Fan To Pro

Book Update 1/18/2010

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And the latest update on the Fan To Pro Book from Last week.

Updates:

  • I'm still adding extra content.  Frankly its hard to know where to stop – and when I risk diluting the book.  I'm sure this is going to be updated every year or two.  Most of it is done, and the final question is if I include some extra resources.
  • I got an offer to have a pro-drawn cover by another small press enthusiast I know.  I'm debating that – I'm still torn between a more abstract cover versus something more colorful that they offer.  I've gotten a lot of conflicting advice on what to do cover-wise.
  • The book looks like it'll be 6" by 9" and around 100-120 pages.
  • I am not decided on an index.  I'm leaning towards no, or a very small one.  I have determined a comprehensive index is useless and a waste of space.
  • I'm going with Arial type.  I'm debating if 10pt or 12pt is best.  I want it very readable but not bulked up.

Lessons Learned:

  • I like double-spaces between paragraphs for technical and educational books like this one, but not fiction.  Not sure that helps, but it is interesting.
  • Non-fiction books can be hard to really measure.  In this case I've looked at the book so much it seems a bit stale and incomplete no matter how much I include.
  • Doing a book and a blog at the same time requires you know where one ends and the other begins.
  • Someone needs to write a book on cover design.  Or I haven't found it yet.
  • I really like Arial.

Still on target for late March/early April.

– Steven Savage

Book Update 1/12/2010

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Awhile ago I complained about no updates to the Warhammer 40K MMO.  Time to make sure I post updates on the Fan To Pro book.

I've been working on this since the summer – it got delayed as, when 80% complete, I decided my design didn't work.  So I sat down and rewrote the whole thing.  Frankly it's much better.

So here's the update, and I'll have new ones every now and then until publication.

  • The contents of the book are mostly done.  I want to add a bit more, especially a few more resource sections for "best resources."  I have best books and best online resources, but I want to think over if I need more.
  • The intro needs to be rewritten.  Oddly, its the part I'm least happy with.
  • The book is edited otherwise.  All the additions are new sections.  I fansourced the book editing out.
  • There will be an intro from my co-blogger, Bonnie, who has been through all of this with me.
  • 'm debating if the book needs an index.  The chapters are very clearly organized and differentiated, and I don't know if the book needs an index.
  • The cover is proving to be a pain to come up with.  Since I expect most sales to be online, that actually changes the kind of cover one wants to use.
  • I realized I need to develop a better plan to make people aware of the book, and have been researching that.

Here's what I've learned:

  • The archetypal book you think of doesn't exist in reality.  Books vary based on many factors.  I, loving indexes, find it odd that I'm thinking of leaving one out.
  • It's actually easy to write a book if you come up with a detailed outline first then write that to flesh it out.  It's a lot like good fiction.
  • There's quite a few self-publishing options.  Lulu.com managed to be a best-of-breed type.  Their success, however, also acted as a beacon to others to figure out how to make their self-publishing work.
  • Covers are a pain.  There's really no formula or plan to them.

The current publication date will be somewhere late March/early April 2010.  The unsurety comes from how fast I can get my proof.  I am using Lulu.com – so expect a review out of that.

So that's where I am.  A few more months and we're there.

– Steven Savage

Success is Applying Fandom

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I talk about applying our fannish and geeky interests to our careers.  This brings up a subject I haven't really discussed:

What is SUCCESSFULLY applying your fandom to your career?

It's one of those things that seems obvious – until you really think of it – so I wanted to classify and clarify what I mean.

What is successfully applying your fandom to your career?  I'd say it's the following:

  • When your fannish interests have a place in your life that you're aware of (it may be only to blow off STEAM due to your career).
  • When your fannish interests provide resources – from knowledge to contacts to more – that you effectively and consciously leverage in your career.
  • When your fannish interests and career are not in conflict but support each other (perhaps at some point they may border on the indistinguishable).

That's successful fan-to-pro to me.  The two support each other and you're aware of how your fandom can be used in the bigger picture (again, if only to relax you).

-Steven Savage