hello peeps.

I'm about half-way through writing a full-colour 250 page 8.5x5.5 inch
coffee-table type book about Spectrum games from 1982 through 1990+

I've put the table of contents and some sample pages (click on the
thumbnails) on the following website:

http://zxgoldenyears.com
(note, I haven't hijacked this - I obtained it to mirror the old
zxgoldenyears.co.uk, but Tayles hasn't sent me the site yet... So no
flames please!)

If enough interest is expressed, then I'll go ahead and get the book
professionally printed, assuming that I'm fairly sure my printing costs
will be covered by pre-orders. Nice people who pre-order will get a
healthy discount, of course. Assuming there were enough of these, then
the book would likely be off the printing presses in October/November.

Incidentally, this will be my third book written, but my first
self-published. The other two were published by a conventional
publishing house. I looked at the possibility of getting this one
published by a conventional publisher, but it would barely be worth my
time to do so given the standard royalty rates and the likely sales
amounts for a niche book of this type...

Of course, I'd be happy to be proven wrong :)

Thanks for listening :)

Andrew

I would love to add a C64 comment here - but got a good beating over on the RG forum last time I did that!!!

But will prob. order me a copy of the 'door stop' special :o

As I said on the retro gamer forum before it was shut down - please can you do a c64 version of this book when you've completed the speccy one (after a well deserved holiday first though :rolleyes: )

I placed my pre-order last week - looking forward to getting the book before Christmas. Bought "Game Machines" in the mean time to keep me occupied.

How many pre-orders to go now Andrew?

Do you have a rough price figure.....and would you take a paypal payment?

Its all on the site... £19.99 GBP preorder price payable via paypal - click the visa/mastercard logo'd 'preorder' button just above the big Speccy image and it'll take you straight to the Paypal payment page.

As mentioned on the RG forum I'll be placing my order any second now!!
I'd also like to back the request for a C64 version - I had both machnies way back when and love 'em like children! :D

better *bump* this back to the top

you must have enough pre-orders by now Andrew?

surely with all my *bumping* and telling people on other forums about this book you'll be doing a c64 one next ;)

It's certainly getting there.... I still need a few more though...

Hopefully it'll get some magazine coverage soon which will help :)

As to the C64... Let's see how this one does first :P

I will be getting one of these as well :D

Just slipping over to have a beaver at the site - may order whilst there!

FNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!!! ;)

Errr also... I'm on for this as always!

We *bumped* enough yet?!

By the way, a few sample pics would do this wonders - maybe a cover "concept" and a few page layouts?! That'd get people salivating!

DonkeySpank wrote:

silly boy Pike! :D

you obviously haven't visited the web site Andrew mentions in his 1st post

http://zxgoldenyears.com/

there's loads of screenshots and a sample cover here

I've ordered! Any update on how many more you need?

It's doing good. Pre-orders are rumbling along nicely, and I've made the decision to go ahead and print anyway. (This means the 'free postage' incentive is going away real soon now.)

Regular progress updates are posted on the website, if you're interested :)

http://www.zxgoldenyears.com

cool; and now joined the mailing list as well. Thanks,

steve

Anything happening on this peeps ?

I'm a little worried as I've not heard a peep since I paid for my pre-order ?

Yeah must admit things have gone quiet. Hopefully we'll hear from him soon

The book does look like it could be excellent, any other ones he does (Eg C64) i would also buy. Would love to see a console one as well, perhaps the SNES

There's an interview with Andrew rollings in next week's issue of gamesTM. DOn't worry, he's still working on it, and very good it looks too :D

My pre-order is in - exchanged a few E-mails with Andrew. He is hoping to get the book out in time for Christmas :D

Yeah the scans i've seen of it at his website look excellent.

Look forward to receiving the book and also any future ones he will do.

Its hardly all quiet on the Western Front. There've been at least three updates on his website this month alone and he's linked to that in the first post in this thread.

And it'll be done when its done and be better for it ;)

Bloody hell! I seem to have pre-ordered so many bloody mags and books lately that I can't for the life of me remember what ones I've ordered!

Did I order this?


Hmmmmmm :o

Sorry Antiriad, I did try the website first, but couldn't get through, which is what prompted me to post.

Thanks for the updadte though, would make a great chrimbo pressie to have a speccy book and a Xbox360 in the same month :D

Hi all... Sorry for going silent...

I had a bit of trouble with my T1 due to some faulty equipment belonging to the telephone company, but it should be back up and running now fairly consistently...

I'm still working hard on the book.. It's about 75% complete, and I'm going through the earlier pages and doing the first pass edit...

Due to a heavy workload, it's not going as fast as I'd like, but as I've said elsewhere, I'm not going to half-ass this :D

My intention is still to get it out for Christmas, but in the immortal words of ID software, it'll be done when it's done... I want it to be perfect.
The good news is that it WILL come out... ideally in time for Christmas, but may slip a little depending on a number of factors, including ( a ) My workload (we're coming up to a crunch), and ( b ) whether the printer has a free slot before Christmas.

I'm still doing regular updates on the www.zxgoldenyears.com website, so keep checking there... And of course, you're all welcome to email me and tell me to get my arse in gear if you wish :D

Andrew

And what great news today! Check who is writing foreword :o
http://www.zxgoldenyears.com

Woohoo ! :)

Ohh. :(

Its a pity its not Xmas but a month or so later isnt bad at all.

I mean something like this i can wait for, havent had anything like this the last 15 years (or probably ever) so a month or so later is cool

Cant wait to see it, i hope its a big success for you, i could see some company getting you to create many others for different systems. Good luck

Any update on this lately? I'm patiently waiting for my pre-order.

Copy & pasted from their site. :)

Thanks, but I thought we'd maybe have an estimated issue date now, what with printers being scheduled for February.

I had completely forgotten about this (pre-ordered it when it was first announced).

Oh well February it is then - better late than never

Yeah...

Still working hard on it. I got slammed over the whole month of December to get a software release out in time for January. Well, that's done and out of the way, so I can get back to working on the book.

Sorry for the delays, everyone, but it is a part time endeavour. Not that that is an excuse, but it's the best I can do.

Of course, if anyone is p-o'd enough to want their money back, then all they have to do is ask :( (But I hope that everyone will be patient).

I expect to have the book wrapped up by end of January/early February - assuming no more 'abitrary work crises' crop up - and in the printers shortly after that.

Andrew

http://zxgoldenyears.com

Cant wait for this book i really cant !

Hope its a huge success so you do a Part II and also perhaps for other systems.

yep (as I have hinted at on number of occasions) a c64 would be great

I'm a Speccy fan but i would love to see one on the C64 also and many other machines. Would be a great collection. Imagine seeing 10 of these on your bookshelf, all the major machines plus PC Engine / MSX etc !

Be like the master bible for each system !

Andrew, I'm not p-o'd. Quite the opposite, I'm salivating at the prospect. The wait is becoming unbearable as I know its going to be good.

Updates here would be appreciated (as it would on the other forums you've posted to no doubt).

TIA.

Well, someone did contact me wanting to do a c64 version... I replied encouragingly, but haven't heard back yet...

Andrew

I'd be interested in the possibilities of writing a CPC one Andrew, but I bet it would only sell 3 copies :(

Regards
Simon