Hey Wookie...what's up with your book?

[Just Jeff]

Any upate on your book? I know it's a long process to get all the details wrapped up for publishing. Painful, I've heard.

Any idea when it'll be ready to ship? Any thoughts on the DVD project?

[Tha Wookie]

Painful... huh? Whaddya mean? It's all a joy! :rolleyes:

The rumors are true -bookmaking is a painstaking process, but I really do love it anyway. Just like walking the West Coast Tideline, I never thought it would be easy. This book, in particular, is a bit involved because it mixes so many communcative elements (photos, journals, new subtext, illustrations, paintings, drawings, maps, other design features, etc.). Alas, there is a fine balance between what you want to do and what you realistically can do under a certain cost. I could really pass along a lot with a $120 book. But would you buy one at that cost? Me neither.

The hardest part for me is financial. I have to work to make the money to make it. Contrary to what some people believe, I do not have a lucrative book deal that frees me to work on only it. I have been devoting my weekends and nights to the incredible amount of detailed tasks that must be done. There really is no end to the amount of work I could contribute. But I have and want to continue my trail research/recreation ecology career, so my time is split. Thankfully, I just finsished a big report for the USFS Southern Region (from So. Virginia to the Grasslands of Texas) on the managment of OHV/ATV trails. Now, I'm turing my guns back to the book. On Monday I fly out to San Fran to work with the book designer in person for several weeks. Still we will be a long way from finishing it. But in the end, I know it will be worth all the attention. I've wanted to control the design from the beginning, to most acurately reflect the hike. It just takes more time than more traditional routes where the publisher does whatever they think will sell. By the way, we have not settled on a publisher, but several offers are on the table.

So, to answer your question, we're shooting to get the books to press by summer time, and then for sale in the fall of '06. Our goal is to keep the books under the $30-40 range.

If anyone wants to sign up for a signed copy and bonus gift copy with no financial committment, you can do so at www.thawookie.com (http://www.thawookie.com).

thanks for the plug, Jeff :D

[chris]

Painful... huh? Whaddya mean? It's all a joy!
....
I could really pass along a lot with a $120 book. But would you buy one at that cost? Me neither



This is exactly why I've never written a book!

I'd buy a super-duper version of your book for $120.

[Frosty]

Be sure and remind us when the book comes out!

[Sleepy the Arab]

They got special editions of DVDs (usually appearing six months after you've bought the 'regular' version...curse you Wachowski brothers!) so who says you can't do that with a book? Lucrative, I tells ya!

[Whistler]

They got special editions of DVDs (usually appearing six months after you've bought the 'regular' version...curse you Wachowski brothers!) so who says you can't do that with a book? Lucrative, I tells ya!Yeah, then we can get the 'making of the hike' chapter, the 'making of the book' chapter, the bonus never-before-seen 4th state, the embossed wall poster, and of course, the out-takes!

Keep us updated.
-Mark

[Tha Wookie]

Yeah, then we can get the 'making of the hike' chapter, the 'making of the book' chapter, the bonus never-before-seen 4th state, the embossed wall poster, and of course, the out-takes!

Keep us updated.
-Mark
you have no idea how much of that talk goes on -they think really big. It turns out that they want several versions....

go to keep it real.

We've made some strides in the design since I've been here in San Fran.

At least to me, it will be something very special.

I'll keep everyone posted. if you sign up for a book on my website, it gives me more pull with the publisher, and puts you on the mailing list that will come out when we get a date. No commitment required.

[Just Jeff]

Hey Wookie - did you stay at the hostel in Redwoods NP when you hiked through? Stayed there this weekend - what a view for $20/night!! Nice and clean, too. New caretakers since you would have come through, though. He said he'd buy your book if you mentioned the hostel. What's up with your book, anyway?

Fern Canyon was better than the trees. Did you make the side trips to Fern Canyon and Tall Trees Trail? Good stuff.

And it was 117F on the drive up Hwy 101 before we got to the coast. Stupid crazy. Only about 90F when we were hiking, though.

[Tha Wookie]

Hey Wookie - did you stay at the hostel in Redwoods NP when you hiked through? Stayed there this weekend - what a view for $20/night!! Nice and clean, too. New caretakers since you would have come through, though. He said he'd buy your book if you mentioned the hostel. What's up with your book, anyway?

Fern Canyon was better than the trees. Did you make the side trips to Fern Canyon and Tall Trees Trail? Good stuff.

And it was 117F on the drive up Hwy 101 before we got to the coast. Stupid crazy. Only about 90F when we were hiking, though.

Yikes that's hot.

No, we didn't stay at the hostel. We slept far off the trail just north of that the night before. When we got to the hostel, it was closed for the mid-day. We couldn't even find water, so kept going.

I'll be in San Fran next week to work on the book, by the way. Then heading north to commune with the Standing People.

Yeah, Fern Canyon is amazing..... that is a very special area very near and dear to my heart. I can imagine how wonderful it must have been to be a Yurok indian, living in redwood plank homes. You really should check out the village at Agate Beach, just north of Trinidad. It's been remade and it is totally beautiful!