Book Thoughts

As sales of my books continue to be strong (even the 1st Edition continues to sell!), it's left me with some thoughts on where to go next.

Finishing the 2nd Edition was a huge undertaking for me, especially as I was doing it all in my spare time. Consider the fact that I am married, have 4 children, a stressful and busy job, and a long commute to and from work each day, and you'll understand when I say that it put quite a lot of stress on me and my family. This is especially due to the fact that I was doing it for free (ie no one was paying me to write this book), and the money I make from sales just about goes to cover my costs for all of the printing, postage, etc.

Another factor was timing. The problem I ran into with the first book in 2009 is that I was constantly getting new material to add to the book, and could have postponed the publication indefinitely in order to include everything. This is what eventually led to the 2nd Edition. For the 2nd book, I set myself a hard and fast deadline (which in and of itself added more stress when I fell behind and had to push myself to eventually meet it!). Of course, right after I published the book, Blur announced their raft of 2013 and 2014 shows. Add to this the fact that I've gotten many recordings of these 2013 shows and you'll see that there *could* be the possibility for yet another book.

However, I think publishing a third book , so soon after the 2nd book, would not be prudent. Remember, there were 3+ years between the 1st and 2nd Editions. Also, I'm not sure how interesting reviews of 2013 (and beyond) shows that have set lists identical to the 2012 shows (included in the 2nd Edition) would be...certainly not enough to entice anyone to buy another book so soon after the last one.

This brings me to my thought...what if I write an addendum to the 2nd book, reviewing these 2013 shows and any other stray shows that didn't make it into the 2nd Edition, and offer it as a PDF? It would be very inexpensive (~$3) and basically an add-on to the 2nd Edition for anyone who has purchased it. That way, it wouldn't necessitate a completely new book, unless people think an "updated 2nd Edition" (would this be the 2nd and 1/2 Edition?) hard copy book would be a better idea?

I'll turn it over to you, my readers and customers...what do you think? Which would you rather have?

So Far, Unanimous Praise for Black Book (2nd Edition)!

I've been truly humbled and flattered by the response to my newest book, Black Book: The Live History of Blur (2nd Edition). I'd like to share the feedback I've gotten, not only as a (small) feather in my cap (I can't resist!), but also to hopefully persuade anyone sitting on the fence that this book is worth getting if you're a Blur fan, BritPop fan, music fan, or whatever.

Some of the reviews for the book since it's release in December 2012:

"Got it tonight. Absolutely brilliant! I've been listening to the CDs and reading about the concerts - using the book like a mega set of liner notes. There are some priceless rareties here for sure, but the selections made are better because the author truly knows what he's talking talking about. I've got a stack of live CDs from hunting around Record fairs in the 90s, and this book is going to give them a new lease of life! Thank you"

"Got mine on Saturday. A joy to read. A real labour of love isn't it? It's great that there is a book like this out there. Well done"

"Got it in the mail today. Read a few entries and I'm really impressed. The concert reviews are super in-depth. Thanks for your hard work!"

"Just got mine from Amazon UK, and it's coming with me on a business trip next week so I'll have plenty time to get into it on the flight! It looks great Drew!"

"I loved it! Real page-turner. Great insight to B-Roads was a bonus."

"Mine arrived yesterday and it's awesome!"

"Mine arrived this morning, had a quick glance and it looks very purty you should be very proud"

"Got mine this morning, just about to go through it. Thanks so much, looks great!"

"I am completely stunned by the amount of information in this book and the scene-by-scene review of B-Roads is wonderful. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into the great mystery! This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE for hardcore Blur fans. Such a great read and research tool. Thank you so much for your effort, it's greatly appreciated!"   

And so far, all 5-Star reviews on Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk reviews
Amazon.com reviews

So if you've got the book, I'd love to hear your feedback, good or bad (and if it's good, I'd appreciate it if you reviewed it on Amazon, your website, anywhere...and share the link, please!).

And if you don't have the book yet, isn't this enough to make you want to go out and get it? :-) 

 

The Dust Has Settled and Black Book 2 is Available Worldwide

The book is available worldwide on Amazon websites and all of the pre-order packages were shipped out a week or so ago and are beginning to arrive. So far the response to the book has been 100% positive and I hope it continues to be and that everyone is enjoying it!

Now to take a break from writing and very soon get back to maintaining this page on a regular basis!

Burned, Baby, Burned

All finished! Here's the stack of the compilation CDs done and waiting for the books to arrive and then they'll be shipped out.

Black Book 2 is now available at Amazon

Black Book 2 is now available HERE on Amazon.com and, very shortly, on Amazon sites worldwide.

Black Book 2 is now available!

The book is done and now live for purchase! It will be available on Amazon worldwide in about a week, but if you can't wait, it is available directly from the publisher RIGHT NOW at https://www.createspace.com/4036877.

Also, I am awaiting a box full of copies for you pre-order folks, and I am currently burning the compilation CDRs. As soon as I get the books delivered, I will be signing them, packaging them with the compilation, and shipping! As always, I'll keep you updated every step of the way :-)

The End Is Here!

No, the world didn't end today! The final manuscript version's digital proof is here. I'm going to give this a final once-over today and then it'll be done and I'll just be waiting for the real copies to be delivered!

UPDATE: Book Finished

Book is done! Submitted for final review and then it will be all finished. I'll spend the weekend burning the compilation while I wait for the books to be printed and arrive.

Book Update

UPDATE: just to let everyone know, I'm probably going to be a bit behind with getting the book out. Work, sickness, the holidays...what was I thinking? But it won't be long. I hope to finish editing the proof this weekend/early next week, and I should have the finished compilation tracks in hand in the next few days so I can start burning the CDRs. After that the only holdup will be approving the final proof and ordering the finished copies to send to all of you preorder customers, so instead of next weekend, we're looking at the end of the month. I hope this is ok with you all and I appreciate your understanding in advance! Thanks for keeping in mind that I'm doing this all by myself on top of having a wife, 4 kids, a house, and a full-time job and I'll continue to update as the process continues along.

Proof copies are here!

The proof was waiting for me when I got home! Shrinking the font a couple of sizes from the size it was in the 1st book looks great, and it makes the book only a little longer than the first book even though there's double the content. I'll be going through this over the next few days to make my final edits.

Black Book Pre-Order Bonus Compilation Track Listing!

Below is the final tracklisting for the bonus compilation the pre-order customers will be getting! I think it sounds fantastic overall and my friend Tom did a great job mastering and cleaning up the audio. I think those of you who have this coming to you will really enjoy it.

CD1:

1) Beetlebum (Melbourne 11/1/97)
2) She's So High (London 12/9/97)
3) Stereotypes (Dublin 6/22/96)
4) Bad Day (Reading 8/24/91)
5) Explain (Camden 3/30/90)
6) Colin Zeal (Melbourne 11/1/97)
7) Country Sad Ballad Man (Stockholm 4/7/97)
8) London Loves (Sheffield 5/21/94)
9) Movin' On (Toronto 3/13/97)
10) Chemical World (Glasgow 9/3/93)
11) Girls and Boys (Nyon 7/22/94)
12) It Could Be You (Amsterdam 3/22/96)
13) Luminous (Glastonbury 6/28/92)
14) Nite Klub (w/Terry Hall) (Dublin 6/22/96)
15) Topman (London 9/7/95)
16) Far Out (Mile End 6/17/95)
17) Repetition (Glastonbury 6/2798)
18) I'm Just a Killer For Your Love (Glastonbury 6/27/98)
19) Music is My Radar (Dublin 12/8/03)
20) This is a Low (London 12/12/97)

CD2:

1) Ambluance (Milan 5/15/03)
2) Tender (T in the Park 7/12/09)
3) Trailerpark (London 3/15/99)
4) Entertain Me (Hamburg 10/23/95)
5) Battle (London 3/15/99)
6) Colours (Dublin 12/8/03)
7) Fade Away (Hamburg 10/23/95)
8) He Thought of Cars (Boston 2/11/96)
9) Chinese Bombs (Hultsfred 6/15/96)
10) Song 2 (Dublin 6/22/96)
11) Globe Alone (Zurich 3/8/96)
12) Coping (Zurich 3/8/96)
13) Essex Dogs (Glastonbury 6/27/98)
14) You're So Great (Osaka 5/27/97)
15) Look Inside America (Amsterdam 4/29/97)
16) Strange New From Another Star (Tokyo 6/3/97)
17) Black Book (London 7/2/00)
18) The Universal (London 12/12/97)

BOOK UPDATE: At the Proofing Stage

The manuscript was approved for proofing! I've got digital and print copies of the proof on their way to me now for review. Very exciting! I'll be reviewing them over the next week or so and finalizing the physical book in preparation for publication and release.

BOOK UPDATE

Sorry for the radio silence!  A quick update...manuscript is nearly done and will be sent off for proof copies later this week. I've finished compiling the bonus compilation for the pre-order customers and a friend of mine is mastering it. I'll post the tracklist very soon.

Stay tuned!

Preorder Closed

The Black Book preorder is now closed! Thanks to everyone who participated...I'm humbled that you're so interested in the book, and I'm working really hard to make sure I meet those expectations. I think (hope!) that you'll all be pleased and excited by the finished product. As always, I'll keep you updated on the entire process as we march on to the targeted release in December.

Thanks again!

Submission Deadline

ATTENTION: Today is the day I had set as the deadline for anything to be included in the book. So if you have anything (recordings, ticket stubs) you'd like to be added to the book, please contact me/send it in by the end of today. In all honesty, if there's something anyone has after today, I'll still accept submissions but I'd prefer today be the cut-off day in order to give me enough time to finish the editing and formats.

Thanks!

Black Book 2 cover

Here's the finalized cover for the new book. Looks familiar, no? I still like it...hope you do, too!

Black Book 2 preorder continues on

1 week down, 3 weeks to go. Make sure you don't miss out if you want to get a signed copy of the new book complete with a bonus 2 CDR compilation of live tracks! Just place your order below and you'll be all set.

So far the response has been tremendous and I think you all are going to really like this.

(and because some people have asked, the price already includes the shipping cost so no need to pay extra)

Black Book Pre-Order: IT IS HERE!

WHAT'S NEW IN BLACK BOOK 2nd EDITION: > Newly rearranged format and sections, breaking the live history into touring "eras" instead of years to better track their onstage progression alongside their musical evolution in the studio > Nearly 100 new concerts reviewed and written up, fleshing out their live history even more than the first book from 2009 > Corrections and revisions to many entires from the first book as further research has brought new information to light > Updated, corrected, and expanded tour date history > Updated, corrected, and expanded song live performance list > A collection of scans/photos of Blur concert ticket stubs throughout their history, from 1990 to 2012 > A "thank you" section acknowledging and thanking everyone who kindly helped out with this project (whether sending in recordings or scans of their tickets) > The FIRST EVER review of B-Roads, the lost Great Escape film from 1995/96, detailed and reviewed for the first time ANYWHERE If you can't wait until December to order the book, I'm running a pre-order special that will run from October 15 to November 15, 2012 PRE-ORDER SPECIAL: BLACK BOOKS 1&2 > Both editions of Black Book together for US $30 BLACK BOOK 2 > The new 2012 2nd Edition of Black Book for US $20 Everyone who pre-orders either one of these between October 15 and November 15 will get their copies of the book signed by me, as well as a live compilation I'm putting together (I haven't decided if it will be on CDR or download yet, I'll announced that as the release date gets closer). After November 15, 2012, I will not accept any more pre-orders...sorry, but since this is 100% a one-man operation (ie, I'm doing everything by myself!), I just can't handle it. TO PRE-ORDER: I'm accepting payment through PayPal (this way I can keep track of the orders): PLEASE ORDER USING THE BUTTONS BELOW AND INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: -Your name -Your mailing address -Your email address -Which book package you're ordering Please allow 3-5 days for orders to arrive after December 19 for US orders, and 1-2 weeks for the rest (give or take a few days since it will be close to the Christmas holiday season, which always delays the post). If you have any additional questions about the book, the pre-order, or anything else, please feel free to contact me at dkathans@comcast.net IF YOU HAVE ANY RECORDINGS OR TICKET SCANS YOU'D LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BOOK, PLEASE HAVE THEM IN TO ME NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 31, 2012!! Thanks in advance for your patience with me! :)

Getting Ready and Tying Up Loose Ends: The Preorder Opens Tomorrow!

I'm finishing the last few logistical things I can think of to get ready to open the preorder tomorrow. I think I've got everything covered and it should run relatively smoothly, but of course you never know with these things and I'm sure issues will pop up along the way!

2013 Full-Scale Tour?

There's been a lot of speculation lately that Blur may play more than a handful of shows that they've already announced in 2013. Yesterday on my Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr pages, I posted a link from a promoter claiming they've booked shows all over Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America for 2013. It took of like wildfire across the internet, but so far nothing more has been said via official channels (of which that link certainly wasn't).

So hang tight, and as I find any info, I'll be sure to post it to keep everyone informed.

Otherwise, I've just been working like crazy on getting the book finished and the pre-order ready to kick off on Monday the 15th. Busy times, but exciting!