Tag Archives: Heifer International

Published: December 2, 2014

Delightful Miscellany

We’re getting closer to the end of the fundraiser, and things are starting to speed up. As I write this, we’re at 383,000 dollars, and we’ve been unlocking new stretch goals at an incredible rate.

If you haven’t been keeping up, you can access them all here:

Remember, if you donate on our main page, you move us toward future stretch goals and have a chance to win all manner of books, games, and other cool things in the lottery.

Cool things like these:

  • Copper Goats from Esoteric Garage.

AmandaAndSmallGoat

Earlier in the fundraiser we auctioned off a set of copper goat paperweights, based on the Worldbuilders logo.

Tait from Esoteric Garage was kind enough to send along 4 more, so we’re putting them in the lottery. Just don’t tell Amanda, because when I take that one away from her, I think she’s going to cry.

*     *     *

Everything else in today’s blog is up for auction. And pretty much everything we have in here is either one-of-a-kind, or so rare as to be virtually unique.

  • Auction: Cameo appearance in an upcoming book by April White.

AprilWhite

April’s been donating to the fundraiser for a couple of years now, and this year she’s also thrown her hat in for a tuckerization. Here’s how she described it:

“In a world where Time, Fate, Nature, War and Death are Immortal, and their Descendants have skills that include time travel, shape-shifting, and visions of the future, the winning bidder of this Tuckerization will have a character named for them in two of the Immortal Descendant books.

In book three, Changing Nature, which will be published in January, 2015, their character will be named as among the mysteriously missing mixed-blood Immortal Descendants. In book four, Waging War (to be published in the Summer, 2015), the character will continue as part of a storyline set in modern times, and will involve at least one interaction with main characters.”

If this sounds awesome to you (and it should) bid over here.

Mary Robinette Kowal

Hugo-award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal will tuckerize your name into a forthcoming piece of fiction. What does this mean? It means that she will work your name into a story or novel depending on what your name is and which project it seems to fit best into. She’ll also send you a signed manuscript before publication. So it’s like a literary twofer.

Bid on it in all its goodness over here.

  • Auction: Kvothe’s green linen shirt from The Wind Comes cosplay stretch goal. Handmade by Mary Robinette Kowal.

MaryAsKvothe

This is something of a specialty item. Mary Robinette Kowal handmade this and the rest of her costume that she wore when she came up to read her Name of the Wind erotica with me.

There are some more detailed images of the shirt, taken while she was making it. She tweeted them while she worked on it, and we borrowed a few of them for the auction listing if you’d like to see them.

The shirt looks awesome, and Mary wore it well because she’s classy like that. Now it can be all yours. Bid on it over here.

  • Auction: A ukulele doodled and signed by Hank Green.

_DSC0977

We offered 10 of these in the summer IndieGoGo. Amanda gushed and groaned over it, never taking the time to  buy one for herself because she didn’t think it was fair of her to nab one when they were so limited, and someone who would love it might miss out on it purely because Amanda saw it first.

I, however, did not have such qualms.

This is the one I personally bought. The folks over at the Nerd Nighters coordinated with me to buy one for Amanda, and she loves it with a powerful and deep love.

That kind of love and devotion can be a part of your life, too, if you bid on it here.

  • Auction: A personalized sketch from Karen Hallion.

marker_sketches_by_khallion-d5whplx

Karen has agreed to auction off a commissioned personalized sketch for whoever wins this auction, after the last auction did so well. You’ll be able to get any character of your choice meeting up with the beloved police box.

You know you want it. Bid on it over here.

  • Auction:  Shane Tyree will create art based on your likeness. 

Kilvin Card

Shane’s a great artist, and has done the art for the NOTW playing cards, as well as the Commonwealth and Modegan decks for Pairs. He’ll draw you up proper, and then send you a signed 13″ x 17″ print of the final piece.

To become true art, bid over here.

  • Auction: A full set of the 7 Calamities from the Commonwealth Deck, printed and signed by Shane Tyree.

Calamities

Many of you already have the Commonwealth pairs deck we put on sale in the Tinker’s Packs. In this deck, the sevens are… significant. They’re the only number where each card has its own art. And if you play one of the variant rules, they’re the worst card in the deck to draw.

Shane has only printed 7 of each of these pieces of art. The winner of this auction will have one of those sets, so it’s going to be very, very rare. Bid on it before it’s too late.

Amber from Serpent’s Dance Designs has been donating jewelry to Worlbuilders for the last couple years. The first year, her Bookwyrm Pendant sold out before we managed to post the blog about it. Last year, we managed to auction off three unique designs from her.

This year, we’ve got nine. (That’s three threes, just so you know.) She swung by one of my signings on the Slow Regard tour,  then had me sign the backs of a few of the items so she could etch in my signature.

It should go without saying that these are all one-of-a-kind creations. But I’ll say it anyway: These are all one-of-a-kind. More pictures of each of these can be found if you follow the links below.

SerpentsDance_Square

In the same order as the pictures: Signed All the Truth in the World Pendant, Signed All Stories Are True Pendant, Signed You May Have Heard of Me Pendant, Etched Kvothe Pendant.

And more…

SerpentsDance_Round

In the same order as the pictures: All Stories are True Pendant, You May Have Heard of Me Pendant, Hatchling Dragon Pendant, Kvothe Profile Pendant.

And finally, the Ornament Package:

SerpentsDance_Ornament

A little Kvothe felt doll (with four pockets in his cloak) and a signed, etched Kvothe plate. This one’s available over here.

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Back during the Slow Regard of Silent Things tour event in Portland, I invited the Doubleclicks to open for me, and  they graciously allowed me to perform a song with them.

I failed pretty miserably, as I detailed a bit in the blog.

For their stretch goal this year, they’re letting me take a mulligan on my previous performance, I’m going to play with them again in a google hangout and try to get it right this time. Or at the very least I’ll get it marginally less wrong.

This is the keyboard I’ll be using. The Doubleclicks mailed it to us, and Angela and Aubrey have both signed it. (I’ll sign it too if you like.) If you’d like to own this glorious cat keyboard, this testament to my shame and redemption, you can bid on it over here.

  • Auction: Two tickets to the Heifer International Beyond Hunger event in Beverly Hills, CA, July or August 2015. Also in attendance: The Worldbuilders Team and Me.

ForHeiferAuction

This is particularly exciting. Every year Heifer throws a swank dinner event, and this year they’re bringing me and some of the Worldbuilders team out so that we can join the fun, as well as hang out with some of our favorite people from Heifer.

This event is incredibly posh. It’s formal attire only, and lots of Hollywood celebrities will be there. The dates aren’t set yet, but as soon as they are we’ll contact you and let you know where to be and when. Hopefully we’ll all be able to hang out a bit.

Full disclosure: This auction is just for tickets to the event. You’ll have to provide transportation yourself.

If this sounds like it’s up your alley, bid here for the chance to experience it.

* * *

There you have it folks. Bid early and bid often.

If you want to see ALL the current auctions running, you can head over here.

Posted in miscelany, Worldbuilders 2014 | By Pat8 Responses
Published: November 22, 2014

Puppets, Wild Things, Pumpkin Spice, and Viking Llamas…

First, I would just like to say that this blog has the best title I’ve ever written. Possibly the best title *anyone* has ever written. Ever.

As I type this, Worldbuilders has raised $250,000 dollars and we’re not yet at the end of our second week. That’s pretty amazing no matter how you look at it.

Today I’m going to post up all the stretch goals we’ve unlocked so far in case you’ve missed a few.

But first, allow me to answer a few questions y’all have been asking:

As y’all know, when we hit 600,000, Neil will read something for us. Everyone who donates to Heifer International on our team page gets to vote. Here’s where the total stands right now. Fox in Socks is still in the running, though it’s a bit of a dark horse….

#NeilReads 11-19

My stretch goal is looking like a bit more of a foregone conclusion:

Animal Kiss 11.22am take 2

I will admit, when I proposed my stretch goal, I put Llama on the list without doing much research other than to make sure there were some living in Central Wisconsin. Since then I’ve discovered that a llama and an alpaca are, in fact, two very different animals. Alpaca are kinda like a cross between a sheep, a kitten, and a giraffe. By which I mean they’re furry, friendly, and they have long necks.

Llamas, on the other hand, are apparently like a cross between a sheep, a camel, and Viking berserker. By which I mean they’re furry, they hate you, and they will fucking destroy all things that oppose them. A lot of farms use them as guard animals, because other predators like coyotes are terrified of llamas and avoid even the sound of them.

So… yeah. Right now it’s looking like that’s what I’m going to end up kissing. For charity.

Here’s the stretch goals we’ve unlocked so far:

  • $50k: Nika Harper Reads Dinosaur Limericks

Happiness comes in Dinosaur Limericks that are based in scientific fact.

  • $75k: Molly Lewis Sings Pumpkin Spice Lament

Do you want to know a true fact about Amanda? She recently got a ukulele, and she’s been playing Molly Lewis songs nonstop. This one is her new favorite.

  • $100k: Patrick Rothfuss will perform “The Song of Tom Bombadil.”

Yup. That’s a thing I did. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t un-see it.

  • $125k: Seth Fishman will host a livestreamed Q&A teaching everyone how to write a query letter and/or get an agent.

This livestream is going to be Monday, November 24th at 7:30pm CST. If you have any questions for Seth, you should be sure to be there, live, when it happens. Follow Worldbuilders on Facebook,  Twitter, and YouTube to know when it goes live.

  • $150k: Myke Cole will review Hedging His Bets.

Myke was great and had the video all ready for us… and then the file corrupted when he tried to send it to us. We’ll have it up as soon as possible, so keep an eye on the Worldbuilders YouTube channel.

  • $175k: Vi Hart will write and perform “The Lay of Felurian.”

Vi nailed it here. She even included the verse that causes Felurian to cut Kvothe off, and ends it there. It’s wonderful.

  • $200k: The Heifer International staff will perform a puppet show.

This baffled me in all of the best ways. Some of Heifer International’s staff (primarily the ones who work with Worldbuilders directly every year) got together and did this in their free time. Be sure to stick around for the outtakes at the end, because people have some stuff to say about Kvothe and his lute…

We’ve got two more that have just been recently unlocked…

  • $225k: James Ernest will post a video of his signature juggling trick.
  • $250K Nate Taylor & Pat stream a discussion about the art of Slow Regard. 

We passed both of these goals just yesterday, so we haven’t had a chance to post them up yet, but as we’ve said above. But if you stay tuned to the Worldbuilders Facebook page and/or Twitter feed we’ll be posting them up when that happens.

Stay tuned folks, if for no other reason than to see me get trampled to death by a llama.

pat

P.S. Just in case you wanted a link where you could help us reach more stretch goals while also making the world a better place, here it is.

Posted in Acts of Whimsy, Worldbuilders 2014 | By Pat25 Responses
Published: November 10, 2014

Worldbuilders 2014

It’s that time of year again, folks. Time to make the world a better place while winning fabulous prizes.

Worldbuilders-Logo_Web_Smaller

Heifer International is my favorite charity. It helps people raise themselves out of poverty and starvation. For more than 60 years, Heifer has promoted education, sustainable agriculture, and local industry all over the world.

They don’t just keep kids from starving, they make it so people can take care of themselves. They give families goats, chickens, and sheep so children have milk to drink, eggs to eat, and warm clothes to wear. They provide communities with clean water to drink, building materials to improve homes, and business training to help families become self-sufficient.

goat 4

(Are you ready? I’m so ready. Let’s do it.)

We’re always looking for ways to improve the fundraiser. So while much of Worldbuilders is the same as last year, we have some things that are entirely new, and some things that have changed a little.

So even if you’re a Worldbuilders Vetran, you might want to look at this blog closely so you don’t miss the new coolness we have waiting there.

As always, you’ve got three different options for donating:

  • Option 1: The Lottery.

This is the option most of you will want. It’s quick, easy, and tax deductible.

You just hop directly over to the page we’ve set up on Team Heifer, and donate.

When you donate on that page, two things happen.

1. You’ll move us closer to our stretch goals (shown below).

2. You’ll be entered into the lottery.

For every $10 you donate on our Team Heifer page, your name will be entered into our random drawing for all the swag that’s been donated. Thousands of books, comics, and games. So if you donate $30, your name goes in three times. Donate enough for a goat ($120) and your name goes in 12 times.

What’s in the lottery? A lot. So much that if I showed it to you all at once, its combined awesome would cook your brain like a toad thrown into the sun.

So, for everyone’s safety, we’ll be posting up a new blog every weekday until the end of the fundraiser on December 8th.

You can see *all* the books currently in the mix on our snazzy Lottery Library page.

Or you can check out the individual blogs here:

Note: We’re doing something new this year. Thanks to our sponsors like Cheapass Games and Mayfair, we have a more games in this year’s fundraiser. A lot more. We know some of you aren’t big gamers, so you’ll be able to select whether you want to win books, games, or books AND games.

Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 9.17.18 PM

That way everyone gets what they like best.

Stretch goals.

To encourage donations, we’ve brought members of the geek community together to do whimsical things as our donation total grows. There will be music, poetry, cosplay, puppets, and so, so much more…

Upcoming stretch goals include:

We’re recruiting folks for new stretch goals every day, so keep an eye on this list, and the Worldbuilders website under news for updates.

One of the new things we’re doing is letting y’all decide which direction these stretch goals will go. For example, donors get to vote on which animal I’ll kiss when we beat last year’s donation total.

Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 9.17.34 PM

Personally? I’m hoping for the goat.

People donating will also get to decide what Neil Gaiman will read when we hit $600,000:

Screen Shot 2014-11-13 at 2.58.01 PM

Here I’m torn. Part of me wants to hear Neil say, “Goodnight Nobody,” while the rest of me dearly wants to hear him say, “Let the wild rumpus start!”

Either way, I’m going to have a new ringtone.

Note: Worldbuilders ends December 15, 2014 at 11:59 pm UTC-11. To be eligible for the lottery, you must have made your donation on the Team Heifer Page before then.

  • Option 2: The Sure Thing

For those of you not interested in the lottery, or if you’re just interested in doing some Christmas shopping early, we have a well-stocked store, lovingly named The Tinker’s Packs. We’ve got t-shirts, posters, and other coolness available for purchase.

We also have foreign editions of many titles, donated and signed by the authors. These are hard to find in the US.

All proceeds from everything sold in our store go to Worldbuilders, of course.

Additionally, this year we’ve published another calendar featuring the art of the wonderful Karen Hallion.

KHCalendarSpread_1024x1024

(Click to embiggen)

You can see many more pictures of the calendar in The Tinker’s Packs.

We’ll be adding new items to the store throughout the fundraiser, so keep an eye on the blog. If you’re worried you might miss some of the coolness, you can follow the Tinker’s Packs on Twitter and Facebook. We’ll post updates there whenever something new happens.

  • Option 3: Auctions.

Sometimes we get donations that are really cool…. but only for a select group of people. Some people would squee with delight at winning a portal gun, but other people, (sad, unhappy people) have never played Portal, and just don’t care.

The same thing is true with action figures, musical instruments, manuscripts, or other collectables.

So we put those things up for auction.

We have professionals willing to read and critique your manuscripts. We have signed art and rare books. We have the chance to win cameo appearances in comics and get your name into upcoming books.

We auction these things off as well.

All our current auctions are over on the Worldbuilders eBay page. Keep an eye on it. We’ll be adding stuff all the time.

  • NEW THIS YEAR – Option 4: A Partnership with Powells.

We show off a lot of books during the fundraiser, and over the years I’ve heard many people mention they do a their holiday shopping based off the books they see here. Or, if you’re like me, you use Worldbuilders to add to your ever-expanding must-read shelf.

So this year we’re doing something new.

If you see a book in this year’s fundraiser, and think to yourself, “I’ve got to have a copy of that….” you can follow this link, buy it from Powells, and they will donate 7.5% of the sale directly to Worldbuilders.

This applies to *anything* you buy from Powells. Not just books we’re featuring in the fundraiser. If you follow that link and buy stuff, not only are you supporting one of the coolest independent bookstores around, but a hefty piece of that money will go to making the world a better place.

You can also find the link in the navigation widget at the end of each of the blogs:

Look at that, all fancy and clickable.

Important Links and Contact Information

We’ve tweaked our website, since last year. And Worldbuilders also has a Facebook page and a Twitter account for those of you who like to have the internet injected directly into their veins.

If you have a question that isn’t answered here, you could check out our handy FAQ.

Need to contact The Tinker’s Packs? You can e-mail them here: orders [at] thetinkerspacks.com

Want to donate something to Worldbuilders? Help us spread the word? Do a stretch goal? Drop us a line here: donations [at] worldbuilders.org.

All right folks. Are you ready? I’m so ready.

Let’s do this thing.

pat

P.S. Just in case you missed it, here’s one more link to our Team Heifer donation page.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2014 | By Pat27 Responses
Published: December 2, 2011

Worldbuilders 2011

(Edit: Are you looking for the current Worldbuilders fundraiser? If so, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place.

Click here for the current fundraiser.)

What’s that you say? You want to make the world a better place while simultaneously winning fabulous prizes?

Well today is your lucky day.

Heifer International is my favorite charity. It helps people raise themselves up out of poverty and starvation. All over the world Heifer promotes education, sustainable agriculture, and local industry.

They don’t just keep kids from starving, they make it so families can take care of themselves. They give goats, sheep, and chickens to families so their children have milk to drink, warm clothes to wear, and eggs to eat.

(Are you ready? I’m so ready. Let’s do it.)

This year we’ve got a couple different options for donating.

Option 1: The Lottery.

This is the option most people will want. It’s simple. You hop directly over to the page I’ve set up on Team Heifer, and donate.

When you donate on that page, two things happen.

1. Worldbuilders will match 50% of your donation. That means your ten-dollar donation becomes fifteen dollars. If you donate two goats, it becomes three goats. And so on.

2. You’ll be entered in the lottery.

After the fundraiser is over on February 7th, we’ll have a random drawing for all the swag that’s been donated. More than a thousand books, comics, DVD’s and other cool miscellany.

For every 10 bucks you donate, your name will get entered into the drawing once. If you donate thirty bucks, your name goes in three times. Think of it as buying tickets, if you like.

We’ve had *way* too many books donated for me to post them all up at once. So I’ll be putting up a blog full of donated books every few days, just to keep people from being overwhelmed with all the awesome.

Make sure to check back often to see the new cool.

Last year, readers and geeks of all creeds and nations donated over $190,000. It was a stunning display of generosity and goodwill.

Still, I think we can do even better this year.

But rather than set our goal too high, here’s what I’m going to do.

I’m going to set our initial donation goal at $50,000. As soon as we meet that goal, I’ll personally add a blog full of new stuff to the lottery. Then I’ll raise the bar to $100,000. We’ll repeat this in $50,000 increments until I am penniless, living on the street. Or until the end of the fundraiser on February 7th.

Link to the donation page is HERE.

Option 2: The Sure Thing.

Or, as I like to think of it, the Christmas Present Option.

For those of you who aren’t interested in the lottery, we have some stuff you can just buy.

Our store, lovingly named The Tinker’s Packs, has posters, signed books, and other delicious miscellany available for purchase. All proceeds go to Worldbuilders, of course.

Last year, we printed up some t-shirts and were amazed at how much people liked them.

So this year, we’re adding something new to the mix. In keeping with our bookish theme, we’ve teamed up with artist Lee Moyer to produce a pin-up calendar with a literary theme.

Here’s the picture for May:

You can read the blog I wrote about the calendar or head over and buy it on the store.

We’ll be posting new stuff in the store over the next couple months. So stay tuned….

Option 3: Auctions.

Last year we did a few auctions and they seemed to work out pretty well. So this year we’re continuing in that fine tradition, auctioning off some of the rarer and more specialized services people have donated.

This year we have professionals who are willing to read and critique your manuscripts. We have signed art and rare books. We have the chance to win guest appearances in comics and get your name into upcoming books.

Stay tuned, as we’ll be adding new auctions all the time.

For a full listing of all current Worldbuilders auctions, you can CLICK HERE.

A Plea For Sanity

Lastly, I’d like to ask everyone to please read the instructions/directions carefully before they donate.

I know you’re excited. I’m excited too. We’re going to raise some money, make the world a better place, and end up with big warm fuzzy feelings.

But here’s the problem. If you’re *too* excited, you’ll end up clicking buttons all higgledy-piggledy, forgetting vital steps and leaving things out. (Especially when buying things with Paypal) Then you’ll send me an e-mail that says something like: “I’m sorry, but I forgot to include my shipping address/t-shirt size/signing instructions. Could you please fix it for me?”

I know I’m bound to get one or two e-mails like this. No biggie. But each one is like a cold drop of water eroding my warm fuzzy feeling. If I get, say, a hundred of these e-mails, I’ll have no warm fuzzy left at all. I’ll be left with nothing but a cold prickly feeling.

You don’t want to give me a cold prickly, do you?

I’m sure you don’t. And I’m sure that you’ll read the instructions carefully.

FAQ.

Have questions? Most of them are probably answered over in the FAQ. (Even if your question isn’t answered, I talk about Batman a bit, so it won’t be a complete waste of your time.)

Lastly, just in case you missed it, here’s one more link to our Team Heifer donation page.

Let’s do this thing.

pat

Posted in calling on the legions, The Tinker's Packs, Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat41 Responses
Published: December 1, 2009

Personalized books for sale

[This is a blog about the Worldbuilder’s fundraiser. If you don’t know what that is, you can get the details HERE.]

Over the last couple months, people have been contacting me, asking if I’m still signing books like I mentioned in my blog from long ago.

The simple answer is, “yes.” You mail me the book, something cool, and a check for return postage, and I’ll sign your book.

But for the Worldbuilders fundraiser, I’m streamlining the process. Rather than having you pay shipping both ways, you can just buy a book, I’ll sign it however you like, then I’ll ship it back to you. Hopefully in time for Christmas.

I can inscribe any of the following books however you like and mail them off to you.

These are anywhere from the second printing to the 6th printing. All of them have the cool new blue cover. Signed however you like.

  • Your College Survival Guide.

This book was my first publication, and it’s a shameful piece of my sordid past. It’s a collection of of humor columns I wrote for the college paper between 1999 and 2003. Columns dealt with pressing philosophical issues such as the fast zombies/slow zombies debate as well as everyday problems like how to bribe your professor or start a career as a prostitute.

The book is full of illustrations by BJ Hiorns, the same guy that illustrates my blog. It also contains annotations where I explain how some columns got written, the lies I told, and what sort of trouble various jokes got me into

Only 500 copies were printed, so the Guide is hard to come by these days. Collectors sell them for as much as 200 bucks. Myself, I think it’s perfect for reading on the toilet.

  • First edition copies of the Name of the Wind. [SOLD OUT]

I’ve got about 20 of these. Some with the green man cover (above) some with the Fabio, and some that have been re-covered with the blue jackets. You wouldn’t believe what some people are charging for these things out there.

I can sign this however you like, but make sure to specify in your order which cover you’d like.

Edit: As of December 3rd, I’ve run out of the first editions. They went WAY more quickly than I’d ever guessed. If I can find some more, I’ll put them up here again. But for now we’re sold out. Sorry.

If you mailed in your order, and it’s postmarked on the 3rd or earlier, I’ll should have enough books to cover your order. But if your mailed-in order has a later postmark than that, we’ll contact you contact you and see what you’d like done with your check.

  • Tales of Dark Fantasy.

This is the Subterranean Press anthology that printed my short story, “The Road to Levinshir,” which is an excerpt from The Wise Man’s Fear.

It’s a beautiful hardcover book with stories by folks like Tim Powers and Kage Baker. The cover price was $40, and that was back before it went out of print. Now it’s hard to find one for less than 80 bucks.

  • Original galley proofs of The Name of the Wind.

A galley is an early version of a book that publishers occasionally print to promote a book. This version of The Name of the Wind came before the final edits, so there are about 5000 small changes I made before publication, as well as two chapters that I re-wrote almost entirely.

There weren’t that many of these printed, and I have a handful that I kept for sentimental reasons. The last one of them I saw on e-bay was going for over a hundred dollars, and that was a year ago. The few signed ones out there are going for more than that…

  • Please be aware that I have limited copies of these. So they might sell out kinda fast depending on how many people are interested.

For the most part, prices for the books are double what they cost me, plus a little for packaging. I can get a 6th edition hardcover for 20 bucks, so they’re up there for 45. Tales of Dark Fantasy is out of print, and would cost me 50 bucks off Amazon, so they’re going for 105….

The reason for this is that it’s in keeping with the fundraiser matching donations. If someone buys a book from me for 20 dollars and then I donate the money. They really haven’t donated. They just bought a book. Follow me?

And remember, all the money goes to Heifer.

* Signed hardcover – $45

* Signed copy of Your College Survival Guide – $85

* Signed copy of Tales of Dark Fantasy – $105

* Signed First Edition Hardcover – $145 [Sold out.]

* Signed galley proof – $255

You can pay one of two ways:

  • By Mail:

1. Write the following information on a 3 x 5 note card:

A) Which item you want.

B) EXACTLY what you’d like me to write in the book.

I have no problem personalizing books, but please be specific about what you’d like. Asking for a quote from Bast is fine. Asking me to wish someone luck in their own writing is fine. “Happy Birthday Schmendrick.” “To the best lover I’ve ever had.” It’s all good.

But if your card says, “write whatever you want.” I will write, “Whatever you want” in the book. Seriously.

C) Your return address.

D) Contact information. Either a phone number or an e-mail address where you can be reached.

2. Include a check. Make it out to me because I’ll be using a couple bucks from each one to cover postage before I make the lump donation to Heifer at the end of the fundraiser.

3. Mail the note card and the check to:

Pat Rothfuss
P.O. Box 186
Stevens Point, WI 54481

Rules for International orders:

If you live outside the US and want to buy a book, the rules are a little different. International shipping is expensive, and you need to fill out your check a certain way or my bank won’t cash it.

It costs me about $25 dollars to ship a book internationally. Every additional book in the same package adds $10 to the cost of shipping.

So here’s what you do:

1) Add the extra 25 dollars (or more, if you have more books) to the prices I’ve listed above.

2) Add three bucks to cover the fee that the bank is going to charge me to cash your check.

3) Convert it into your local currency. (euros, pounds, rupees, whatever)

4) Write me a check using your local currency. (This is important. Don’t write me a check in dollars if that isn’t what they use where you live.)

5) Mail it off to me with the other information I’ve asked for written on a notecard.

  • By Paypal

You can pay online with paypal. But make sure you include your contact information and detailed signing instructions with your order.

Note: When you pay on paypal. Make sure you include how you want me to sign the book BEFORE YOU COMPLETE YOUR TRANSACTION. Seriously. Look around, find the little area where you can add extra instructions and put your signing instructions in there.

Edit: Please visit us at The Tinker’s Packs to buy signed books online.

That’s all we’ve got for now, folks. Hopefully before too long we’ll have t-shirts and posters for sale too. Keep an eye on the blog.

Want to go back to main page for Worldbuilders? Click HERE.

As always, special thanks to our sponsor, Subterranean Press.

(All Hail Subterranean Press!)

Posted in signing books, Subterranean Press, Worldbuilders 2009 | By Pat25 Responses
Published: December 22, 2008

Reaping the Whirlwind

First, I’d like everyone to take a moment and appreciate the clever title of this post. I’m unreasonably proud of it.

We good? Okay.

After a long week, Sarah and I have finally managed to tie up about 99% of the loose ends on the fundraiser. We’ve drawn numbers, sorted prizes, sent e-mails, and packaged nearly everything up.

And when I saw “we,” I mean “Sarah.” I did a lot of the sifting, number juggling, and e-mailing, but Sarah was the package queen.

Awww…. She loves those packages. Those hundreds and hundreds of packages.

Also, as you can see in the lower lefthand corner, the holy light these prizes exude can shine through cardboard, tape, and two layers of bubble wrap. It’s powerful stuff.

I’d also like to note that these packages do not include the Subterranean Press books. Because not only was Subterranean Press cool enough to donate a great pile of stuff, they were nice enough to handle all the shipping for those books too. Which is why I am filled with love for them.

And speaking of love….

Here Sarah is modeling the catgirl hat many of you have seen before. I wanted to prove that I actually did buy it for her, and wasn’t secretly keeping it for myself.

Simply said, the fundraiser would have been impossible without Sarah. She spent dozens of hours bundling up books, running errands, and generally getting everything done. Hell, the trip to the post office alone took two full hours, and that was with a friend with a van helping.

Everyone say, “Thank you Sarah.”

And now, answers to some final questions.

  • Things went really crazy right at the end of the fundraiser. What happened?

Things did go a little crazy. On December 9th, I mentioned on the blog that I thought we had a decent chance of breaking $40,000. Then, we raised over $16,000 in the next two days, tearing past $50,000 and leaving me worried that I was going to have to take out a loan so I could cover my half.

A big piece of this was brought about by folks spreading the word on their blogs. Most notably, Neil Gaiman.

I’d heard through the grapevine that Gaiman was a bit of a Heifer supporter, so I sent him a little e-mail, asking if he’d be interested in mentioning it on his blog.

I should have realized that asking for something like this would be like sticking my tongue into…. well… into anything, really. In my experience, whenever you stick your tongue into something, the outcome is going to be either very exciting, very dangerous, or both.

This was one of those “both” situations. After his blog, Gaiman’s readers flooded over to participate in the festivities. Felicia Day mentioned it on her blog too. Plus, I know a lot of folks were finishing their own personal fundraisers and/or waiting until the very end to make their donations. Hence the crazy.

Rest assured, everyone who got their donations in by the 11th was entered into the lottery.

And yes, I’m all twitterpated that Gaiman referred to me as a “good author.” Though I hope at least some of that was referring to my storytelling as opposed to my ethics.

  • The donations hit nearly $55,000. How much are you matching?

The other day I asked Sarah, “What do you want for Christmas?”

“Nothing you can afford to get me,” she said huffily.

And we laugh. This has become the running joke in our house.

I’ve decided to match all the donations. I could have stopped at forty thousand, but I said I’d keep matching until the 11th, and I like to keep my promises.

  • What was the final total?

If you’ve read the blog that started it all, you know I offered two options to people who wanted to donate. There was the Sure Thing option, and the Lottery option.

A surprising number of people chose the Sure Thing, which meant they mailed me a check and I mailed them something back, usually a book or a map signed however they wanted it.

(Click to Embiggen)

A *lot* of people chose this option. So many that I ran out of first edition books. The total amount raised from the Sure Thing option was over six thousand dollars.

That, plus my matching donation from the lottery, minus the cost of postage and packaging materials, brings us to $58,493.14

I’m showing you the check not as proof that I’m mailing it, but because it took me ten friggin minutes to write this thing out. I screwed up five checks before I managed to get it right. I misspelled “ninty,” wrote the wrong amount, wrote the wrong year, and failed more than once to get the total to fit on the line.

I keep pretending that I’m a grown-up, but I’m not.

Anyway, this money, plus the donations that were made directly to the Heifer page, makes a grand total of $113,466.28.

I don’t have words enough to express how happy this makes me. I firmly believe that deep down, people are fundamentally good. But it’s nice to have some data that backs that sentiment up every once in a while.

I’d like to thank all the authors who donated books, all the people who mentioned the fundraiser on their blogs, and all the people who donated money to the cause. Yay us.

  • Are you planning on doing this again next year?

Yes. But I’m planning on doing some things differently.

More stuff. A lot of people wanted to contribute books or other goodies to this year’s auction, but they didn’t hear about the fundraiser until it was nearly finished. I’ve already got stuff piling up for next year’s fundraiser.

Streamlined lottery. Next year, when you make your donation you’ll be able to mark what prizes you’re interested in. That way if you win something, it will be something you’re sure to like.

Auctions. Some prizes are really cool, but only to a very select group of people. So next year we’re going to auction those items off separately. These might be things like manuscripts. Or they might be services, like an author agreeing to insert your name into an upcoming book, a lawyer offering legal consultation, or feedback on a manuscript from a literary agent.

  • I want to be a part of next year’s fundraiser. How can I help?

Donate. Want to chip in a signed book or two? Lovely. Have a cool collectible or unique skill you think would be a worthwhile addition? Wonderful. I’m already collecting prizes for next year. Send them along.

Or maybe you’d like to be an even bigger part of the fundraiser? I’m going to be looking for official sponsors to help me match donations for next year. I’d like to be able to do all of it on my own again, but I just can’t afford it.

If you’d like to help out, drop me a line on my contact form or send an e-mail to Paperback.contest (squiggly at thinger) gmail.com.

Spread the word. Not everyone has signed books to donate or money to throw around. But you can help a lot by letting people know about the fundraiser. A lot of the prizes I received came from authors who contacted me, saying, “A fan sent me an e-mail about your fundraiser and I’d love to be a part of it.” So if you know someone that might be interested in helping, donating a prize, or potentially being a sponsor, talk to them about it. It’s a big help.

Help me come up with a name. We *really* need a name, folks. We can’t keep calling it “The Heifer Fundraiser.” It lacks panache. Names are important things, you know. And they can tell you a lot about a fundraiser.

Right now, the best I’ve been able to come up with is “Worldbuilders.” But we need something catchier than that. I know that a lot of you are word-clever, as shown by your constant, witty definitions of the word verification giberish. Funnel the churning magma of your creativity toward this problem and I’m sure we can come up with something good.

In fact, let’s try to get the ball rolling in the comments below. Serious suggestions only please. Believe me, I’ve come up with enough sarcastic-sounding ones on my own…. (Geeks for Goats being the least lame of these.)

Thanks again everyone,

pat

Posted in baby ducks, Catgirl, cool things, Heifer International, Neil Gaiman, Sarah, Worldbuilders 2008 | By Pat75 Responses
Published: November 26, 2008

Still even more prizes.

Well everyone, through liberal application of garlic, Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, and season 3 of Angel, I am miraculously healed.

Even better, I have more prizes for the Heifer Fundraiser. A whole stack of them. Let’s get to it….

  • Two copies of Drew C. Bowling’s The Tower of Shadows, book one of the Tides of Fate series. Signed by the author.

Drew was nice enough to donate two of his hardcovers to the cause. Terry Brooks describes this book as, “A fast-paced, exciting adventure that doesn’t allow you to take a breath.” Though personally, I’m guessing it will let you take at least a little breath here and there. Otherwise, you’d die.
  • A copy of New York Times #1 bestseller Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, by Sean Williams. Signed by the Author.
Another lovely hardcover, signed by the author. Sean Williams is a prince, not just for donating the book, but also for mailing it all the way from the hinterlands of Australia to the hinterlands of central Wisconsin.

According to the ABC Brisbane,

The Force Unleashed is “an action packed novel set during the previously unexplored ‘dark times’ between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope.”

I’ve talked about David before in a previous blog, describing how he saved my life. So I won’t re-gush here. Instead I’ll just repeat what Lisa Tuttle says in her review of Acacia for The Times (London)

“David Anthony Durham has won acclaim for his historical novels, and brings his knowledge of the past and other cultures to create a rich and compelling world on his first foray into fantasy. His skillful storytelling, depth of characterisation, and an ability to unsettle reader expectations is reminiscent of George R.R. Martin, but his is a distinctive new voice.”

  • Gregory Frost’s two book adventure, Shadow Bridge and Lord Tophet. Signed by the author.
Fantasy Bookspot says, “The most amazing aspect of the novel may be its constraint. There is a real story. Frost can go anywhere, along the bridges of a multiverse, and he seemingly does, but it all spirals back, every step is relevant, even if we don’t know it as a fact when we whimsically take it.”

  • A copy of Hart & Boot & Other Stories by Tim Pratt. Signed by the author.
This collection of stories was nominated for a World Fantasy Award. What’s more, Jay Lake raves about the book, saying, “Tim Pratt is in the vanguard of the next generation of master American fantasists. His delightfully loopy vision, lateral thinking and exquisite sense of style combine to provide fiction which infuses the reader like a fine Napa Valley wine, leaving behind aftershocks that go on for days, weeks, even months.”
 
  • A copy of Pandora’s Closet. Donated and signed by Kelly Swails.
 
This anthology contains nineteen original tales by authors such as Timothy Zahn, A. M. Strout, and Michael Stackpole.

When Pandora’s Box was opened, so the ancient tale goes, all the evils that would beset humanity were released into the world. When the box was all but empty, the only thing that remained was hope. Now some of fantasy’s finest writers have taken on the task of opening Pandora’s closet. It is naturally chock full of an assortment of items, including a ring that can bring its wearer infinite health, a special helmet found in the most unlikely of places, a mysterious box that holds a legendary piece of cloth, and a red hoodie that transforms a woman’s world.

  • One each of The Blue Kingdom anthologies. Donated and signed by Kelly Swails.

A set of all three anthologies in the Blue Kingdom series: Pirates of the Blue Kingdom, Shades and Specters, and Buxom Buccaneers. Tales of swashbucklers and spooks in a world of waters.  

  • A copy of The Golden Cord, book one of the Iron Dragon Series by Paul Genesse. Signed by the author.



Voya Magazine says the following about The Golden Cord: “The plot is well constructed, the characters are wonderful, and the middle-ages setting creates an ominous feel. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager for more. The Golden Cord is a rich and compelling fantasy full of adventure, danger, dragons, battles, revenge, magic, and more.”

  • A signed, limited edition copy of Spectra Pulse magazine.

This lovely collectible was donated by Alex Bledsoe, author of the upcoming novel Blood Groove.

This premiere issue of Spectra Pulse magazine comes with a letter of authenticity and is signed by amazing SciFi authors George R.R. Martin, Jeff VanderMeer, Elizabeth Bear, and Catherynne M. Valente.

Want more? It includes an except from George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons, the next book of the Song of Ice and Fire series.

  • A full set of E.E. Knight’s Age of Fire books, Dragon Champion, Dragon Avenger, Dragon Outcast, and Dragon Strike.


Eric was nice enough to send along these four lovely trade paperbacks that we’ll be giving away as a set. Publisher’s weekly says, “Knight turns the familiar features of epic fantasy upside down in this unique world of medieval politics and ancient magic seen through the eyes of dragons.”

That’s the latest batch of goodies, folks. But it won’t be the last. We’ve got more books coming in every day. So stay tuned, and tell your friends.

If you want all the details about how the fundraiser works, and how you can win some of these cool books, you can find all the information OVER HERE. Personally, I’m hoping we can push all the way past 30,000.

For those of you who celebrate it, have a lovely Thanksgiving.

For those of you who don’t, have a lovely Thursday.

pat

Posted in cool things, Worldbuilders 2008 | By Pat11 Responses

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