, so readers who were worried about it selling out real fast should still have a chance to get copies in the next few hours. That’s pretty cool.

1:57pm: This is probably as good a time as any to share this review of The Happiest Days of Our Lives from Firefox News:

The nostalgic photos on the cover and the title might lead someone to
think he’s calling his childhood the happiest days, but if anything,
his book serves to show that the happiest days of his life are right
now.  As I said earlier, he’s madly in love with his wife and adores
his kids.  He’s discovered a love of writing and an enjoyment of
poker.  He’s run to raise money for breast cancer, he’s put the spirit
of Wesley Crusher to rest, and he’s found a purpose in life.  (Okay, he
also listens to "Mr. Roboto" in his car.  Nobody’s perfect.)

This
is a great book for anyone who was a kid in the 80s.  Trek fans might
get a kick out of the backstage looks at the Next Gen cast.  Me, I like
it for the reminder that things really have gotten better since I was a
kid, and it’s just a matter of knowing where to find the sunshine.

2:06pm: Well, it looks like things are winding down for today. I didn’t intend for this to be an "event" when I planned it, but it’s kind of turned out that way, which is awesome. This has been an incredible rush for me, and I get the sense that it’s been an awful lot of fun for everyone who wanted to get a signed hardback.

I think there will be a few people who check in a few hours from now, who will be pleasantly surprised to find that there are still some copies left. It was always my hope that I could balance the business realities of this limited edition with my desire to make as many people as happy as possible; I’m thrilled that everything seems to be working out for all of us.

2:08pm: The Firefox News review was Propelled by Starshine. Go vote, so we can Front Page that sucker!

2:21pm: Hey, you know what would be fun? A celebratory SNG at PokerStars:

Tourney number:67601545
Time: 18:35 EST
Game: NLHE
Buy-in: $20
Password: monkey
Bonus: $5 bounty on Wil.

2:31pm: This whole experience has reminded me how important the WWdN community is to me. I don’t quite know how to put it into words, so I’m not going to try.

2:49pm: We’re closing in on 200. This is probably a good time for me to get really sentimental and mushy, and thank you all for your support. I sincerely hope you enjoy this book, and you should all know that without people like the 300 (heh. I love that) there wouldn’t even be a Happiest Days of Our Lives, or anything else in the future, for that matter.

2:56pm: Dr. Pauly, Change100, Penner42 . . . holy shit, this poker tourney is a shark tank!

3:23pm: Book review only needs five more votes to Propel it to the front page.

3:30pm: I walk away for a few minutes to give Ferris a Kong in the backyard, and when I come back, I see that five more people have bought books. Awesome!

4:06pm: Yes! The book review hit the front page at Propeller! Thanks, everyone!

4:36pm: Somehow, I forgot to share this from Starshine, featuring 300 copies of The Happiest Days.

5:07pm: The poker tourney was a lot of fun. 11 players, and I made it to heads up with Dr. Pauly. I would have won, too, if it wasn’t for his damn runner/runner flush powers.

5:18pm: So I’m adding things up, and here’s how it looks right now: 177 orders from the US. 16 orders from the Canada. 11 orders from the the UK. 13 orders from the the Europe. 5 orders from the Australia/New Zealand. That works out to 217. There are also about twenty or so orders that I can’t easily search for in Thunderbird, because they’re eChecks, or because PayPal didn’t include the item number in the e-mail subject. I think it’s safe to assume that I’ve sold about 240 signed, numbered, limited edition hardback copies of The Happiest Days of Our Lives. If things continue the way they have, the remaining copies will probably sell out with the next 24 hours, if they don’t sell out over night.

This is a very big deal, and an important affirmation for me. The paperbacks haven’t sold on the same pace as Barefoot or Geek, and I was worried that for reasons I didn’t understand, a lot of people like to read my blog, but didn’t want to — or weren’t able to — support my writing efforts by buying my books. Today, however, tells me that a lot of you were waiting for something special, and all of you who are part of the 300, and that subset of you who participated in the open mic are part of something that was and is very special to me.

Maybe it’s corny to feel good about this, but I love the sense of community I feel here, and spending some time today with so many of you turned a cool day into an awesome day.

Self-publishing is hard. Making it through the media filter is hard. Just getting the damn hardbacks available for sale has been maddening. But today made it all worthwhile.

I’ve felt discouraged and frustrated lately, and I’ve been doubting whether or not I can make a living doing this. Today, you all showed me that, while it’s not going to be lavish, and it’s certainly not going to be easy, at least it’s possible.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years, and to everyone who supported me today. I sincerely believe you’re getting something special and wonderful, and it’s very close to my heart. It’s not a stretch to say that you’re all getting a big part of me when you get one of my books, an even bigger part of me than the average audience gets when they watch or listen to me act.

Thank you all, most sincerely, for being a part of this, one of the happiest days of my life.

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Comments (250)

  1. I got one, I got one!!!!!!!
    *dies now*
    *resurrects due to realizing I have to be alive to show off an autographed kick-ass hardback version. Which I will use in place of a bible*
    Rock! Yeah, I know I don’t post much here, but I still am excited! I’m going to go pee now.

  2. Keep up the good work Wil. I am sure you are going to be sold out before dinner. I am on Jury Duty tomorrow so I have to get down to the factory and get everything ready for tomorrow as I will not be there.

  6. Despite being somewhat broke right now, gotta have this. It’ll be the written soundtrack to the “when I was your age…” speeches I give my kids.

  8. HI Wil. I wanted to add a comment as soon as I placed my order, but I forgot my password! A bit of a senior moment I think. I got in there a minute before the hour so I’m hoping my copy is one of the first to the UK. Thanks for making this happen Wil. This is so much more fun than buying a book on Amazon.
    Time for an evening dvd and then off to sleep for me.
    Thanks again Wil

  9. Only 3 EU orders so far (only 1 since 12:06 PM PST)? Come on, people! Los! Schnell! Allez! Pronto!
    Now I’m a little worried as well that, despite all appearance, my order didn’t go through. *biting nails*

  13. Wil,
    Like I said in my double-order, if you over, order, I’ll be happy to sell the higher number of my two orders to someone who otherwise wouldn’t have gotten one.
    Craig Steffen

  14. Kevin, I’ve *always* said that they should have that in the Handbook For the Recently Deceased. You know, if you should wake up from your death state, you’re going to have to piss like a racehorse so don’t die without knowing where the nearest restrooms are.
    It’s a small thing but very important. Jesus knew that but it was somehow left out of the bible. Sigh.

  15. Tibbo, I felt the same way. But then I got the reciept. And because my roommate is so cool, she has put up with my happiness screaming and my random dancing around the kitchen for the past hour. *grins slightly embarassed-like*
    What? Not my fault that Fraggle Rock socks enable me to slide across our kitchen floor with the greatest of ease!

  18. I almost cried when I realized the clock was ticking and I still hadn’t ordered mine. I logged in at 3:52 p.m. EST/12:52 p.m. PST and quick ordered. I hope I am not one of those that get a refund and an apology! I read a bit here and it looks like I may still make it in under the wire.
    Good luck, Wil! I am hoping you sell out soon, but not until my order goes through 😉

  22. “Roughy is from Illinois, fwiw.” -Russ
    I knew it! Very clever there, R.
    ===
    PE, someone asked! 🙂
    And Wil always calls me Roughy and I always call me Russ, and then there’s IM and then there’s Halo, and it’s just all messed up.
    So, there. I’m in Chicagoland, baby.

  26. shewhobeatsass:
    I only received 1 email from paypal after the order, and that was the payment confirmation email. Is that the receipt? Being that the email I refer to is in German, who knows if the same automatic email doesn’t say “receipt” in the English version.
    And BTW: Fraggle Rock socks? Ooooooh *shake fist in envy*

  28. Last night, I say to my wife: “I know I ordered a softcover copy last month, but I’m going to try to get a signed, hardcover edition of Wil Wheaton’s new book when it goes on sale tomorrow.”
    Her reply: “Well I’m not going to stop you since I bought a hardcover copy of ‘Tricky Business’ signed by Dave Barry to replace my perfectly good hardcover copy of ‘Tricky Business’.”
    I’m so glad she gets it. 🙂
    So then, as I was reading to my 3-year-old a few minutes ago, I looked up at the clock and realized the book’s been on sale for an hour. “Oh Noes!’ I thought to myself, “I hope everyone else on teh intarwebs isn’t clogging my tubes with orders for the book… I want one too!!”
    My order just went through, so it looks like I’ll have one in time for my birthday. Yay!
    Thanks Wil!

  31. And in Halo 3, Russ is called “fodder” and occasionally “target.”
    Posted by: Wil | November 18, 2007 at 01:05 PM
    But never bitch.
    As in, eat this rocket, bitch.
    You know who I’m referring to.

  34. PE, someone asked! 🙂
    And Wil always calls me Roughy and I always call me Russ, and then there’s IM and then there’s Halo, and it’s just all messed up.
    =====
    Ah, well then I won’t tell you what we call you in the mod pod when you’re not there…
    ….KIDDING! (don’t smite me, please) 😀

  37. Wil, i wasn’t sure if you were just autographing these or if you were inscribing them (as in, “To Soandso”). There wasn’t a box for special instructions like there was to order the chapbook back in 2006. I only ask because the name on my Ship To is not what i usually go by.

  39. I ordered 2 copies. One for me, and one for a Christmas present. Those will account for 2 of the 7 Canadian orders. This will go next to my harcover copy of JAG that I got signed in Vegas with autograph ticket 0001!

  40. shewhobeatsass:
    ok, I think you may have a point.
    When I read your post, I spontaneously imagined them as green and fluffy, and showing Wembley.
    I think it’s time to take my pills…

  42. Yep, me was an ⌘-R’er as well. There was a ping of guilt, but…
    Glad to see the sales going well. I was one of the early ones, in Alameda, CA. Do you want me to send you an additional payment for CA sales tax? Like someone else said already, that can add up.

  44. Sorry, Tibbo. The socks I got all have something to do with Red. My now-33 year old sister got them for me as a late birthday gift last year. And amusingly enough, she had been looking for socks with Wembley on them! Apparently, the sock companies just love Red more than Wembley…

  45. chris.: These will be signed and numbered. Adding personalization just isn’t logistically possible with the setup I have here. I know that’s going to make some people unhappy (and it’s not my first choice, either) but until I get a better cart system in place — and I’m working on it, believe me — it’s the best I can do.
    Kevin: I don’t think so. There were ones back in the day with over 400.

  47. shewhobeatsass:
    Well, nothing against Red, and although I always liked Gobo most, I just couldn’t help having a soft spot in my heart for Wembley.
    Oh…sorry…does this count as a thread-jack? 😉

  48. Wil, thanks! That’s kinda what i thought, especially from following all the shit you’ve gone thru’ just to get to the point where you could sell the hardcovers. And no worries — if i want it personalized, maybe next year at PAX i can just work up the courage to say “hi,” instead of wimping out to social anxiety like i did this year. :\

  49. Atrustaijitu, if you see an add from a LJ person with the name collegeanna19, that’s me!
    I was always a Red and Travelling Matt girl, Tibbo, and I-oh, oops. Sorry about the thread-jack, Wil!
    *hangs head in shame*

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