The Book - Four Suns

Why would anyone want a signed copy? Gary will just write a page about how you are stupid and why don't you know when he's being sarcastic! Dummies, Love Gary!
I think the WK section would be a book on it's own. Only problem is you would make it past the first quote and sling it overboard! You could name it "Idiots for Dummies"
Will there be any pics? I request some bathroom photoshops!
 
Four Suns said:
mailgear.jpg
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Did I say you could post a pic of me?
 
wileecoyote said:
Why would anyone want a signed copy? Gary will just write a page about how you are stupid and why don't you know when he's being sarcastic! Dummies, Love Gary!
I think the WK section would be a book on it's own. Only problem is you would make it past the first quote and sling it overboard! You could name it "Idiots for Dummies"
Will there be any pics? I request some bathroom photoshops!
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Now that's funny. Looks like someone wants a page about himself in the book.
 
fc3 said:
Now that's funny. Looks like someone wants a page about himself in the book.
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Please, I don't mess with Gary, just laugh at his posts. Besides he's too much help to pizz off. I'm also wondering if the section on repairing the head will include pics of him with his gloves and mask digging through piles of TP. I still can't believe someone decided to use his boat as a free hotel! I've told a couple of folks and it's unimaginable that someone would do such a thing!
Don't try to stir the pot Frank!:smt043
 
I don't mess with Gary. I'll laugh with him but never mess with him. I don't want my membership in Mmmmpf mmmmfp mmmfp canceled.

Best regards,
Frank
 
I've been sworn to secrecy. I know that if I say anymore the black helicopters will come after me. But perhaps better that than the new president's minions.
 
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Wow... look at all I have missed...I let all this work stuff get in the way during the winter months! Gary, that will be great... and look it drew out Rusty... I am impressed! (Rusty... long time no talk, hope your doing well!!!)

Well I want my autographed copy! Good luck with it, I can't wait to read it!!

Ryan
 
Boulder GT3 said:
I'd like to see you post some notes up on your blog of what it's like to write a book.
How did you gather/catalog material?
What is the process you are using and so on.
Theraputic or Frustrating?
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I just saw this... I'll answer the questions in reverse. The book started off as fun back in October and now it's down to very frustrating. I think part of my problem is I wanted a high-quality book and not something that looked like it was pulled off a copy machine. The book has ended up being 247 pages and is being done on a 4 color press (full color) on high quality paper. It's a hard back book with a sewn binding and dust cover.

The frustrating part is the business model for authors is just nuts and does not encourage a high-quality product. For example, Amazon gets 55% of the list price of a book and trying to keep the price reasonable, my first try at this had me paying Amazon $2 for each book they sell (Amazon 55%, printer gets 45%). My luck would be it would sell 200,000 copies and my boat would be repo'ed at that point.

In trying to build a high-quality book, I've also brought in a graphics/layout person who has had the job of condensing my 470 pages to 247. The book is 50% pictures... 15% stupid stories... 35% useful information... and lots of full color pictures... I've also brought in an editor so I don't sound too stupid... all this out of my pocket... This is the first draft of the picture they came up with for the cover:

cover-big.jpg


There are a few more changes on the cover so it'll look better than that.

The table of contents is

Introduction
Boat, Bathrooms and other Necessities
Planning Happiness
Feeding the Masses
Children, Boredom and Activities
Dogs, Cats, and other Farm Animals
Weather Prediction and other Lies
Things You Hope Don't Go Wrong
Spares and Repairs
Taking the Trip and Collecting Evidence
Appendix - Logs from New England

The process was really looking at the market and seeing there was nothing out there devoted to doing boat cruising in the production planing style boats we all have. Almost all the books are written from a sailing perspective and living on mustard seed broth for weeks on end as you cross the Atlantic. The other class of books are around a "memoir" type of thing where they talk about how great and beautiful everything is.. they don't give you real world tips about how you should only wash 1/2 of your underwear at a time because someone might steal them from the laundrymat or the washer will break and hold them hostage... So I figured there was a niche market of the clorox-bottle-boat folks that wanted to have a book that was "feel good" and "real". Something needed in this crappy economy. I then pulled together all my notes, logs and boxes of "stuff" and about 4500 pictures and developed the outline and away I went.... Some things are serious... like how we pack our ditch bag and why... and some things are not serious... like the Bubba Burger challenge.

I am now doing a 4-way iteration between a copy editor, the printer (proofs on pictures), a graphics/layout person, and myself...

Bad news is the book will not be out until the first part of May now...

A few characters from CSR have made the book...
 
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Gary, looks great so far, although I believe there should be a chapter outlining medical issues
 
Will it be available to people outside of USA (e.g.:Canada) ?
 
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