Category: Books

the “wheaton’s books in the wild” pool at flickr

Posted on 18 March, 2009 By Wil

When Anne and I were handling the distribution of Dancing Barefoot and the first two printings of Happiest Days of Our Lives, I just loved looking at the address labels and knowing that one of my books was going to be taking a trip to a very cool place. Even though I knew it in my brains, actually seeing that this book was going to London and that one was going to France … well, something something underpants, I guess is where that sentence should end.

When someone brings me one of my books to sign, and I realize that it's one of those books that began its journey in my living room, it delights me. I usually hug it, pet it, call it George, and then get all weepy while I thank the person who owns it, and embarrass us both.

About a year ago, I noticed that lots of people were sending me pictures of my books, usually taken while they were on some kind of awesome vacation.

"Hey, you know what would be cool?" I thought to myself, "I could make a pool at flickr, and people who have my books could upload their pictures there! Yay! Awesome!"

So it was done, and Wheaton's Books in the Wild was born. As of this moment, there are 152 members, and 134 different pictures. I haven't mentioned it since the pool was created, though, and since there seem to be enormous numbers of new readers stopping by my blog, I thought it was worth mentioning again.

All the entries are awesome, but there are a couple that I just love to pieces, so here they are (You can click each of these to embiggen them):

I'm especially proud of the Happiest Days audiobook, but I also love how Angie K's hands look like Grover.

Damn kids today, with their new covers and spiffy graphics.

My books have been places I'll probably never get to go.

Hey, look, it's me, doing what I do at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo!

Who says books aren't sexy? Jerks, that's who.

Serious cat is seriously reading with its lazer eyez.

Stratford-upon-Avon: you will never find a more wretched hive of – oh. Wait. Wrong place.

Okay, that's more than enough examples. There are a ton of others, and if you have a few minutes to spare, you can check them out at Wheaton's Books in the Wild at flickr.

PRO TIP: It would be especially awesome if you'd join the pool and add your own.

this isn’t a book; it’s a time machine

Posted on 11 March, 2009 By Wil

This is where it all began for me: the D&D Basic Rules Set. When I opened this book in 1983, I had no idea that it would change my life. Back then, if you told 11 year-old me that I’d be 36 and wiping tears from my face because reading it brought back so many joyful memories, he would have called you one of the names the cool kids called him for playing it. (Don’t judge him too harshly; he’s only 11.)

My original D&D Basic set was a garage sale casualty, but the book in this picture is a first printing that I bought at a game store about ten years ago. It’s perfect in every way, except for a missing character sheet in the middle, which I printed from the PDF copy I bought from Paizo last year.

The Keep on the Borderlands module beneath it belonged to someone named Randy Richards, who wrote his name and phone number (as we so often did in those days) on the cover. I don’t know who Randy Richards is, if he cares, or if he’ll even read this, but if he does, I want him to know: your book is in very good hands, Randy, and its current owner loves it as much as anyone could.

I’ve been on a real D&D kick lately (blame the Penny Arcade podcast, and how much I love 4e) but I hadn’t actually gone back to the beginning and read the Basic Rules for a very, very long time. So late last night, after my family went to sleep, instead of watching TV or reading blogs, I went to my bookshelf and grabbed the Player’s Manual you see in this picture. I read it cover-to-cover for the first time in over 20 years, and played the solo adventure, which was the very first dungeon I ever visited. I named my fighter Thorin, just like I did when I was a kid. I made a map on graph paper, rolled dice on the floor, and felt pure joy wash over me. I scared off a Giant Rat and killed the remaining two before I failed – like I did when I was 11 – to solve the riddle of O-T-T-F-F-S-S, losing all my treasure. I tried to talk to the Goblins … before I killed them and took their treasure: 100 sp and 50 gp. I battled the Rust Monster, who was just as tough and unreasonable an opponent for a first level fighter as I remember. Thorin eventually managed to defeat it with some … creative … trips back to town to replace his armor and weapons, just like he did a quarter century ago. Luckily for him, the Rust Monster didn’t heal between battles … just like the last time he faced it. I decided to leave the skeletons for another time, and walked back to town with my 650 gp and 100 sp. When I calculated my XP, I had earned 1084 … not too shabby. I closed up my book, and went to sleep happy.

When I was a kid, the D&D Basic Rules Set was never just a game to me; it was my portal into a magical, wonderful world that I still love. Now that I’m an adult, it isn’t just a couple of books to me; it’s a time machine.

The world I live in is filled with uncertainty and occasionally-overwhelming responsibility, but for an hour or so last night, I was 11 years-old again, and I went back to a world where the biggest problem I faced was trying to save up for a Millennium Falcon. When I read “You decide to attack the goblins before they can get help…” I could hear my Aunt Val tell me “That’s a game that I hear lots of kids like to play, Willow. It’s dragons and wizards and those things you liked from The Hobbit. The back says you use your imagination, and I know what a great imagination you have.” I could feel the weight of my Red Box, which I carried with me pretty much everywhere I went, and how huge the thing felt in my tiny arms. I could feel it get heavier as I added modules and characters, and my own dungeons, drawn on graph paper. I could hear the snap of the thick green rubber band I eventually had to wrap around it, and I could see the yellowing scotch tape I added to the corners.

I enjoyed it so much, I’m going to reread the Dungeon Master’s Rulebook next, and run the Group Game adventure it contains, “for use by a beginning Dungeon Master.” Then, it’s time to go back to the Keep on the Borderlands, using just the Basic Rules, where Magic-users can’t wear armor, Fighters have 8 HP, Dwarf and Elf are classes, and everyone dies at least once before finally taking a character to second level, because that’s where it all started for me, and sometimes you just have to go back to your roots.

operation crazy idea presents: the criminal minds production diary – the audio version

Posted on 4 March, 2009 By Wil

I spent much of today recording and mixing an audio version of my Criminal Minds production diary. It's available as a DRM-free MP3 for just $5.

The fundamental concept behind Operation Crazy Idea is to publish more things, more often, at lower price points. The simplicity and immediacy of POD technology, the Long Tail, and Kevin Kelly's 1000 True Fans Model (I hate that term, but I love the idea behind it) have all worked together to make the first effort in Operation Crazy Idea, Sunken Treasure, a huge success.

This morning, I got a genuinely Crazy Idea that I've spent much of today creating: An audio version of my Criminal Minds production diary.

"Why aren't you just doing an audio version of the whole book?" You may ask.

"Well," I would say, "because that wouldn't be a Crazy Idea."

What is a Crazy Idea, though, is recording the whole production diary, adding in the usual asides and extras, ending up with something that's about 78 minutes long, and selling it on Lulu for $5.

"Why $5?" You say.

You ask a lot of good questions, person-who-I-made-up-who-is-different-from-the-person-I-made-up-yesterday.

It's probably worth more than that, but since the audio quality isn't as produced as the Happiest Days or Just A Geek audiobooks, I thought it was a fair price. Besides, I've learned from the PDF sales of Sunken Treasure that it's possible to reach a lot of people at a very affordable price point and still get a decent return on my investment. I'm not getting rich off of this stuff, but I'm hopeful that if I do enough projects like this, that are affordable and easy to purchase, over the course of a year it will add up to me supporting my family. If that happens, this officially becomes Operation Awesome Idea. If I earn enough to buy some toys, it's Crazy Awesome.

I decided to do this particular project today (total time from inception to completion: about 5 hours) because my episode of Criminal Minds is airing tonight, and I thought it would be cool to do this version right now, instead of waiting until I could book studio time for the full audiobook.

If you're interested, you can head over to my Lulu storefront to pick it up right now. If you're not convinced, and would like to hear a preview, you can download this excerpt, which tells the story of the audition.

the big dog-men live very high in the caves

Posted on 3 March, 2009 By Wil

The fourth edition Dungeon Master’s Guide is the DM’s guide I’ve wanted to read since I was a kid. Unlike previous editions, which were filled with all kinds of stat blocks and very little information on actually running a game, the 4E DMG could also be called The Art of Dungeon Mastering, because that’s pretty much what it is.

I mention this because I just saw a new release from Wizards that is another one of those “Where have you been all my life?” releases:

Dungeon Delve has been released! Dungeon Delve is designed for groups looking for an exciting night of monster-slaying without the prep time. It contains dozens of self-contained easy-to-run mini-dungeons, or “delves,” each one crafted for a few hours of game-play.The book includes delves for 1st- to 30th-level characters, and features dozens of iconic monsters for the heroes to battle. Dungeon Masters can run these delves as one-shot adventures or weave them into their campaign.

We all love a nice long campaign that starts in The Dales, and five years later lands us all at Baldur’s Gate before we head to the Outer Planes to battle the gods themselves, but sometimes you just want to grab your sword, head into the nearest hole in the ground, and whack as many Kobolds as you can, you know?

One of the great strengths of 4E, in my opinion, is that it lends itself perfectly to this type of instagaming, while it also supports the longer campaigns we all grew up loving to play. I really wish more of my fellow gamer geeks would understand this, instead of treating it as a failing or a reason to dismiss 4E without even playing it. I think it’s awesome that Wizards has released a book that contains a ton of pre-built dungeons that can be run as one-shots and finished in an evening, because it means more people will get to play more often. As much as I love gaming, I’ve pretty much given up on ever being able to have a weekly D&D group again; I just don’t have the time. Quick one-and-dones, as my friend calls them, are perfect for guys like me who love gaming and want to play, but can’t commit to something on a regular basis.

a few self-publishing resources

Posted on 3 March, 2009 By Wil

The positive response to Sunken Treasure has surprised and delighted me even more than the fantastic sales of both the print and PDF versions. As of this writing, PDF sales have vastly exceeded my expectations, and though print sales have slowed, they haven’t stopped. I’ve seen a direct relationship between PDF sales and print sales, which is awesome and totally validates what I’ve always suspected to be true, but I was too afraid to try on my own.

This isn’t the first time I’ve self-published, but it is the first time I’ve released a PDF, and used a print on demand service. The entire experience has been so wonderful, I hope I can serve as an inspiration to other authors who may be considering going this route.

In case I am, I thought I’d share a couple of resources I’ve recently come across, as well as two of my own, that may be helpful:

6 ways to publish your own book from Mashable

Just what it sounds like: six different sites that let you self-publish. I’m pretty much sold on Lulu, but it’s always smart to research as many options as you can.

Fixing the Pig Book Model from 1889.ca

This post is all about marketing, eBooks vs. print books, the 1000 True Fans model, and what to expect when you’re self-publishing. If you’re serious at all about not just being published, but actually earning something for your work, this is a must-read.

My interview with the Lulu blog

I’ve posted this already, but I think it’s relevant, especially my advice for writers.

Five simple ways to just keep writing

Another oldie of mine, included here for the sake of completeness.

I’m sure some of you reading this have come across resources of your own that you’ve found useful. I’d love it if you’d be willing to share them in comments, so we can build a more complete and hopefully useful resource for anyone who wants it.

Adding:

Self-publishing review, which has a nice review of Sunken Treasure, as it turns out.

Cult of Done Manifesto. It totally creeps me out when something I’ve had rattling around in my brain comes out of someone else’s brain, better than I could have said it myself. (I especially needed to read this today, having experienced my first truly massive truly EPIC FAIL in a very long time early this morning.)