$9.99, Kindle e-Book (or Amazon.uk here). If you do not own a Kindle, you can still use the service for free. If you purchase the book here, I encourage you to leave an honest review.
A DRM-free PDF is available (scroll down here). Your eReader, computer or the device of your choosing should be able to read it. If you order it, supply me with your email address during the purchase process. The book will be delivered to your email inbox as soon as possible.
Coming soon: Barnes and Noble Nook eBook (should be available within 24-48 hours from now), Apple iBook (No ETA available), Sony eReader (No ETA available), Paperback in 'normal' Amazon store (as soon as Amazon chooses to, likely early this week).
Thank you, thank you, thank you for everyone who liked what I wrote and encouraged me to make it into a book. It's really amazing to see the community work together like this. I hope you love it.
Finally, here we are. The StarCraft Bible (225 pgs) will be available as a paperback and an e-book on January 3rd.
The Bible began as an idea six months ago as a posting on a message board. After a twisting journey propelled by the StarCraft community's encouragement, a journey which included stints above and below my consciousness, the Bible has become a book. Finally.
I didn't know what to expect when I began the project. There was excitement and hope from hundreds of people but the actual finished product was just a vague idea in my mind. Now it has materialized in the form of a 225 page book complete with pretty pictures and the sort of writing that won readers over in the beginning.
The final copy of the book is resting in my lap and yet this does not feel finished. It feels more like a first step toward something bigger and better. It was a step taken quickly, excitedly and without much knowledge about what lay ahead. I guess we'll find out if it's anything worth talking about.
I spoke with a number of incredible people including very recent conversations with two of the most well-loved figures in StarCraft. Grrrr...., someone I watched and revered as a kid, talked with me about his struggles and triumphs in South Korea. He was out until 4am the night before he won his Starleague. DjWheat, an e-sports apostle, told stories that will fill you with envy and hope. In Seoul, he had to duck out the back of a restaurant after lunch with Lim Yo Hwan to avoid a rowdy mob of Boxer fans.
Everyone involved put a lot of work into this. The submissions and interviews were top notch and well thought out. I spent more hours than I can count on this book and I know that I am not the only one. It's not perfect but it's a first attempt at raising the bar in e-sports, at creating something that may begin to be justifiably called e-sports journalism if we continue to work hard.
This was published with my money, with the hard work of every contributor and on the high shoulders of the greatest e-sport ever: StarCraft. This is not backed by any major publisher or even website and will not be raking in millions with the next Twilight. But that was never the point.
This isn’t some vanity-press sour-grapes effort. The simple truth is that we probably can’t compete on the shelves at Barnes & Noble alongside every other book in the world. The agents and the publishers are right; it might not work for a mass market. That’s okay. We don’t need to sell it to everyone. We don’t need to sell 100,000 copies; we don’t have the rent on a New York office to pay for.
We only need to sell it to you.
The goal is to spread the gospel, truths about e-sports. The goal is to create something worth reading, to win new converts, to be passionate about what we love. The goal is to look into the past and to build for the future.
To quote my inspirations once more:
Did you know that on any given day, an Amazon.com bestseller only sells a few hundred copies? Sure, they sell a few hundred copies a day for weeks and months on end, but what we’ve learned is that it only takes a few hundred sales on a single day to become an Amazon.com bestseller.
Becoming a success, being noticed, capturing the attention of a big audience is within our reach. It takes hard work, a quality product and a passionate audience. If we have nothing else, we have that.
Instructions on purchasing the book will be listed here, on Team Liquid, on the book's blog and everywhere I can be found (eg Twitter and other forums). It will be for sale on Amazon as a paper back and from the Kindle and the Nook as an e-book.
Tell people about it. Post links on Facebook, discuss it in forums, talk to everyone you know with an interest in e-sports or RTS games. Tweet it. Call me a nerd as you stay up past midnight to read it. Show your kid the pretty pictures. Capture people's attention.
When you've read it, review it. Do so on Amazon, on Facebook, on forums and at the dinner table. Tell me how you feel about it, tell everyone. Most of all, be honest and be loud if you think the book calls for it.
I don't have a marketing budget and I have no backing but what I have in my own pocket. This project will succeed or fail on word of mouth.
The weapons in our arsenal are passion and excitement. I'm feeling ambitious. Let's see how far they can take us.
Team Liquid for being the backbone of StarCraft for much of the world. The TL writers for raising the bar of e-sports writing. ilnp aka dudey of old-school fame, an awesome help. Pillars, an ex-professional who shed light on the old days. Artosis, one of the best commentators around and always willing to drop knowledge on my head. Sean Plott for being a phenomenal ambassador. Marcus "djWheat" Graham for being the sharpest Swiss Army Knife of e-sports. JP McDaniel for being excellent. Ret for being unyieldingly impressive and a good psych patient as well. Guillaume "Grrrr..." Patry, the one and only, for being frankly honest. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier for being excited about this and teaching me what geek chills were. tec27 because he's consistently awesome. Hi tec. IdrA for being a super-villain. ~NoHunters for being abrasive assholes and just my sort of people for more than a decade. WaxAngel, the old torch bearer. blid, the torch carrier for the Warcraft 2 community, always willing to illuminate the old game. The surviving Warcraft 2 community for being so willing to talk about your game. Liquipedia for beginning what will likely be years of difficult but excellent work. A completely underappreciated tool. TLPD for giving me all the statistics in the entire universe. Spencer Wightman, Xxio, for doing what he does best. Nathan Smolin for taking the road less traveled by, making all the difference in his piece. Arrian for thinking big picture and writing even bigger. Xxio for being a great talent and unsung hero and helping continue a great tradition. Cedstick for giving us beautiful pictures, a window into the e-sport world. Stefan “MorroW” Andersson, the Swedish Terran with an eye on Seoul. KDraconis, the StarCraft: Legacy writer with unique insight into Korea. Captain Peabody, the TL poster and fiction writer. Alex “Aeres” Dellinger, the TL poster and pro-gamer biographer. Leandro Gobbo, who has kindly offered to help in translation duties for this mammoth project. Wayne “d22-soso” Chiang, the old school gamer with great insight into the beginnings of the scene. Jay “gadianton” Severson, soso’s right hand man and another great source of insight into StarCraft antiquity. prodiG, the ICCup map-maker. emythrel, a man with talent for teaching. Dakine, a wealth of WarCraft 2 information. Josh "AskJosh" Suth, the quiet YouTube dreamer. "Fenix" Jian Carlo Morayra Alejo, the workman Terran out of Peru.
I forgot people, I'm sure. It's been a long process and I am sincerely sorry to those momentarily forgotten. Let me know who I forgot, I'll be glad to give you the thanks you deserve.
If you contributed to and are featured in the book, you deserve a free copy. Contact me and I will get it to you ASAP.
The StarCraft Bible is going to be published in December. A book? Crazy, I know. To do it, I need your help.
A month ago, I posted The StarCraft Bible. Check it out, people (really) liked it. Since then, I have been asked when I'm going to finish it. It's actually been really neat getting those questions constantly - thank you for reading it and thanks for caring enough to want more.
So, when am I going to finish it? Now.
All this month, I am going to be writing, refining and completing the original project. I am going to make it great, I promise you. But I want your help to go further than that. This is going to be a community project.
I am going to take submissions for the book until November 30Update: Dec 7!. I know that with you guys, the community, on board, this book can be incredible. I'm asking the community to contribute everything you can. With any luck, the talent in this community will shine through and a wider audience will get a glimpse of the passion that lives here.
We're on the look out for any sort of submission you can imagine. Be creative. Think about how the game has affected your life, think about the legends who have played and think about the giants whose shoulders we stand on. A short list of some ideas: Histories of StarCraft and all relevant video games, personal stories, art work, creative writing - hell, love letters to your favorite units (Dear Reaver, why hath you forsaken me?). Anything! We're keeping an extremely open mind for submissions. Every idea will get a fair shake.
As one TLer recently wrote, "Not only would it help e-sports, it would help people understand just why starcraft is so special, and what it means to us all."
This is not going to be a text book. This is going to be a (thoroughly manly) love letter.
Here's how to submit: PM me here or email me at apexcp at gmail dot com. Again, the deadline is Dec 7. However, that may slide up or down depending on the response! So make sure you tell me you are interested as soon as possible! I'd hate to exclude great stuff because of a missed deadline.
Me and my crack team will gather the highest quality submissions and put together a book worth your time. We'll hit the printers in early December and, if all goes according to plan, by mid to early December, you'll be able to order a copy. By the holidays, you'll have a shiny new present to share.
Over the next month, I'll keep you guys posted on who is getting involved and what is being done.
Is everything final? Nothing is final. Not the title, not the content and not distribution method. Suggestions for all aspects of the project are welcome.
What do I get if published? A copy of the book, due credit and probably a lifetime supply of high fives.
Will this book physically exist or will it be an ebook? It will both physically exist and be an e-book.
What length are you looking for in submissions? Max short story length in many anthologies is from 7K-9k words. Keep that number in mind, send me what you've come up with and I will be mercilessly honest from there.
On a brief personal note, it's been my dream for a while to publish a good book. I'm going to put some hard work into this and I can't wait to see you guys match it with your submissions.
Second to last, who do you suggest we include? Which member of the community do you want to see in here?
And finally, suggestions for all aspects of the project are welcome. Let me have it, it can only improve the final product.
P.S. Even if you aren't going to submit something yourself, talk about it to your friends. Who knows, maybe your clan-mate has the perfect story/piece of art to share. This entire project will work best via word of mouth, so start talking!
--
Because publishing a book independently is a strange experience and because spamming TL is not always the best way to get your thoughts down, I've put down roots at a simple little blog http://thestarcraftbible.wordpress.com/.
If anyone is looking for ideas for submissions, I'm compiling a few ideas right here: Ideas
Thanks to everyone who has indicated interest so far. Make sure to tell people about this. The more submissions the better.
And news on who is participating as soon as I get a nice, thick list of 'em.
--
Please, feel free to ask me for ideas if you’d like to contribute but cannot pinpoint how. I’d be happy to brainstorm with you here, over IM, over e-mail - anywhere.
A few examples: chronicling major events in e-sport history, profiling major personalities, writing personal stories about your experience as a fan such as your first time watching a professional game or something like that.
You can write an opinion piece of the future (or past) of e-sports, about the place video games hold in our culture, about video games and art (are video games art?), about the most loved players of all time (perhaps about your favorites?).
Why is StarCraft special? How and why do games inspire such a following?
Write about the flood of new players over the past few years OR write about what it was like to be a new player coming to a well-established community.
Write about cheating in gaming, match throwing, hacking and its morality and effect on e-sports. Write about how this is a cerebral game and what that means.
Write about the legal side of things: Blizzard suing hackers, Blizzard's fight with KeSPA and that whole mess, IP - this literally goes on forever and if anyone wants more legal ideas, they're infinite. Let's talk.
Hell, write about StarCraft under the influence is more dangerous than DUI cause you keep crashing your dropship into trees on LT. Go gonzo.
It goes on and on, this book will be a diverse set of work. I'm really more than willing to sit down and talk with anyone who wants to contribute as long as you're serious about it. We can come up with a topic that moves you to write.
It was sad to see SC Center fade away when you did the Starcraft Bible, but publishing a kickass book makes it all the better! Awesome news and best of luck Chobo.
On October 29 2010 23:59 Logo wrote: It was sad to see SC Center fade away when you did the Starcraft Bible, but publishing a kickass book makes it all the better! Awesome news and best of luck Chobo.
I still hope to get back to that one day in the not too distant future but man that was hard work =]. Until then, hopefully I can contribute in other ways. Thanks for the good wishes.
On October 30 2010 00:02 leecH wrote: will this book physically exist or will it be an ebook?
We'll hit the printers in early December and, if all goes according to plan, by mid to early December, you'll be able to order a copy. By the holidays, you'll have a shiny new present to share
Physical book
This sounds amazing, I hope you get some additional content.
It would really nice if players like ret / legionare / nazgul / nony talked about their korea experience.
Also would be nice to see manifesto/kennigit/nazgul talk about the community aspect of SC and how its developed over the years.
You could also maybe try to get Day[9]'s 100th episode story in some sort of condensed print form as it's a really good story to show to people who may not 'get it' when it comes to competitive gaming/Starcraft.
On October 30 2010 00:44 Logo wrote: You could also maybe try to get Day[9]'s 100th episode story in some sort of condensed print form as it's a really good story to show to people who may not 'get it' when it comes to competitive gaming/Starcraft.
I was thinking the same thing. #100 really embodied a lot of what Starcraft is to me, and I think it would really help getting your points across.
This sounds like it has a lot of potential, definately gonna purchase it if this becomes a reality. I agree with getting Day9's story in somewhere and good luck to you.
Isn't it disappointing when you don't get the gift you were expecting? Or worse, isn't it terrible when you think you're giving a great gift and your receiver has a disappointed look after opening the present? "The StarCraft Bible" will definitely turn out to be THE BEST XMAS PRESENT EVER, no doubt about it. Thank you so much choboPEon and Thank you TeamLiquid for being home of such great people with enormous passion for The Game I LOVE ( Starcraft "Best RTS ever").
Awesome to see some enthusiasm so far. Even if you won't personally be submitting, tell people about it. Maybe a friend of yours has a great contribution to make. This will work best with word of mouth.
Because publishing a book independently is a strange experience and because spamming TL is not always the best way to get your thoughts down, I've put down roots at a simple little blog http://thestarcraftbible.wordpress.com/.
Anyway, that's sort of a side-note.
Thanks to everyone who has indicated interest so far. Make sure to tell people about this. The more submissions the better.
And news on who is participating as soon as I get a nice, thick list of 'em.
I'm sorry I'm in the process of reading the original post, but honestly I feel like I have to say this. "The Starcraft BIBLE?" I'm positive you can find a million more less offensive words, that will get your same point across. It's just insulting to think of the relation between a video game to a word such as the Bible. I hope you reconsider the title of your book, as I'm sure it's probably a good read...but the I wouldn't want it to get (negative) publicity based on your title.
On November 03 2010 03:02 Slardarxt wrote: I'm sorry I'm in the process of reading the original post, but honestly I feel like I have to say this. "The Starcraft BIBLE?" I'm positive you can find a million more less offensive words, that will get your same point across. It's just insulting to think of the relation between a video game to a word such as the Bible. I hope you reconsider the title of your book, as I'm sure it's probably a good read.
coincidentally, i have been considering a name change. but certainly not for that reason.
but just to put it out there:
Bible n. The sacred book of Christianity, a collection of ancient writings including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures, the sacred book of Judaism. A particular copy of a Bible: the old family Bible. A book or collection of writings constituting the sacred text of a religion. bible: A book considered authoritative in its field: the bible of French cooking.
no offense intended, it's simply another meaning of the word
On November 03 2010 03:02 Slardarxt wrote: I'm sorry I'm in the process of reading the original post, but honestly I feel like I have to say this. "The Starcraft BIBLE?" I'm positive you can find a million more less offensive words, that will get your same point across. It's just insulting to think of the relation between a video game to a word such as the Bible. I hope you reconsider the title of your book, as I'm sure it's probably a good read.
coincidentally, i have been considering a name change. but certainly not for that reason.
Bible n. The sacred book of Christianity, a collection of ancient writings including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures, the sacred book of Judaism. A particular copy of a Bible: the old family Bible. A book or collection of writings constituting the sacred text of a religion. bible: A book considered authoritative in its field: the bible of French cooking.
no offense intended, it's simply another meaning of the word
Thanks for pointing that out Elzmitt, perhaps if you read what I wrote, I said I'm reading the original post. I'm in full support of your idea Chobo. *edit* If your going to post simple 1 liners feel free to PM me about it. Otherwise just stop. Edit #2 - It seems funny now to attempt to troll me throwing the word bible left and right but your wasting your time because....*gasp* I'm more atheist than religious! Who would've thunked it, people can have a thought without being emotionally biased! All I'm saying is, people like this still exist out there in our world, a lot of them. Weigh the possible gains, and losses.
As for a title - The Legend of Starcraft? Seems like your going a ton into blizzard history though, and well the Legend isn't quite over yet... Starcraft: It made me make love to my computer. "Damn you Boxer!"
I was anxiously waiting for your Dictionary post defense. Not trying to put this personally, but the actual meaning to a word and what it represents in society is different. People aren't going to pick up your book and think "This is the authoritative SC Book." That BS doesn't stand up as anything in society, it will just put you in a negative light for no reason. I'll point out the stereotype that religious people aren't considered the most "critical of thinkers" so you can figure out what they'll think when they see this title.
Weigh the field, what do you stand to gain by "Bible" and lose by changing it. The average gamer will jump regardless of the title (Starcraft shit holy awesome superbook would work) You seem like a nice guy and are trying hard to make this work, I just want you (and Gaming/Starcraft in general) to be seen in a more positive light in Western Society, I don't feel this is the best way to go about it.
On November 03 2010 03:02 Slardarxt wrote: I'm sorry I'm in the process of reading the original post, but honestly I feel like I have to say this. "The Starcraft BIBLE?" I'm positive you can find a million more less offensive words, that will get your same point across. It's just insulting to think of the relation between a video game to a word such as the Bible. I hope you reconsider the title of your book, as I'm sure it's probably a good read.
coincidentally, i have been considering a name change. but certainly not for that reason.
but just to put it out there:
Bible n. The sacred book of Christianity, a collection of ancient writings including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures, the sacred book of Judaism. A particular copy of a Bible: the old family Bible. A book or collection of writings constituting the sacred text of a religion. bible: A book considered authoritative in its field: the bible of French cooking.
no offense intended, it's simply another meaning of the word
Putting this in Spoilers to not derail the thread off topic.
I was anxiously waiting for your Dictionary post defense. Not trying to put this personally, but the actual meaning to a word and what it represents in society is different. People aren't going to pick up your book and think "This is the authoritative SC Book." That BS doesn't stand up as anything in society, it will just put you in a negative light for no reason. I'll point out the stereotype that religious people aren't considered the most "critical of thinkers" so you can figure out what they'll think when they see this title.
Weigh the field, what do you stand to gain by "Bible" and lose by changing it. The average gamer will jump regardless of the title (Starcraft shit holy awesome superbook would work) You seem like a nice guy and are trying hard to make this work, I just want you (and Gaming/Starcraft in general) to be seen in a more positive light in Western Society, I don't feel this is the best way to go about it.
If you don't want to derail a topic, simply don't post. Spoilering a bunch of crap doesn't mean anything when it's the only content in your post.
You should check out http://machineofdeath.net/a/ It's a similar project, internetters want to get a book published. Basically, they discovered that it only takes a few hundred sales in a day to push a book to the number one bestseller of the day on Amazon.com, which is huge for publishers to see.
EDIT: After more poking around in your blog, disregard this post, you're way ahead of me.
On November 03 2010 03:02 Slardarxt wrote: I'm sorry I'm in the process of reading the original post, but honestly I feel like I have to say this. "The Starcraft BIBLE?" I'm positive you can find a million more less offensive words, that will get your same point across. It's just insulting to think of the relation between a video game to a word such as the Bible. I hope you reconsider the title of your book, as I'm sure it's probably a good read...but the I wouldn't want it to get (negative) publicity based on your title.
Its because of people like you, that there is war in this world.
I can help with editing as well if you want. I'm currently working as an editor/writer for a magazine publication that puts out 16 magazines a year ^^. Just shoot me a pm if you need any help! Good luck with your project!
this sounds great, i have an article i am writing atm that i will post as a blog here on TL.net about muscle memory (or more the misuse of the term) and unconscious memory, and how the two are developed. I am a musician and vocal coach so this is a huge part of what i teach, and the same principles apply to gaming.... the reason why i am writing it is because a student of mine plays sc2 and asked me about the principles behind muscle memory and how he could learn it for sc2.
I gave him a good 20 mins of speil on the subject and then decided perhaps others could benefit. when i'm done writing it i'll submit it to you for the book... i don't know if its what you are looking for, but i'll submit it all the same ;p
I like the title, and I'm about as irreligious as you can be. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. The original post was the best read on teamliquid in the last six months, at least!
I want to contribute but I don't know what to write about. Perhaps a few paragraphs on the day I discovered e-sports, watching a boxer replay in 2002, when I was 13? I just want to help convey the enormous and spectacular challenge of the competition associated with this game. What do you think?
I had a good 3-4 paragraph post written, but i don't feel like getting banned for it.
long story short: using the term "bible" to describe something non-religious hasnt been offensive to anyone but the most strict / devout people of faith since the mid 1900s. get over it please, and go back to discussing this awesome book.
On November 03 2010 04:23 Scrapiron wrote: Seems to me like you are just getting the community to write a book so you can make money off of it. I wish I thought of it first.
Did you read the OP? The first paragraph has a link to the enormous amount of work he has put into this already.
On November 03 2010 04:23 Scrapiron wrote: Seems to me like you are just getting the community to write a book so you can make money off of it. I wish I thought of it first.
Seems like you're new around here. He said he was writing it regardless, and community submissions are welcome, not "I want money, everyone write for me"
dammit CB, first I don't see you in weeks, and now you come back to be completely AWESOME. Feel I wanna contribute but not sure what/how. I'll give it some thinks.
Wow, I WILL be buying your book mate. Really enjoyed reading the Starcraft Bible and would cherish my physical copy.
Finally, something to pass to non believers to sum up what Starcraft is to us. I know this might be a big ask, but could you or the community include a page which you could show to someone interested in SC but not quite getting it, designed to make the lightbulb in their head go off, if you know what I mean?
I wouldn't cause it Bible either, I'm totally against religion and although I'll still buy it's the ugliest name I can think of.
Nice to see that you fixed the mistakes you didn't care about when I pointed them out. I guess the motivation of making money from it is a bit stronger than that of pretending to care about Starcraft.
How legal is this? You may want to look into this a bit so you don't end up getting faced with a lawsuit for making a profit from using Blizzard's intellectual property without permission.
Sweet. This will be awesome. I dunno if it would be legal or not, but maybe you can put in some quotes from Boxer's biography: http://boxerbiography.blogspot.com/
i dont know about cost yet, that really depends on how much and what sort of content is included. as the month goes on, i'll be able to give out a price.
On November 03 2010 05:00 Gridlock wrote: Finally, something to pass to non believers to sum up what Starcraft is to us. I know this might be a big ask, but could you or the community include a page which you could show to someone interested in SC but not quite getting it, designed to make the lightbulb in their head go off, if you know what I mean?
Have you decided how to get it published yet? If you want to publish it the same way I got my 5000th post on tl published then message me. It's free and your book goes for sale on Amazon through the service I used. It's pretty convenient/easy etc.
On November 03 2010 05:07 FreezerJumps wrote: Nice to see that you fixed the mistakes you didn't care about when I pointed them out. I guess the motivation of making money from it is a bit stronger than that of pretending to care about Starcraft.
On November 03 2010 05:07 FreezerJumps wrote: Nice to see that you fixed the mistakes you didn't care about when I pointed them out. I guess the motivation of making money from it is a bit stronger than that of pretending to care about Starcraft.
Please explain?
I'll explain this and PLEASE just let this be the end of this bullshit in this thread.
There were a few inaccuracies in the original thread. FreezerJumps pointed out a handful of them and said that because I made them, I was not a fan of StarCraft. I didn't appreciate his arrogant tone, which in his mind further proved that I didn't really care about StarCraft. Now I'm fixing it for this project and in his mind it seals the deal: I don't care about StarCraft. So in short, I'm a fraud.
I appreciate people who point out mistakes from the original and I say thank you. If act like an ass when you do it, I don't appreciate it as much. That's all.
On November 04 2010 02:05 SilverPotato wrote: Will I be able to get a nice hard back version that looks good on a bookshelf surrounded by other books of bland earth colors?
Its important
Hardcover is difficult. As of now, if I do go hardcover, it'll be a bit pricey. I'll be doing my best to find a good and reasonably priced hardcover option over the next month. Right now, I'm not sure but I hope so. I agree that it's important :D
This sounds pretty damn awesome. I'll see if I can be not terrible at writing and do a submission ("I'm a published authority on ESPORTS," fuck yeah resume!), but regardless, I'll definitely pick up a copy =)
Hardcover would be nice, it'd look great and be nice to show people, but I understand that has its difficulties.
Yeah I plan on writing something nice up for this, how long do you want it to be about? A few sentences? A page? I want to help make this nice as it really documents a nice portion of my childhood and it'd be a nice thing to share.
On November 04 2010 04:07 Mente wrote: Yeah I plan on writing something nice up for this, how long do you want it to be about? A few sentences? A page? I want to help make this nice as it really documents a nice portion of my childhood and it'd be a nice thing to share.
It's hard to say exactly what I'm looking for in length. It's really too early for me to say what will fit where in the book, so send me whatever you have and if it is too long, I will immediately let you know. If it's too short, I'll tell you I'm interested in more.
Max short story length in many anthologies is from 7K-9k words. Keep that number in mind, send me what you've come up with and I will be mercilessly honest from there
On November 04 2010 04:07 Mente wrote: Yeah I plan on writing something nice up for this, how long do you want it to be about? A few sentences? A page? I want to help make this nice as it really documents a nice portion of my childhood and it'd be a nice thing to share.
It's hard to say exactly what I'm looking for in length. It's really too early for me to say what will fit where in the book, so send me whatever you have and if it is too long, I will immediately let you know. If it's too short, I'll tell you I'm interested in more.
Max short story length in many anthologies is from 7K-9k words. Keep that number in mind, send me what you've come up with and I will be mercilessly honest from there
Well expect something this weekend; kinda busy next few days.
I appreciate everyone who has offered their services editing but submissions are what this book needs more than anything If you're looking to help, create some art or write a story. Be creative and send it my way.
For the record, 'Bible' technically just means book. It comes originally from the Greek 'biblion' meaning book, scroll, letter, etc; in the original Greek, the holy scriptures were known as "ta Biblia Hagia"; The Holy Books. In the Latin West this became Biblia Sacra, again, "The Holy Books." Which got directly transliterated into English as the Holy Bible; which, in common slang, lost the holy and just became Bible.
So it's not necessarily religious in connotation. Just FYI.
Also, I'll definitely try to submit something for this. I have a story idea that I think could be pretty cool...I'm pretty busy at the moment, but I'll try to find some time to write it out.
We'll hit the printers in early December and, if all goes according to plan, by mid to early December, you'll be able to order a copy. By the holidays, you'll have a shiny new present to share
Physical book
This sounds amazing, I hope you get some additional content.
It would really nice if players like ret / legionare / nazgul / nony talked about their korea experience.
Also would be nice to see manifesto/kennigit/nazgul talk about the community aspect of SC and how its developed over the years.
Why not add Rekrul to that list? He's got a lot of great SC related stories.
I for sure will be buying a physical copy whenever it comes out! Hard copy would be AMAZING, pricey or not. I think this is a amazing project chobo. Keep up the great work.
Your book needs to have a word from many of the big names who are promoting esports, Day9, DJWheat, JP, Artosis and Tasteless if you can get a hold of them, Husky, HD, Chill, the list goes on sorry for those I dont get to name, you still have a place in my heart. Pretty much all casters.
And do add my 2 cents in about day9's 100th episode, I watched it after playing SC2 for about 2 months and I barely played BW, and let me tell you, that story completely changed the way I see this game, and many other things as well, but yah, I believe it is a piece of esport history right there. It may sound weird but I dont see anything able to stop esport from becoming something very huge in the future, maybe we won be able to actually enjoy all the benefits from it, but I can definitely imagine myself in like 20-30 years, cheering for my son or daughter playing an insane match on TV, in a studio where a wild crowd makes real sport look like nothing special anymore. And I'm not talking about GSL kinda thing, I'm talking about american superbowl kind of hype and shit on real TV for the the entire world to see even if they dont play.
That day I'll be like 55ish, bald, drinking beer on the couch, watching my kid's games on TV, I'll remember the rise of SC2 and Esports, and I'll be fucking proud.
On November 11 2010 06:34 tofucake wrote: It'd be really cool to see some great articles from LP put into the book, like Raven or Ghost.
Also, I keep reading the thread as "StarCraft Bible Black" and it's really starting to mess me up
haha..
i don't think i'll be taking LP articles wholesale and using them but LP is a great tool and I'll use it and credit it the second I think it's necessary... which turns out to be all the time.
Would be cool if you could find big fans of the great players who are articulate and they each do a piece about their player. So one about iloveoov, one about sAvior and so on.
I think this book is definitely a good idea, I'll be glad to help in anything if you need like typing, editing etc.
Indeed, Day9 #100 is a must have in this book. I'd like a section who follow the life of a player during one-day. Show us the place where he's training, his schedule, his life and activities around starcraft... He could talk also about his pre-gaming history.
It will be a great book for sure and I'll order mine as soon as it's out.
On November 12 2010 00:09 amarillo wrote: Would be cool if you could find big fans of the great players who are articulate and they each do a piece about their player. So one about iloveoov, one about sAvior and so on.
yeah that would be cool. step up, big fans, step up ;p
I already thought of an interesting piece to submit. I think this is a fantastic project and crowd sourcing to the community is even better. I'm not a punctuation superhero, so it'll probably need editing, but I really look forward to seeing what I can come up with. Good show.
On November 12 2010 13:17 Treetop wrote: I already thought of an interesting piece to submit. I think this is a fantastic project and crowd sourcing to the community is even better. I'm not a punctuation superhero, so it'll probably need editing, but I really look forward to seeing what I can come up with. Good show.
"The Starcraft Bible" is the best name for the book, imo. The other suggestions don't come close.
Yeah.. to be perfectly honest it's hard to get more epic than the word "Bible".. I mean seriously... lol. As long as it doesn't offend anyone (which would be stupid IMO but I could still see it happening).
I don't know what we'll do with the name but I'll keep everyone updated.
Just want to point out that we're about two weeks away from the deadline. I'll be PMing/e-mailing people who said they'd like to participate to sure up their involvement. The home stretch approaches !
Please, feel free to ask me for ideas if you’d like to contribute but cannot pinpoint how. I’d be happy to brainstorm with you here, over IM, over e-mail - anywhere.
A few examples: chronicling major events in e-sport history, profiling major personalities, writing personal stories about your experience as a fan such as your first time watching a professional game or something like that.
You can write an opinion piece of the future (or past) of e-sports, about the place video games hold in our culture, about video games and art (are video games art?), about the most loved players of all time (perhaps about your favorites?).
Why is StarCraft special? How and why do games inspire such a following? Are the followers wasting their time?
Write about the flood of new players over the past few years OR write about what it was like to be a new player coming to a well-established community.
Write about cheating in gaming, match throwing, hacking and its morality and effect on e-sports. Write about how this is a cerebral game and what that means.
Write about the legal side of things: Blizzard suing hackers, Blizzard's fight with KeSPA and that whole mess, IP - this literally goes on forever and if anyone wants more legal ideas, they're infinite. Let's talk.
Hell, write about StarCraft under the influence is more dangerous than DUI cause you keep crashing your dropship into trees on LT. Go gonzo.
It goes on and on, this book will be a diverse set of work. I'm really more than willing to sit down and talk with anyone who wants to contribute as long as you're serious about it. We can come up with a topic that moves you to write.
I am going to try to submit something. I do not know as of yet what I will be writing on but will try. I really like this idea and really wish to participate because I myself at one point would like to write a book. So it would be nice to add something to a book at a stepping stone. And at the same time, I would be able to express the sheer awesomeness which is Starcraft.
When this rolls off the press I will be one of the first in line to purchase a copy. That way, as I grow older and have less time for the only game I have ever loved i'll still be able to have it with me.
I think interviews with influential members of the community would be a great addition too.
On November 30 2010 15:39 frantic.cactus wrote: When this rolls off the press I will be one of the first in line to purchase a copy. That way, as I grow older and have less time for the only game I have ever loved i'll still be able to have it with me.
I think interviews with influential members of the community would be a great addition too.
Thanks choboPEon ^___^
Thank you. I'm trying to get as many good people involved as possible for sure!
Don't be afraid to walk that line of being the annoying self-marketer, man. You need to get the word out as much as possible. Approach whoever you can about spreading the word about this thing. Sell yourself well; get names like Husky preaching the gospel, have publishers interested in the quality of your product.
On November 30 2010 20:24 Cedstick wrote: Don't be afraid to walk that line of being the annoying self-marketer, man. You need to get the word out as much as possible. Approach whoever you can about spreading the word about this thing. Sell yourself well; get names like Husky preaching the gospel, have publishers interested in the quality of your product.
heh, it's funny you mention that. although i'm sure i've annoyed a few of the people i've contacted, i do try to avoid that overt annoying self-marketing stuff ... and maybe i should do so less, at least at certain junctions.
Heck, you don't even really have to worry about the annoying part too much when you take in to consideration the bigger entities. Most of them, such as publishers, may only be approached once, and if you must go in for a second try it'll likely be someone else receiving it. If you contact the right person in the first place and sell yourself well -- "this is the audience, and the game is only a few months old; look at what's already thriving in Korea" -- then you could already be in to negotiations.
Also, see if you can get a hold of guys like Husky. If you can actually grab his attention, I'm sure a quality presentation would elate him and have the Huskateers all over your project.
So, I just put together a little first draft and we're easily looking nice and thick. I'm going to finalize a price in the next couple of days as well as a cover. Covers are hard! heh. If you want to get something in, do it soon. I'm going to be making moves as soon as the December 7th deadline hits, quite possibly even sooner.
What do you guys think of names?
'the starcraft bible' was nice for a forum thread but im not sure it has the umph that i want once it goes on sale. it sounds too esoteric (SC history is obviously a big part of this but it covers a wide bunch of video game history and culture), too unserious and just not that awesome to my ears.
alternatives suggested to me so far are all, imo, not much better: the history of starcraft, starcraft: a history, the legend of starcraft. similarly boring for me. i like 'explosions of pixels' or some other variant of this sentence: 'Who knew that explosions of pixels could inspire?' but maybe it's a mouthful, maybe it's cheesy, maybe it's super vague
two other ideas ive written down and quickly gotten over during the last month: the game of awe, the book of genesis
i dunno. i'm probably going to call it 'explosions of pixels' or near to that and stick the starcraft bible in there as a subtitle or something. unless someone gives me a good idea. help!
I was thinking a memorable quote from the game as a title. I'm not sure if Blizzard's okay with that, but I can't imagine they'd have intellectual property rights for every unit's quotes. Something to check up on.
Big Game Hunters: The Rise of Starcraft and the International Progaming Scene Power Overwhelming (oh hey you said it too! :D) GLHF - The complete and authoritative guide to Starcraft's rise as the #1 e-Sport decline and fall of the roman empire from hehe to keke: ggkkthxbai
This thread needs more love <3 I read your original thread Chobopeon, and even though I wasnt too involved in the Starcraft 1 community, I absolutely loved it. Really well done, and your writing skills are far more impressive than anything I could even imagine producing ^_^
will buy this when produced :D, personally i liked both explosions of pixels and power overwhelming, just add a sub title that says book of starcraft or smt
I think "Who knew explosions of pixels could inspire?" would make a great tagline no matter what the title is: "The StarCraft Bible - Who knew explosions of pixels could inspire?"
A cheesy title I thought of was "Crafting the Stars" which would make it clear enough that the book was about StarCraft, and yet be general enough to sound like other things; "Crafting the Stars" sounds like a metaphor for "creating the pros", "making the dreams", and "forming the inspiration", to name a few.
Looking forward to the book, definitely purchasing and referring to friends when it's out.
so, at first i was like 'we're almost done, maybe i can push up the date and just get it on sale asap.' but then elky was all 'let's talk about the book' and grrr.... was all 'what's up? let's talk.' and i was all :O so that's where we're at right now. me talking to the people i spent my childhood watching and learning what geek chills are with a permanent ' :O ' on my face. the last two (hopeful) contributors are looking to make the late release date worthwhile. nothing is final but i think a little 'fuck yeah' is in order.
i promise my writing is slightly better in the book
meanwhile im starting to put it all together and it's starting to look like a monster. im really excited.
in other news: fuck you, title. i wish i didn't need you. my mind changes every day. we'll figure it out!
The release is approaching quite quickly. I want to get an incomplete and not final list of people involved cause what the hell, let’s get a little hype for you guys.
The plan is to have the following people's work or voice (via interview or otherwise) in the book. Many of the interviews are recent but a number were interviewed by me over the course of the last year and will be included. This list is not complete, this list is not final and it is subject to change. That said, I think it’s gonna be pretty damn close to what you end up seeing.
Guillaume “Grrrr…” Patry, the most successful non-Korean of all time. One of the original greats. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, the great French hope and a legend. Christopher “Pillars” Page, an old pro, a great player and (I think) the original lead Protoss designer for StarCraft 2. Peter “Legionnaire” Neate, the Australian hero. Greg “IdrA” Fields, the last super-villain of Brood War and the first of StarCraft 2. Sean “Day9″ Plott, one of the most beloved commentators of all time. Dan “Artosis” Stemkoski, one of the must successful American gamers and one of the most successful commentator of all time. ilnp aka dudey of old-school fame, a great help throughout and a prolific old-school shit talker and occasional center of scandal. Marcus “djWheat” Graham, the black belt of e-sport. Joseph “Ret” de Kroon, the current and perennial professional Zerg powerhouse. Arrian, one of the unsung heroes of the TL writing staff. Xxio, another great talent making TL what it is. blid, the torch carrier for the Warcraft 2 community, always willing to illuminate the old game. Victor “Nazgul” Goossens, the old pro, a brain behind Liquid and the man in the moon. Cedstick, a contributing photographer. Gave us a great shot, a window into this world. Stefan “MorroW” Andersson, the Swedish Terran with an eye on Seoul. KDraconis, the StarCraft: Legacy writer with unique insight into Korea. Captain Peabody, the TL poster and fiction writer. Alex “Ares” Dellinger, the TL poster and pro-gamer biographer. Leandro Gobbo, who has kindly offered to help in translation duties for this mammoth project. Wayne “d22-soso” Chiang, the old school gamer with great insight into the beginnings of the scene. Jay “gadianton” Severson, soso’s right hand man and another great source of insight into StarCraft antiquity. prodiG, the ICCup map-maker. emythrel, a man with talent for teaching.
For some context, the original post has the contribution of Pillars and ilnp and .. that's it, as far as I can recall. So I've expanded it a little bit.
Once again, this is NOT COMPLETE (if you contributed and are not on here, have no fear: you will get credit and major thanks! ) and NOT FINAL (I’ll have a final list closer to release). Nor is it in any particular order. Everyone here helped me out in one way or another, some in huge ways and some with just a nudge in the right direction.
Did I mention that's not final? Did I mention that's not all? Good. But it's a start and I hope you like it.
When is it going to be out?(will it be out by christmas?) Where can we find it? Cost?
What have you decided the title is? I was thinking a combination of just like Starcraft: Pixels that inspire because just Pixels that inspire is a bit lame, but then you add "Starcraft" and its epic.
barring something major, it will be out by christmas. you will be able to find it on amazon as well as perhaps a few physical locations. venturing a pretty well educated guess, it will cost between 9.99 and 19.99 (probably ending up something like 14.99) because a large book with color pictures is somewhat costly to produce, otherwise id make it cheaper. the ebook will be a bit cheaper of course.
the title will probably end up being The StarCraft Bible because at this point it is recognized and gets the point across. A nice subtitle may be in there also as people have suggested.
i'm trying to wrap up some major loose ends right now, thats why its not out. theres a chance that i can add some pretty big names to that list of contributors but that takes time.
so, im moving as quickly as i can. i realize people are buying for christmas right now and im missing out on that but im trying to make a definitive history of the game and culture, not rush the book and get a couple of extra sales. when people finally receive their copy, i want them to be really, really pleased.
I think having the past history of StarCraft being in such an accessible form is extremely vital for it to be appreciated better by the mainstream in its future history. I really enjoyed reading all the posts detailing all the triumphs and dramas throughout its history, and I think recognition of even the dirtiest of dramas is important in order for the public to recognize that StarCraft is a legitimate e-sport and not just another old game.
Hey, my ego forgot to tell you my full name XD Cedric Cook, for what it's worth. Also, I hope these big names are a result of you marketing yourself like I said, so I can say, "told you so!" hahah.
See if you get in touch with Hwanni through Artosis, or Spunky, or another middle man, and get some input from the likes of The Emperor, The Tyrant and the likes. Need some Korean representation.
Yeah, it'd be awesome to speak with the big Koreans. While I'm not sure about it happening for this edition (but maybe, it is possible), it's something I'd really like to do in the future.
Some major things on my to-do list right now: Finalize a cover. Complete editing of submitted works. Try to maneuver myself into an interview with Blizzard employees and Koreans. Finish interviews.
That’s it – not a whole lot, to be honest. I can see the finish line. The cover is almost done and will take a half hour of work. The remaining editing should take a few hours at the max. The interviews with Blizzard is up in the air, I will report back to you when I get news on that. The other interviews will take a few more days, maybe a week even because of people’s crowded schedules.
I am so excited for you too finish it. Whenever it hits I will definitely be buying it proudly and rocking it everyday at work. I am glad you are taking your time though too make the final product nice and polished. Keep up the great work Chobo.
Amazon is currently reviewing the final e-book product and it will be on sale within several days at worst, in under 24 hours at best. This version clocks in at 216 pages (much, much more than doubling the original posts) and will be sold for $9.99. I will try to expand this into as many formats as possible. I'll be sharing news on the print version ASAP, hopefully very soon.
I got some things you can add to 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 etc.
You can use your allies extractors/refineries/assimilators. Example, I create a Zerg extractor in my Terran Allies base, he can use those extractors for himself.
Banelings ignore building armor when attacking buildings.
Will do. Currently working out black/white vs. color pricing issues for the physical version. Turns out long books with a few pretty pictures cost a lot of money. I'll make that an option for people but I'm doing my best to keep the price as low as possible (not an easy task :[), thus a black/white printing will come first.
On December 21 2010 17:15 hacklebeast wrote: We are all glad that you are alive chobopeon. I think there were a group of people who were planning on calling the Canadian embassy to ask about you.
The Canadians know everything, I suppose it'd be a good place to start.
Alright, the print copy is currently under final review. It'll take longer than the e-book to get out there but, again, I should have updates on that front soon.
Here's the current info, not yet finalized but looking pretty close to it. List Price: $16.99 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm) 216 pages
The size of things may change but probably not. The book is currently deep in the belly of Amazon. Their process of review will take several days. As soon as it is done, the book will go on sale.
Finally, here we are. The StarCraft Bible (225 pgs) will be available as a paperback and an e-book on January 3rd.
The Bible began as an idea six months ago as a posting on a message board. After a twisting journey propelled by the StarCraft community's encouragement, a journey which included stints above and below my consciousness, the Bible has become a book. Finally.
I didn't know what to expect when I began the project. There was excitement and hope from hundreds of people but the actual finished product was just a vague idea in my mind. Now it has materialized in the form of a 225 page book complete with pretty pictures and the sort of writing that won readers over in the beginning.
The final copy of the book is resting in my lap and yet this does not feel finished. It feels more like a first step toward something bigger and better. It was a step taken quickly, excitedly and without much knowledge about what lay ahead. I guess we'll find out if it's anything worth talking about.
I spoke with a number of incredible people including very recent conversations with two of the most well-loved figures in StarCraft. Grrrr...., someone I watched and revered as a kid, talked with me about his struggles and triumphs in South Korea. He was out until 4am the night before he won his Starleague. DjWheat, an e-sports apostle, told stories that will fill you with envy and hope. In Seoul, he had to duck out the back of a restaurant after lunch with Lim Yo Hwan to avoid a rowdy mob of Boxer fans.
Everyone involved put a lot of work into this. The submissions and interviews were top notch and well thought out. I spent more hours than I can count on this book and I know that I am not the only one. It's not perfect but it's a first attempt at raising the bar in e-sports, at creating something that may begin to be justifiably called e-sports journalism if we continue to work hard.
This was published with my money, with the hard work of every contributor and on the high shoulders of the greatest e-sport ever: StarCraft. This is not backed by any major publisher or even website and will not be raking in millions with the next Twilight. But that was never the point.
This isn’t some vanity-press sour-grapes effort. The simple truth is that we probably can’t compete on the shelves at Barnes & Noble alongside every other book in the world. The agents and the publishers are right; it might not work for a mass market. That’s okay. We don’t need to sell it to everyone. We don’t need to sell 100,000 copies; we don’t have the rent on a New York office to pay for.
We only need to sell it to you.
The goal is to spread the gospel, truths about e-sports. The goal is to create something worth reading, to win new converts, to be passionate about what we love. The goal is to look into the past and to build for the future.
To quote my inspirations once more:
Did you know that on any given day, an Amazon.com bestseller only sells a few hundred copies? Sure, they sell a few hundred copies a day for weeks and months on end, but what we’ve learned is that it only takes a few hundred sales on a single day to become an Amazon.com bestseller.
Becoming a success, being noticed, capturing the attention of a big audience is within our reach. It takes hard work, a quality product and a passionate audience. If we have nothing else, we have that.
Instructions on purchasing the book will be listed here, on Team Liquid, on the book's blog and everywhere I can be found (eg Twitter and other forums). It will be for sale on Amazon as a paper back and from the Kindle and the Nook as an e-book.
Tell people about it. Post links on Facebook, discuss it in forums, talk to everyone you know with an interest in e-sports or RTS games. Tweet it. Call me a nerd as you stay up past midnight to read it. Show your kid the pretty pictures. Capture people's attention.
When you've read it, review it. Do so on Amazon, on Facebook, on forums and at the dinner table. Tell me how you feel about it, tell everyone. Most of all, be honest and be loud if you think the book calls for it.
I don't have a marketing budget and I have no backing but what I have in my own pocket. This project will succeed or fail on word of mouth.
The weapons in our arsenal are passion and excitement. I'm feeling ambitious. Let's see how far they can take us.
Team Liquid for being the backbone of StarCraft for much of the world. The TL writers for raising the bar of e-sports writing. ilnp aka dudey of old-school fame, an awesome help. Pillars, an ex-professional who shed light on the old days. Artosis, one of the best commentators around and always willing to drop knowledge on my head. Sean Plott for being a phenomenal ambassador. Marcus "djWheat" Graham for being the sharpest Swiss Army Knife of e-sports. JP McDaniel for being excellent. Ret for being unyieldingly impressive and a good psych patient as well. Guillaume "Grrrr..." Patry, the one and only, for being frankly honest. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier for being excited about this and teaching me what geek chills were. tec27 because he's consistently awesome. Hi tec. IdrA for being a super-villain. ~NoHunters for being abrasive assholes and just my sort of people for more than a decade. WaxAngel, the old torch bearer. blid, the torch carrier for the Warcraft 2 community, always willing to illuminate the old game. The surviving Warcraft 2 community for being so willing to talk about your game. Liquipedia for beginning what will likely be years of difficult but excellent work. A completely underappreciated tool. TLPD for giving me all the statistics in the entire universe. Spencer Wightman, Xxio, for doing what he does best. Nathan Smolin for taking the road less traveled by, making all the difference in his piece. Arrian for thinking big picture and writing even bigger. Xxio for being a great talent and unsung hero and helping continue a great tradition. Cedstick for giving us beautiful pictures, a window into the e-sport world. Stefan “MorroW” Andersson, the Swedish Terran with an eye on Seoul. KDraconis, the StarCraft: Legacy writer with unique insight into Korea. Captain Peabody, the TL poster and fiction writer. Alex “Aeres” Dellinger, the TL poster and pro-gamer biographer. Leandro Gobbo, who has kindly offered to help in translation duties for this mammoth project. Wayne “d22-soso” Chiang, the old school gamer with great insight into the beginnings of the scene. Jay “gadianton” Severson, soso’s right hand man and another great source of insight into StarCraft antiquity. prodiG, the ICCup map-maker. emythrel, a man with talent for teaching. Dakine, a wealth of WarCraft 2 information. Josh "AskJosh" Suth, the quiet YouTube dreamer. "Fenix" Jian Carlo Morayra Alejo, the workman Terran out of Peru.
I forgot people, I'm sure. It's been a long process and I am sincerely sorry to those momentarily forgotten. Let me know who I forgot, I'll be glad to give you the thanks you deserve.
If you contributed to and are featured in the book, you deserve a free copy. Contact me and I will get it to you ASAP.
Hell yeah, will be buying this the moment it goes for sale. Thanks for all your hard work putting this together. I know it will be an instant classic to all starcraft players.
On December 31 2010 12:52 Kenpachi wrote: Hell yeaaaaaaaaa would this be available at barnes and noble or borders?
generally speaking, book stores will stock the book if/when the book does well in its online run. i actually have talked to a couple of indie store owners who want to stock it. but that's a small thing.
so, brick and mortar stores are hopefully down the line but as of jan 3 you can only buy this online.
On December 31 2010 12:52 Kenpachi wrote: Hell yeaaaaaaaaa would this be available at barnes and noble or borders?
generally speaking, book stores will stock the book if/when the book does well in its online run. i actually have talked to a couple of indie store owners who want to stock it. but that's a small thing.
so, brick and mortar stores are hopefully down the line but as of jan 3 you can only buy this online.
I see a big future for this book. It will earn its spot on store shelves in no time.
Can't wait for the release, will definitely picking up an E copy to put on my iPad. As long as everyone supports it with some great reviews, I don't see any reason why we can't get it high up on the charts.
Thank you good sir for all of your hard work and dedication to getting this project completed. It is really a fantastic step forward and something the whole community can get behind.
1-2 more days, can't wait to get my hands on this I really dislike the book cover though, couldn't you get something more impressive and glorified than thin hairy gamer wrists resting on a desk?
Like Flash kissing the OSL trophy at a massive stadium, a shot of a massive crowd at a OSL final or something similiar. I'm sure you could have gotten an image from neverGG if copyright was an issue.
I will certainly be buying a copy of this, and will spread the news to friends. I will also like it on Facebook. You deserve all the press you can get. Thanks for all the hard work from everyone who was involved in this project. I see a wonderful future for E-sports.
On January 02 2011 09:53 Senx wrote: 1-2 more days, can't wait to get my hands on this I really dislike the book cover though, couldn't you get something more impressive and glorified than thin hairy gamer wrists resting on a desk?
Like Flash kissing the OSL trophy at a massive stadium, a shot of a massive crowd at a OSL final or something similiar. I'm sure you could have gotten an image from neverGG if copyright was an issue.
I like the cover! But you're right, there a number of other pictures that would have worked in other ways. NeverGG has always been easy to talk to in the past, I'll be sure to keep her in mind for the future.
Thank you and all the contributors for writing something the community is sure to adore. I wonder if this book would be translated into different languages for esport fans not necessarily great with English, maybe into Korean or Chinese for example.
On January 02 2011 13:59 hmsrenown wrote: Thank you and all the contributors for writing something the community is sure to adore. I wonder if this book would be translated into different languages for esport fans not necessarily great with English, maybe into Korean or Chinese for example.
I'd be interested in that! If anyone who is fluent in another language wants to do a bit of work (and get paid a bit of money), feel free to talk to me.
On January 02 2011 13:59 hmsrenown wrote: Thank you and all the contributors for writing something the community is sure to adore. I wonder if this book would be translated into different languages for esport fans not necessarily great with English, maybe into Korean or Chinese for example.
I'd be interested in that! If anyone who is fluent in another language wants to do a bit of work (and get paid a bit of money), feel free to talk to me.
The Chinese will especially like the part where Artosis turns gay for PJ XD
On January 02 2011 13:59 hmsrenown wrote: Thank you and all the contributors for writing something the community is sure to adore. I wonder if this book would be translated into different languages for esport fans not necessarily great with English, maybe into Korean or Chinese for example.
I'd be interested in that! If anyone who is fluent in another language wants to do a bit of work (and get paid a bit of money), feel free to talk to me.
The Chinese will especially like the part where Artosis turns gay for PJ XD
Im planning on ordering a hard copy, I am very conflicted about hard copy vs ebook(me and my mom have decided that in the future, all books will just come with an e-book version as well), especially since I've been blazing through books on my nook, but I've decided I want a hard copy of this one to have around, I think this is really awesome, and I can't wait to purchase it :D
I just bought this for the kindle edition and I am Very excited to begin reading it. From what I've read of the introduction, its fantastic and is something that exemplifies how great the Starcraft community is. I put up a review on Amazon, and mad props to the driving force behind this book. I may even buy some hard-copies of this book to show and share with my friends. Kudos!
On January 03 2011 10:05 Tankcast wrote: I just bought this for the kindle edition and I am Very excited to begin reading it. From what I've read of the introduction, its fantastic and is something that exemplifies how great the Starcraft community is. I put up a review on Amazon, and mad props to the driving force behind this book. I may even buy some hard-copies of this book to show and share with my friends. Kudos!
thanks for the kind review, i really appreciate it. especially after that dude who was mad that it wasn't a strategy guide haha
I'd be interested in that! If anyone who is fluent in another language wants to do a bit of work (and get paid a bit of money), feel free to talk to me.
I'll contact you when I'm free to work on a Chinese version of this.
A DRM-free PDF is available (scroll down here). Your eReader, computer or the device of your choosing should be able to read it. If you order it, supply me with your email address during the purchase process. The book will be delivered to your email inbox as soon as possible.
Coming soon: Barnes and Noble Nook eBook (should be available within 24-48 hours from now), Apple iBook (No ETA available), Sony eReader (No ETA available), Paperback in 'normal' Amazon store (as soon as Amazon chooses to, likely early this week).
Thank you, thank you, thank you for everyone who liked what I wrote and encouraged me to make it into a book. It's really amazing to see the community work together like this. I hope you love it.
On January 03 2011 16:19 Focuzed wrote: I just purchased it and had it delivered to kindle for my android phone. Thank you very much, I can't wait to lye down and start reading it
So excited to get my physical copy! Im gonna bring this with me to work and rock it like a proud nerd. Thanks for doing something so awesome for the Starcraft Community.
Any chance of you starting Starcraft Center again? It was a great series.
Just ordered the paperback version. Going to take forever to get here but my b-day is Feb. 7th so it'll be an early b-day present to myself. Thanks in advance for the great read, and kudos for all the hard work from yourself and those who contributed.
On January 04 2011 15:21 mprs wrote: wait so a physical copy is available?
It is available right now.
But also, Amazon.com just told me that the book is 'available' on Amazon.com too. It isn't showing up in searches yet, probably because it will take time propagate through the system but if you want to wait a bit for a physical copy, that's your best option (same price but cheaper/quicker shipping).
I'm a total iPad n00b atm.. So I was wondering, what is the prefered method of reading this on your iPad? I'm guessing the PDF-version? Or will it be availible like an e-book or similar?
On January 04 2011 19:45 mofoo wrote: I'm a total iPad n00b atm.. So I was wondering, what is the prefered method of reading this on your iPad? I'm guessing the PDF-version? Or will it be availible like an e-book or similar?
On January 04 2011 19:45 mofoo wrote: I'm a total iPad n00b atm.. So I was wondering, what is the prefered method of reading this on your iPad? I'm guessing the PDF-version? Or will it be availible like an e-book or similar?
Thanx!
Kindle for iPad (free app) is the way to go. You launch the Kindle app and click "Buy Books" and then type in "Starcraft Bible" in the search bar and then click "Buy for Kindle" and boom, done.
I was reading this last night between the break from GSL Code A to Code S matches, while also reading this thread. I think I maxed out on SC geekery.
The book is awesome. I watched the Flash/Jaedong/Power Failure MSL live and I think I was just as excited reading the author's recap as I was when I was first watching it.
On January 04 2011 19:45 mofoo wrote: I'm a total iPad n00b atm.. So I was wondering, what is the prefered method of reading this on your iPad? I'm guessing the PDF-version? Or will it be availible like an e-book or similar?
Thanx!
Kindle for iPad (free app) is the way to go. You launch the Kindle app and click "Buy Books" and then type in "Starcraft Bible" in the search bar and then click "Buy for Kindle" and boom, done.
I was reading this last night between the break from GSL Code A to Code S matches, while also reading this thread. I think I maxed out on SC geekery.
The book is awesome. I watched the Flash/Jaedong/Power Failure MSL live and I think I was just as excited reading the author's recap as I was when I was first watching it.
I just bought it, settling down to read right now. Some of the reviews are a little stupid; one of them talks about how they are a bronze level player and how they bought this book to get better and was disappointed. Sounds like they entirely missed the point, eh?
On January 05 2011 09:33 tnkted wrote: I just bought it, settling down to read right now. Some of the reviews are a little stupid; one of them talks about how they are a bronze level player and how they bought this book to get better and was disappointed. Sounds like they entirely missed the point, eh?
starting now, wish me luck!
i agree. i hope you guys who understand what the book is about will review it to counterbalance those
On January 04 2011 16:21 chobopeon wrote: It is available right now.
But also, Amazon.com just told me that the book is 'available' on Amazon.com too. It isn't showing up in searches yet, probably because it will take time propagate through the system but if you want to wait a bit for a physical copy, that's your best option (same price but cheaper/quicker shipping).
I just want to say, I am super glad there's a kindle version, and as soon as Amazon shows up the physical version, I'm going to be buying it as a gift for a friend.
That aside, I want to suggest that you take a look at the formatting for the kindle version. I've obviously never been on the publishing side of things, but things like a functional hyperlink table of contents really make the kindle experience better, especially in a book like this where people will want to jump around to read and reread various sections in no particular order.
(this is actually just feedback on the kindle sample, so if the full version--which I shall be buying soon, but not before finishing other reading--behaves differently, sorry to bring it up!)
On January 04 2011 16:21 chobopeon wrote: It is available right now.
But also, Amazon.com just told me that the book is 'available' on Amazon.com too. It isn't showing up in searches yet, probably because it will take time propagate through the system but if you want to wait a bit for a physical copy, that's your best option (same price but cheaper/quicker shipping).
I just want to say, I am super glad there's a kindle version, and as soon as Amazon shows up the physical version, I'm going to be buying it as a gift for a friend.
That aside, I want to suggest that you take a look at the formatting for the kindle version. I've obviously never been on the publishing side of things, but things like a functional hyperlink table of contents really make the kindle experience better, especially in a book like this where people will want to jump around to read and reread various sections in no particular order.
(this is actually just feedback on the kindle sample, so if the full version--which I shall be buying soon, but not before finishing other reading--behaves differently, sorry to bring it up!)
Yeah I agree. Formatting is something I need to improve on. Thanks for the feedback, I'll definitely make use of it.
Was very excited initially but I see there is no version for the Sony Reader yet and I am hesitant to buy via Amazon for fear of formatting and compatibility issues. Any idea if it will work smoothly on my Reader Pocket edition or should I just wait for a Sony Reader edition? I know my Reader supports PDF but the formatting is always wonky.
On January 05 2011 17:03 Azuremen wrote: Was very excited initially but I see there is no version for the Sony Reader yet and I am hesitant to buy via Amazon for fear of formatting and compatibility issues. Any idea if it will work smoothly on my Reader Pocket edition or should I just wait for a Sony Reader edition? I know my Reader supports PDF but the formatting is always wonky.
I couldn't tell you, I don't have a Sony Reader nor the resources to test it out on a Reader. I am trying to have my work on Sony store but Sony simply doesn't make it as accessible as Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I'd say your best bet would be the PDF but if you have negative experiences there, I'm not sure what to say at the moment.
Apparently it is up on Amazon.com's actual website now. Placed my order Chobo, can't wait Gogogo everyone!
Edit: Chobo, you might want to add a product description for the paperback when you get the chance. I know the Kindle version already has one. It just made me mad when noobs posted on the reviews saying something like "I was bronze and expected this book to get me to diamond and it didn't." Ugh.
Artosis said he wrote a chapter during a GSL broadcast just recently. I'm interested in seeing what he has to say when he has time to gather his thoughts.
On January 06 2011 04:17 liaf wrote: Is it ever going to come out in hardcover? Paperback just doesn't feel right for something as epic as this.
probably would be out in hardcover now if it was going to, always a possibility if it's really successful, but won't be successful unless we buy the paperback . so I just got the paperback....
Now, not that I don't support this book and think it's awesome, but something just irks me when I see a review of the physical version saying they got this book as a gift, when it is quite unlikely to have been received, let alone read, the book yet. Come on, man, be honest in your review, at least. It's a good book, so there's no reason to lie, Mr. Wilson.
On January 06 2011 06:35 Cedstick wrote: Now, not that I don't support this book and think it's awesome, but something just irks me when I see a review of the physical version saying they got this book as a gift, when it is quite unlikely to have been received, let alone read, the book yet. Come on, man, be honest in your review, at least. It's a good book, so there's no reason to lie, Mr. Wilson.
Heh, someone in another forum I visit wanted to help me out and so he wrote that review. Obviously he didn't get it as a gift or anything like that. I think he may have read it, or most of it, but I'm not sure. Oh well, he had good intentions! I look forward to seeing some real reviews up there.
I'm not sure how you saw that I like his podcast but yes, I do haha
Oh, i thought you did that on purpose Your link is : http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489771/?tag=dancarlincom-20 which means that everytime someone buys an item on amazon via that, the podcast gets a few bucks without the price being any higher.
I'm not sure how you saw that I like his podcast but yes, I do haha
Oh, i thought you did that on purpose Your link is : http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456489771/?tag=dancarlincom-20 which means that everytime someone buys an item on amazon via that, the podcast gets a few bucks without the price being any higher.
Just stayed up all night reading this. Was this book even edited? Hmm...
Sorry i'm really tired but the book needs serious polish. On almost every single page there is either a grammar error, a typo, or an awkwardly phrased sentence. Really basic stuff too, basic enough that spell-check would detect it. The formatting is very... unorganized. The lack of page numbers and the table of contents making no sense are pretty good examples of this. Not following a consistent style guide is something I shouldn't be seeing in a published book.
I don't know man. I like a lot of what you've written but it really needs a lot more work. I can't help but feel that i've bought a manuscript.
PS whoever Tom Hackleman is, your section was beautiful, definitely the highlight of the book IMO.
EDIT: I was up for about 27 hours at this point and being kind of harsh and definitely exaggerating with this a bit. Most pages are probably fine but there are enough errors to make it a serious detraction, and what I said about the formatting still holds true I feel. The inconsistency with regards to following a style guide is a big one for me as well and makes it feel much more amateurish than it deserves.
On January 23 2011 04:33 Renoir_scII wrote: Ummm...
Just stayed up all night reading this. Was this book even edited? Hmm...
Sorry i'm really tired but the book needs serious polish. On almost every single page there is either a grammar error, a typo, or an awkwardly phrased sentence. Really basic stuff too, basic enough that spell-check would detect it. The formatting is very... unorganized. The lack of page numbers and the table of contents making no sense are pretty good examples of this. Not following a consistent style guide is something I shouldn't be seeing in a published book.
I don't know man. I like a lot of what you've written but it really needs a lot more work. I can't help but feel that i've bought a manuscript.
PS whoever Tom Hackleman is, your section was beautiful, definitely the highlight of the book IMO.
Could you post all the pages of it somewhere? That would allow him to find all the mistakes quicker
On January 23 2011 04:33 Renoir_scII wrote: Ummm...
Just stayed up all night reading this. Was this book even edited? Hmm...
Sorry i'm really tired but the book needs serious polish. On almost every single page there is either a grammar error, a typo, or an awkwardly phrased sentence. Really basic stuff too, basic enough that spell-check would detect it. The formatting is very... unorganized. The lack of page numbers and the table of contents making no sense are pretty good examples of this. Not following a consistent style guide is something I shouldn't be seeing in a published book.
I don't know man. I like a lot of what you've written but it really needs a lot more work. I can't help but feel that i've bought a manuscript.
PS whoever Tom Hackleman is, your section was beautiful, definitely the highlight of the book IMO.
Could you post all the pages of it somewhere? That would allow him to find all the mistakes quicker
I was thinking the same. The book is fine but there are some problems with the polish. I was going to write down every little mistake to help, but there are no page numbers !!!!
Will the second edition be adding page numbers and editing up the work? I'm looking forward to spreading this around to people who have zero insight on esports and I'd love to have a professional-ish copy.
How would editing work though? All future copies printed will reflect changes, or is it somehow set up to print a copy each time someone buys one so changes go in pretty much immediately?
Hmm. Page numbers seem kind of like a need. But I'm looking forward to getting my own copy soon. I think every starcraft fan or player needs to read this it's good to read the history.
Basically, you're right. The book needs to be worked on. I'm well aware of it, I've learned a lot from the process of putting this out and the feedback I've received. I know this is of little comfort to you since you've already purchased a copy but we take that up in PMs if you'd like to continue to talk about that.
Anyway, yeah, I think you're right. I'm working on it. If/when I have another project, I'm going to have a hired team of professionals help me bring it to reality. When I have a corrected/updated edition (within a few weeks), I'd be happy to provide you/other customers with a version of it for free.
On January 23 2011 04:33 Renoir_scII wrote: Ummm...
Just stayed up all night reading this. Was this book even edited? Hmm...
Sorry i'm really tired but the book needs serious polish. On almost every single page there is either a grammar error, a typo, or an awkwardly phrased sentence. Really basic stuff too, basic enough that spell-check would detect it. The formatting is very... unorganized. The lack of page numbers and the table of contents making no sense are pretty good examples of this. Not following a consistent style guide is something I shouldn't be seeing in a published book.
I don't know man. I like a lot of what you've written but it really needs a lot more work. I can't help but feel that i've bought a manuscript.
PS whoever Tom Hackleman is, your section was beautiful, definitely the highlight of the book IMO.
Could you post all the pages of it somewhere? That would allow him to find all the mistakes quicker
I was thinking the same. The book is fine but there are some problems with the polish. I was going to write down every little mistake to help, but there are no page numbers !!!!
Hmm, that's enough to put me off buying tbh. It's a little disappointing to hear that such an amazing project hasn't received basic editing.
On January 23 2011 04:33 Renoir_scII wrote: Ummm...
Just stayed up all night reading this. Was this book even edited? Hmm...
Sorry i'm really tired but the book needs serious polish. On almost every single page there is either a grammar error, a typo, or an awkwardly phrased sentence. Really basic stuff too, basic enough that spell-check would detect it. The formatting is very... unorganized. The lack of page numbers and the table of contents making no sense are pretty good examples of this. Not following a consistent style guide is something I shouldn't be seeing in a published book.
I don't know man. I like a lot of what you've written but it really needs a lot more work. I can't help but feel that i've bought a manuscript.
PS whoever Tom Hackleman is, your section was beautiful, definitely the highlight of the book IMO.
EDIT: I was up for about 27 hours at this point and being kind of harsh and definitely exaggerating with this a bit. Most pages are probably fine but there are enough errors to make it a serious detraction, and what I said about the formatting still holds true I feel. The inconsistency with regards to following a style guide is a big one for me as well and makes it feel much more amateurish than it deserves.
I couldn't agree more. I love the topic, but I feel that one simple proof read could have made this book a lot cleaner. I read the entire thing, and I have to say, I was looking for a large history of the Starcraft e-sport. Having only 1 full page for Boxer was extremely short. Most of the bonjwa (besides Savior) received only a page of brief history. Also, some articles published near the end were just poor and had no place in the book. The second to last article after a very well written part was titled "an analysis of By.Snow's play", and it was this awful 2 page thing that compared him to other 2nd tier protoss.
That being said, while the book needs a lot of improvements, I enjoyed your writing style very much. It was very accessible and made the book a nice read. If you ever decided to publish another book about Starcraft I would pick that one up just as fast. I'm just disappointed that the errors seem to outweigh the positives.
EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/choboPEon/bible.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://www.createspace.com/Img/T353/T48/T80/ThumbnailImage.jpg)
Raven
Too late now I guess, lol.
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/xiM6C.jpg)
