How To Destroy The Earth: The Book

I have started writing a book.

And that book is called "How To Destroy The Earth".

Yes! You read it right. I have decided that I have enough methods, enough interesting material and enough interesting tangents to actually make a book-sized version of HTDTE. While I will most certainly be revisiting a lot of concepts which my loyal readers are likely to be already familiar with, this will be an entirely original work - I'm writing the whole thing again, from start to finish. I have about 20 A4 pages already written.

I have nothing but confidence in both the concept and my own writing ability. But as for getting it published? That's another story entirely. Firstly I need to scrape together the free minutes to work on the project, which could take a while. What with a full-time temp job and my continuing futile attempts to find real work, I have other things to do than write. (Even making this announcement could prove premature.) Secondly, while I have no doubt that this will turn out to be a great book, I have very little knowledge of the inner workings of Getting Your Stuff Published. I mean, how much do you write before submitting something to a publisher? A chapter, the whole thing? DO you submit stuff directly to publishers? Who are these publishers? who's good? What's a good deal? These are all things I shall have to find out.

Some implications for you readers out there in readerland. As of now I am suspending updates on the main HTDTE article. It's pretty well-rounded and factually accurate now - all that could really be added is more detail, which I want to reserve for the book. Any new information on new or existing comments which you guys send me will likely be held over to the book version rather than being directly added to the web page. Naturally, you will be credited as contributors at the end of the book, as will everybody already listed in that big Credits section. The only exceptions would be really glaring factual errors.

Obviously I don't know how far this will go. If nothing comes of it, then in due course I will make the full book version available online, but that will be a last resort, as publishers are less willing to publish things which have already been made freely available online (even if they are taken down again).

If you have helpful advice to give then I am open to all suggestions and supportive comments. (No, I don't need a co-writer, but thank you very much for the offer.) While I fully intend to make the text stand alone (as is the case for the web page), if you know how things like, say, diagrams are generally handled in books like this then do let me know little bits of information like that. And if you are a prospective publisher, then by all means, email me!