GDJ: A Quick Orkworld Update

Well, I've got good news and bad news. The good news first this time? All right.

The Good News

We will have Orkworld for Gen-Con.

At least, at the current schedule.

Right now, as we speak, Rich McHugh is in LA looking over the blue lines. Now, for those of you who don't know, blue lines are a "test print" of the book. They print it out on cheap paper with blue ink (again, cheap) and have the publisher look it over to make sure nothing's wrong.

As soon as he gives it the "okay," we go on press. That should take a couple of days. Then, the book gets bound. Again, a couple of days. Finally, the book gets shipped to Wizard's Attic.

Unfortunately, that isn't in time for Eric to ship it with the rest of his stuff to Gen-Con.

So, Rich will pick up two boxes (17 books per box for a total of 34 books) and carry them on as luggage on his way to Gen-Con. His flight leaves on the 8th.

Likewise, when the books arrive here in the Bay Area on the 8th, The Wife will drive me down to the San Jose airport (my plane leaves at 12 noon), drive back to Oakland, pick up four boxes, drive back out to San Rafael and give them to Thomas.

(That's about six hours of driving, folks. In one day.)

Thomas' flight leaves on the 9th.

He's carrying four boxes. I'm carrying his luggage because I won't be there to see the books.

So, all in all, we should have a total of 6 boxes of books. At 17 books per box (still an estimate), that means I'll have a total of 102 books. If I sell through the lot, I'll make $2,244. That's because I'm selling them at Eric's booth. Eric takes care of all the sales tax, handles credit card purchases and has guys cover my booth for me while I go squid over at the SJ Games booth (or the Atlas booth, or the Hubris Games booth&). For all that (tax, credit cards, etc.), Eric charges me 12% of sales.

That, my friends, is a bargain.

I'll also have the other goodies. Thomas and I looked over the illustrated character sheets last night. They're gonna be gorgeous. I'll have chapbook copies of The Game Designer's Journal (but only a few; photocopy costs are a bitch up here in the Bay Area), ork jewelry (with the runes for the Five Virtues, Trouble, Love and the Three Brothers) and The Orkworld Companion. Hopefully, all of this will help make up for my costs to go to the show.

And, if I run out of books, I have a plan. Hold on to your socks.

The Great Wick Plan

If I run out of books at Gen-Con, I'll still take orders. You'll get one of those full color prints of the cover, and I'll have a form for you to fill out.

Thomas and I will personally sign your book if you buy it at Gen-Con after we run out. On the form is a place for your personal inscription. You write what you want me to write, and I'll write it.

Then, when Thomas and I get home, we'll head over to Wizard's Attic and do the chore. We'll sign and number and inscribe any book that was purchased at the show.

If it takes all day, so be it.

That's the plan.

But now, let's talk about the Bad News.

The Bad News

I had a choice. I made it. I don't regret it. Reviewers probably won't even notice it if I didn't mention it. But, my promise to you has been to be as open and honest as I can about this, to make it easier on you when it comes time for you to make these decisions.

Here we go.

I got a call from the printer. Yes, we will have Orkworld for the show.

But there's a problem.

Remember the Table of Contents?

Well, it's gonna be wrong.

After Chapter Two, the whole TOC will be one page off.

Now, my TOC is huge; nearly five pages in length. It's exhaustive. It covers each and every header in the book. (That way, I don't need an index.J)

Unfortunately, because of my pagination problem, and because of the short time, I had a choice to make. I could fix the three pages and miss Gen-Con, or I could leave them be and make Gen-Con.

This, friends and neighbors, was choice based entirely on money.

If I don't make Gen-Con, I lose out on Gen-Con sales. Those Gen-Con sales could pay for up to half my print costs. If you miss Gen-Con, you miss out. Your book suddenly becomes unprofitable. Bottom line.

So, I had a choice: make Orkworld a vanity book that puts me (and Rich) deep in debt, or let the TOC be a page off and (hopefully) break even.

That, my friends, is what we call "not-a-choice-at-all."

So, the TOC will be off by a page. Oh well. If knowing that keeps you from buying the book, if a slightly skewed TOC would have made the entire experience of purchasing Orkworld a pain rather than a pleasure, I've just provided you with a public service.

Now you know, and now, you don't have to find out for yourself.

Off to Work!

It's 9:29 AM. I'm due at work in a half an hour. Gotta go.

Take care, folks. I'll see you sooner than you think.