Liveblogging the hardbacks, and an open mic

ByWil

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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250 Comments

  1. Just ordered my copy! I have been waiting all this time for the hardback release and was horribly afraid that I would not be back online in time to purchase – I look forward to reading THDoOL and recapturing a bit of that timeline that you always bring with your stories. Thank you!

  2. Phew. Just on the way to bed (22:20) after catching up with Heroes episode 19 (series 1 – we’re behind here on the BBC) and I checked my RSS feed.
    And managed to grab a copy.
    Cheers Wil !
    I look forward to getting it soon.

  3. Oh yeah, that’s totally Prince, “Kiss”!
    I’m more into U2 and a few other bands now but when I got married, I walked down the isle to “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” I worried that maybe it was egotistical to have that as your wedding song, but I did it anyway. For the garter I requested, “Gett Off”, much to the horror of my very religious, very Catholic family. Soooo much fun.

  4. ok then starshine – there is a hot spiced apple drink that originates from canada, a friend of mine who used to live over there had some and ive been trying to find out what its called and who makes it for ages now cause i want to get some!!!! don’t suppose you have any ideas?

  5. I missed the whole fun!
    I just returned from a crazy flight from Seoul with a whole bunch of crazy passengers and a smoke warning in one of the lavatories which robbed me of my well deserved break, my cats escaped when I tried to get inside the house (well it’s them who have to sleep outside in 20°F, not me) , and my paypal account won’t let me sign in so I can’t order the hardcover!
    So I guess I go to bed and try again tomorrow. Maybe I have more luck then.

  6. Just posted my Nearly Halftime Report on the game on my LJ. Not as interesting as last week’s Pittsburgh/Cleveland game, but I got a few sentences.
    LOVE U2. I was born the year The Joshua Tree came out. Mom listned to it while I was still prenatal.
    *sings*
    I want to run
    I want to hide
    I want to tear down the walls
    That hold me inside
    I want to reach out
    And touch the flame
    Where the streets have no name
    I want to feel sunlight on my face
    I see the dust cloud disappear
    Without a trace
    I want to take shelter from the poison rain
    Where the streets have no name

  9. sara, apple spice cider or something along those lines?
    I’m sure if you google recipes for ingredients, you could find it… There are just many different types of warm apple drinks around here!
    What with the cold winters and gazillions of orchards…

  10. Adding my moneys as we speak! I’ve been itchin’ for a good poker game. The guys at school have no idea what a good game is…way too easy to read, they are.

  11. aha! thank you wil!
    i suck at working out time differences!!! especially through the US of A who have eleventy million it would seem… although not as many as russia… which is just silly…

  12. shewhobeatsass, I watch the Rattle & Hum DVD(if you haven’t seen it, get it!) every two months or so and I am just in *heaven* every time I watch it. It’s like my church, you know?
    Not to brag but I once ordered tickets for a U2 concert and had no idea where the seats were (long story). When I got there, I about DIED when I found out we were in the 7th row. I practically got sweated on. Aaaah!!!! So AWESOME! I’ve seen Prince in concert too but U2 is much better.

  13. starshine it was granuales of some kind.. in a tub… they did a cranberrry one as well i think… but the apple one contained crack im pretty sure

  15. LUCKY! My mom and I tried to get tickets to see Springsteen and the E-Street Band this week, but they sold out REALLY fast! We blame all the Sopranos fans who wanted to see Steve Van Zandt…
    I’m lying in wait for their next concert. I REALLY want to be able to tell my kids I went to a concert OTHER than OzzFest 2006. That way, I’ll have a story to tell them that doesn’t involve the words “And they were REALLY lax about carding that year, so guess who passed out drunk on the grass?”

  18. I’ve had a great time here, love the camaraderie (or however you spell it!). I gotta go eat some organic pizza that I overcooked and is slightly not quite as hard as a rock. Mmm… organic rocks…. Take care all, Wil, Shewhobeatsass, Sara and Kevin!

  20. Yippy! I am so happy!!!! I placed my order and got one. The “Fraggle Rock Socks slide across the kitchen floor” was not done in my house, but right when I got the final order number, I stood up from my computer chair and did a short happy dance with the happy girly high pitch squeal which I am so sure was done with the same excitement and greatest of ease. Thanks Wil for details of this sale. Wil, you Rock!

  22. *laughs* Kinikia, it’s hard to do that unless you actually are wearing Fraggle Rock socks.
    And it could’ve been any other socks, actually. Just so happens that the Fraggle Rock socks were the ones I grabbed when I was shoeing up to take the garbage out.

  24. Paypal hates me today and I still can’t log in. And since I can’t fall asleep right now, I’m considering playing some poker. Even though I suck at it…

  25. Thanks Wil (NOW, I’m seriously gone! Swear. I swear on the Handbook of The Recently Deceased).
    Have fun and let us know when the 300 mark is reached, Wil!
    *poof*

  27. Sweet- I got it.
    Can’t wait. Well I guess I can. I have waited this long for it to come out in hardback so I can wait a little longer.
    thanks for all the great stories Wil and for this year’s Christmas present to myself.

  29. wil, just bought one!
    If you want to save the postage, I’ll be in Glendale for meetings starting Nov. 28 and I could pick it up from ya.
    You shouldnta worried about selling ’em. YOu know us monkeys have your back!
    CCPetersen (spacewriter)

  40. God-%@#^-mother-*&%^@#&!
    I’ve never gotten a chance to be on a WWDN pokerstars tournament. Now I go to log on, and my balance is $16-odd, and it costs $20.
    Both of my credit cards denied my attempts to deposit more money.
    Resisting the urge to go to Sioux Falls and burn down Citibank.

  41. *shewhobeatsass* that is now my google-talk icon. I’m sure someone I chat with will wonder what the hell it means. but that only makes it more awesome, when they ask and I can tell them to go buy the book 😀

  42. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    i got to the poker tourney too late!! dang!!
    please have another one soon. i want to play poker with you. im sure you will kick my arse!
    oh yeah, congrats on the success of your book.
    i cant wait to read it!

  44. 1. I propelled the story.
    2. o hai! I iz can hav book nao plz? kthxbai.
    I’m very happy the book sales are going so well. Totally worried about nothing at all. 🙂
    Hm, you might do well with a second edition run if you ever have the time to do one.
    I had to set my cell phone timer and tell the fiance under pain of death he was to alert me when it was 1:55pm Central time so I could get set up. Ah, the 300. Okay, off to read this awesome thread. Have fun in the poker game!
    Cheers!

  45. Hey, Wil! It’s been a few hours since I ordered. Actually, I was probably one of the first 12 who was “F5ing” before the actual sale began. My husband was browsing on some other site, but I made sure he had a tab open to Monolith Press, so I could order your book. He was so nice that he actually refreshed the page to the point that he saw it go live before 3:00 EST and even typed in all my info for me. What a great hubby! I have one question, though. I paid with my credit card instead of our PayPal account. It gave me a confirmation number and said I would receive an e-mail. However, I haven’t seen a confirmation e-mail, yet, and it’s going on 7:00 here. Should I worry that my order didn’t actually go through?

  47. shewhobeatsass: That’s an awesome icon and I’ll be yanking that for my LJ.
    Boy, I missed a fun conversation thread. I *knew* I shouldn’t have turned off the computer to do laundry. 🙂
    Thanks for making it a great event, Wil. (Is that me in the Romper Room? If so that is hawesome.)
    Cheers!

  49. Wow – I completely forgot until just now and am thrilled that apparently the 300 hasn’t run out yet.
    Go ahead – send me #300…

  50. It’s funny…I was already so looking forward to bagging the signed book itself, but being part of this event tonight has made it much, much cooler than it already was.
    Allow me a sentimental moment so say that you guys are the best! 🙂
    And yeah, that includes you, Wil 😉

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