Every year, before the summer convention season gets underway, I pull some excerpts from whatever I plan to release in the fall, take them to my local print shop, and make a deliberately lo-fi, limited edition chapbook to take with me on the obligatory summer convention circuit.
I’ve done previews of Dancing Barefoot, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, and Memories of the Future*, but in 2008, I couldn’t excerpt my planned fall release, because it was so top secret, I would have had to print it on self-destructing paper, and while that would have made it a very limited edition, the costs associated were … prohibitive.**
The thing about these chapbooks is that you can only get them from me if you come see me at a convention. Since I don’t do many conventions, this leaves a lot of you — Europe, Canada, and the East Coast, I’m looking in your direction*** — without a chance to get your hands on one. Later this week, I will correct this glaring error, by releasing last year’s chapbook, Sunken Treasure, via a print on demand system that works like this: you place an order, they print your book, and the service I use ships it to you. A couple of my friends have used the same service I’m using, and they’re super happy with the quality of their books, the customer service, and everything about the whole process. Print on demand services used to be kind of sketchy, but they’ve grown up a lot recently, and I’m willing to give this particular one a try.
If this works the way I think it will, it’s going to be super awesome for all of us as I release books in the future: You don’t have to worry about me screwing up your order, I don’t have to invest in a thousand books at a time, you get your book in a few days instead of a few weeks because I’m not shipping it myself, and I can spend more time creating new stories while remaining independent. Best of all, I’ll have the time to write and release more than one or two books a year.
I’m proud of Sunken Treasure, and people who read it seemed to really like it. But if you were wondering what you’re getting into, here’s part of the introduction I wrote for this release:
With the help of my editor Andrew, who is a former ninja warrior and recreational time traveler, I pulled together things I liked from all three of my books, my blog, and this groovy collaborative fiction project I played with called Ficlets. I also included, for the first time anywhere, one of the scripts I wrote for a sketch comedy show at the ACME Comedy Theater.
When we printed out the resulting chapbook so we could proof it, Andrew and I both noticed that without really trying, we’d managed to put together something that was a lot cooler than we’d expected.
“This is a great way to introduce people to my writing,” I said.
“Maybe we should consider making it a more substantial release,” Andrew said. “So more than 200 people can have a chance to read it.”
I thought that was an excellent idea. It was such an excellent idea, I completely forgot about it until the beginning of 2009, when I found six unsold copies in my office. I took them with me to a convention in Phoenix, sold them all, and began thinking about putting together the book that you have in your hands right now.
I’ve expanded this version from the original just a little bit, and included the production diary I wrote about my experiences working on Criminal Minds last year, because of everything I wrote in 2008, that was what people seemed to like the most, and I’m all about making the people happy.
I hope you enjoy this little collection, and I hope you’ll share it with your friends.
Unlike the autographed limited edition I took to cons last year, it’s, um, not limited, and not autographed, but it is expanded a little bit, and it’s not deliberately lo-fi. It won’t feel like a ‘zine at all. My friend Matt did a beautiful cover for it, and if enough people ask, I can easily offer a hardcover version with just a few clicks.
I hope it will find its way to all the people who wanted to read it, but couldn’t make it out to any of the very few conventions I attended last year. I’m working out the final details of publishing it right now, and I’ll have all that information available in a day or so.
*Watch how I bury this in the footnote: Memories of the Future is what I’m calling the book of TNG reviews.
**As it turns out, that project self-destructed, so it worked out that I didn’t risk releasing excerpts.
***Nearly all the e-mails I’ve gotten from people who can’t come to my conventions are from these places. Obviously, you will be able to purchase this book from anywhere in the world.
Hey, I like my “lo fi” copy, but this is very cool too.
…and that’s a great name for the TNG book. =]
Well, cool – standing by for the details.
That is really awesome! I do not have money or pain tolerance to go stand and walk around cons unfortunately (though really wish I could) so I would not have been able to get this any other way. I cant wait to get the details. I am excited that you are adding in your diary from Criminal Minds. I love that show so much and that episode even more because you gave me the fucking creeps.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
You mean you’re not naming your TNG reviews “I Am Not Spock”? I was all for buying the collection, but now… now I’m not so sure.
— But seriously, this is awesome news. It’s going to be a very long time before I can get out to the west coast to a convention, and I’ve felt like I was really missing out on your chapbooks.
This is appreciated.
Very cool, for those of us looking back at you from Canada. 😛
Yay! I’ll take the paperback! Can’t wait for details 🙂
The font is different now… it was all big and then all small and all over the place. Much easier to read now =)
This makes me really happy as I was kinda disappointed that I missed out on this the first go, and the one before (wasnt it the “You Want Kids With That” chapbook?). Glad that Ill be able to get ahold of it soon.
Yeah, ecto decided to apply a bunch of styles I didn’t ask for, and I got to go edit the HTML by hand. Funtimes.
That is REALLY awesome! I enjoyed Sunken Treasure and look forward to the expanded edition. That is really cool news!
Are you going to continue doing yearly chapbooks? If so, will you do a print on demand for those, too?
Very cool! 🙂
Also, I really love the title “Memories of the Future”.
Cheers.
So cool! Thanks for sorting this out; I’m looking forward to being able to order this… Bravo, mon ami 🙂
Cool. I’ll be back for the info. Curious as to which service you’re using?
I hope I speak for the East Coast when I say: Yay!
We’re awesome over here, too, you know. 😉
The Midwest feels a little left out too, but we’ll take what we can get! I’m eagerly looking forward to the ability of getting a copy.
Me Like!!!
ME WANT!!!
Canada loves you!!!
*breaths in* *breaths out*
Sorry I lost the capacity to speak for a second due to all the awesomeness bouncing around in my head as I read this post!
Thank you Wil for caring about those of us far far far away!
*smiles*
I get it. So us East Coasters might as well be another country. The East Coast Conglomerate. Just make sure your passport is up to date before you ever fly into North Carolina.
😉
Hahaha. Well, y’alls do speak a different language down thar in the South.
Welcome to the future…
… of the publishing business.
See what I did there? I turned a perfectly respectably cool thing to say and turned it into a marketing slogan that makes my eyes tear up when I read it.
I believe the fulfills my evil deeds quota for the day.
I’m thrilled you’re doing this, and looking forward to getting my hands on a copy… but print-on-demand is still a little sketchy from the finance side. My friend Sam published a chapbook he wrote on surviving college (called “Other People Can Smell You: An Ex-Academic’s Guide to Surviving Higher Education”) on Lulu. It costs $11 shipped media mail… of which Sam gets 55 cents.
I think that title was taken… 😉
Any chance this book will be made available via eBook?
Sorry if this has been answered – I was unable to get the search feature to work on your blog. It redirected me to the main typepad site.
M@
I have considered doing it as an ebook, but haven’t made any decisions about that just yet. I’m still hopeful that the print route works out the way I hope it does.
A TON of people have asked me to make Kindle versions of my books, too, and a friend of mine wrote some very cool “make this thing into a Kindle book” software, so I guess it’s a possibility.
The only drawback to the Kindle stuff is that Amazon will force me to DRM the damn thing. That goes against my anti-DRM philosophy, but if I can figure out a non-DRM ebook version, I guess I could offer them both and people can choose which one they want.
Very good news. Last year, I couldn’t get to a con where you were appearing, or you couldn’t get to a con where I was appearing, or something, so I’m glad that Sunken Treasure will be available to the rest of us.
Hi,
looking forward to putting in an order, only been reading your blogs/twitter for a week and already love your style.
Thanks for the future read
Cathal
Ok, so is this the “so crazy it just might work” idea that you have been mentioning lately?
Thank you from the middle of Vermont! I will happily order this. I don’t currently have any of your books, but I wish I did.
I was introduced to your writing via your TNG reviews. (I think it was the “Encounter at Farpoint” review. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life. As a direct result, I’ve been reading your blog for a couple years now and I totally love your writing. It’s one of the few ways I cheer myself up when needed. Keep up the good work, man!
Touche’…
Boku wa nihongo de chotto hanasu…..
Oh wait… you meant that southern drawl thing. I see what you did there. Clever… 😉
My geek accent totally overpowers anything I’ve picked up in the time I’ve spent here anyway. 😀
From time to time I tell my wife, “Okay, I’m going to talk Geek to [person] for a minute,” like we’re in The Godfather.
How many geek points do I get for knowing you’re speaking Greedo without looking it up?
You’ve just made a Tennessee girl very happy, Wil!
LOL! See, I was going to go with Huttenese, but I *hate* Huttenese, then I thought about Greedo but I would have had to look that up myself and I was feeling lazy.
I went with Japanese figuring a real language might actually stump you and I wouldn’t have to look anything up.
But we both *thought* about Greedo so you get partial credit.
Have you considered doing an e-book version, for folks who want instant gratification and/or don’t have room for any more dead trees? There are small e-book shops like BooksOnBoard.com who cut deals with small-press publishers, check ’em out.
This is welcome news, sir. I somehow missed the fact that you were even handing out chapbooks at your previous con appearances. Seeing as how seeing you in person at a con, for the foreseeable future, is a prospect as fantastical to me as the galactic adventures of rebellious youth in a galaxy far, far away, having the opportunity to order expanded versions of these little literary morsels online is very appetizing indeed.
You had me at the Happiest Days Collector’s Edition reissue. Any further Wheaton written examinations journeying to the center of what inspires and ignites a geek’s soul would never cramp my style (RIP LUX!!!).
Seriously, dude, I’m excited by this new idea of yours. Unless, on the off chance, you decide to put away the portable devices and console peripherals, pack the family into the car and head up north for a vacation around Memorial Day weekend to stop by and say “Hi” at our annual local convention, this online print-on-demand idea is probably my best option to obtain one of these chapbooks.
Looking forward to reading one of these.
So I’m from the Northwest Conglomerate, and what I want to know is, how does one find out (in advance, with enough time to actually get to the same place at the same time as you), where one can throw one’s underpants at you? Assuming, of course, that one can get them off one’s head. . .
Because although I’m happy to add this to my collection of Wheaton books through the miracle of Print on Demand, it would be way cool to be able to get an autographed copy of one of your books for my partner-in-geekhood ;-}
I’m going to Emerald City Comicon this year in Seattle.
And while I’m all for women throwing their undergarments at me, I must insist on cash for book purchases.
I know, I know, I’m sorry, but it turns out that I can’t actually pay bills with undergarments that were thrown at me from random women.
Hey Wil, I’m really looking forward to your next book! Oh, and I know this is a bit far in advance, but I noticed that PAX and DragonCon are the same weekend and was wondering which you were heading to, if either? They both look to be awesome of course, and I’ve never been to either of them, so maybe this will help me decide 🙂 Thanks!
However, in this economy, it may come down to that.
In which case, I suppose I’d best hold onto them, just in case.
Well this is nice. ‘Cause while we in Europe love you, we don’t love you in the romantic movie way where we’d pull a grand romantic gesture by coming to America to one of your convention in order to confess our love and “purchase” one of your “paper babies”.
How’s that for awkward?
This news is worth a ‘w00t’
“w00t”
So mote it be.
That is great news! But now I’m going to have to switch from my twitter addiction to refreshing the front page of WWdN:iX every five minutes. Looking forward to ordering a copy, just as long as I haven’t worn my finger down to the knuckle!
I have yet to meet anyone that has a Kindle, but then again I live on the East Coast, we just invented fire over here.
eBay Wil. You just have to know how to sell those underpants and you’ll make tons of money. Don’t count out the used women’s undergarment underground market.
Was that enough unders in that last sentence?
These collections make me think you’re turning into the Larry Niven of bloggers.
I was so hoping that footnote would say “good news East Coasters I’m coming your way”. Rats!
Wil, I wholeheartedly applaud your venture into print-on-demand. I mean… New! Shiny! So of course I’ll want to throw money at you in that regard, and its totally worth it. The question is, is it still worth it for YOU? I know you’ve blogged a lot about the writing being a good source of your family income, and I totally respect that.
Without going into the business minutia too much, can you mark up the POD price enough to still make a buck at the end of the day? And how does that compare to your take-home per unit from the older publishing model? I can imagine it might be tough to have to add on a premium on top of the bare-minimum cost of printing from some of these houses, such that you can strike a balance with getting paid what you feel the product is worth while also making sure your fans aren’t getting charged through the nose.
Just checking in and making sure that by supporting you in this latest venture, we’re not shorting you from what you deserve to earn as a writer.
Awesome for me. I missed getting a copy at PAX ’08 because the lines were just too long and there was too much to do. I had already met you at PAX ’07, and was at your panel in ’08, I really wanted a copy, so I’m glad now I can have one, even if it isn’t lo-fi and autographed.
Dude, it’s so awesome that you care about this sort of thing, I’m a little verklempt.
I’ve always believed that I have a different relationship with my customers than the average writer, and you’ve totally affirmed that for me.
I’m taking a small but reasonable cut in profit by using this service, but it’s still better than I did with O’Reilly and Just A Geek. It’s not as healthy a margin as I’ve had in the past with other projects, but it’s a totally fair trade to take the fulfillment and order processing out of my hands.
It really means a lot to me that you want to support my work, and my entire Operation Crazy Idea depends on you and people like you. Over the rest of this year, I plan to release several different projects, some more ambitious than others, and hope that you’ll find them worthy of your time and support.
*shrug* It’s my way to support writers who aren’t dicks. 🙂 (Though, to be fair, I own some very rare and valuable Harlan Ellison penned smut, too…)
When Lewis Shiner was writing Glimpses I worked at a Kinko’s where he went to copy the manuscript. He let the manager keep a copy, and I ended up with it. Amazing book. Free to me. So of course I had to buy it when it was published to support his generosity. Made me find the rest of his work as well. This past year when I heard Lew was giving away a lot of his work, including his latest novel, I rushed to the Subterranean Press site and bought the more expensive limited edition printing, again to support the selfless efforts of an author I respect and admire.
“The first hit is free” is a viable business model, whether for drug dealers, authors, or bands. I’ll still rag on Doctorow for not allowing non-commercial derivative works on some of his earlier Creative Commons releases, especially since he claims to be a champion of fan fiction, but one thing he did get right was the “give it away and people will buy it anyway” idea.
Anyway, yeah, I figured not having to deal with paypal or the shipping labels would be enough of a relief to take a small hit on your cut, but I wondered nonetheless.
If you’re using Lulu, they offer a no-cost ebook option. You simply set the book up to be downloadable, and you won’t have to lose the majority of your revenue to materials costs.
Lulu’s print charge for a single 250-page black and white, regular ol’ paperback is around $8 or so. Add on their 20% commission, and you have to charge at least $9.60 just to break even. If you want to make any profit, and you mark it up to say $12, now you run into people not wanting to pay $12 for a paperback.
If you do the ebook option, and you set the price at say $5, you make $4–Lulu gets their 20% commission and you pay nothing for materials. Also, your buyer doesn’t pay shipping. Everyone wins! Oh yeah, and Lulu will let you offer both options (download or hard copy) for the same item. It’s pretty freakin’ awesome. DRM is optional, too, I think.
Forgot to add: As a fellow writer who dreams of supporting herself via her pen/keyboard, I want to see you get every penny you possibly can, simply by cutting the “fat” out of the process (and not gouging your readers, which I know would horribly pain you if you had to do it).
I agree that the title is great. Dunno if it was intentional or not (or perhaps subconscious?), Wil, but it instantly brings to mind “Memories of Tomorrow” by the Suicidal Tendencies.
Shiny, new (well, partially) Wheaton content in bound paper form? I’m there.
– Christina (#95 (I think?) of ‘the 300’)
P.S. I finally bought the audiobooks a couple weeks back, and thought (foolishly, as it turned out) that I might try listening to first couple chapters of Just a Geek on my iPod while trying to fall asleep last night.
THAT little plan didn’t work – your performances were so engaging that I was shocked when my playlist stopped 45 minutes later and I was still wide awake, eager for more! (Oops.) Fantastic stuff, though – I am really enjoying what you did with the readings.