The Way of the Cycling Disciple: Publication & e-Book Sampler
Every once in a while, you stumble across a quote that changes your outlook on how you approach life. Of course, this requires that one does a good deal of “reading”, which is a problem for me, as reading anything that isn’t Cycling-related feels the same as doing “work”. I do the odd bit of it nevertheless, and in a recent such episode, I encountered a quote by Tommy Edison, inventer of several handy contraptions, including the lightbulb and motion picture:
Vision without execution is hallucination.
This brilliantly points out the fact that merely having an idea is nothing without the conversion of that idea into a tangible result. That, of course, is the elusive and difficult bit, but it is also the fun bit. Taking an idea from concept to reality is one of the most exciting and rewarding things a person can do.
It was about this time last year that James Spackman approached me via email and suggested we put a proposal together to do a book on The Rules. We loved the notion of this, and the Keepers set about putting a concept around this abstract notion, and a plan for how we might accomplish it. James provided feedback and guidance on how best to frame the concept, and led us through the proposal process. The proposal was approved, they made us an offer, we signed a contract, and turned around to stare down the business end of 70,000 unwritten words. Little by litte, we chipped away at it, and today, I am very happy to announce that the book has gone from concept to manuscript to editing to printing. What you see here are photographs of the actual book, printed and ready for sale on June 20, 2013. A free eBook Sampler with extracts from the book will be available free from June 6 to June 19. (Incidentally, the book will initially be published in the UK and Commonwealth countries; the US release of the book is expected in the Spring of 2014 through our US Publisher, WW Norton.)
The Rules stands apart from many blog-to-book concepts, where a book is little more than a re-publication of the blog’s archives. It was important to us that if people are paying for a book, that they are getting something they haven’t already read for free online. We also wanted to take advantage of the wonderful experience one has when reading a book; the sound and feel of a hard cover, the texture of quality paper, the creaking of the spine as you turn the pages, and the smell of the whole package.
The format of the book is very different from how The Rules are presented on Velominati. The book is organized into V sections, with each of The Rules aligned into one of them. The sections all have an introduction, and for every Rule, a passage has been written that either provides history or in some other way justifies the Rule, or provides an anecdote from our various lives as Velominati that might provide insight into why that particular Rule is in existence. The entire text is framed with a Prologue and Finale and topped off with an introduction by my personal Cycling Writer Hero, Will Fotheringham. With the exception of a paragraph here or there that was borrowed from our archives, the entire book is comprised of new material.
It gives us tremendous pleasure to see this project come to life as a real, tangible book. Special thanks to Sceptre Books for taking a chance on us. Words can’t describe our appreciation of our editor, Drummond Moir, who was the most incredibly patient man and guided us expertly through the process of write a great book. (Sorry for having accused you of being English, mate.) Thanks to Nikki Barrow, our publicist in the UK; keep your ears on the papers, radio and television waves as the fruits of her labors come to light. Finally, thanks to the Community for making this such a fun place that someone might want to do a book in the first place, and for tolerating our dull writing on account of all our creative powers having been drained into the book. I also suppose this means that the V Keepers should start considering themselves writers or, worse, authors. Strange to say the least, especially since I have always considered myself a software developer.
Keep your eye on the Sceptre Facebook and Twitter for the latest, and everyone rush to your nearest bookseller on June 20 to pick up your copy.
Amazon:
The Rules: The Way of the Cycling Disciple
Obey the Rules: A Free Extract (eBook)
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@Sauterelle
I think that is his hospital ID tag, they only let him out for the day.
@strathlubnaig
Great, thanks. Nice name. (while reading that it refers to a body of water, I couldn’t help being reminded of that town in Wales with the crazy long name – Llanfairpwwll… etcetera. Part of that name means something along the lines of ‘fierce whirlpool’ or similar, if I remember correctly.) Wonderful language, Gaelic.
@frank
I must have a dud copy, I’ve put on a kilogram or two since I got it.
I have had “The Tome” 2 days and with the addition of Rule #92 it is already out of date…..I demand a reprint!
@Chris
I’m Chris, and so is my wife…
@meursault
Maybe you’re more confused than I am (which is quite an achievement in itself) but your name is Simon, isn’t it?
@frank – weight loss driven chiefly by riding my fucking bike with some added stress from @MrsEngine and the Enginettes to keep me honest. Book did account for part of the loss in body mass as I was unable to at whilst reading it.
@Chris – my cycling habit has impoverished the tribe so much that we are now reduced to scavenging bird poop from salvaged roofing materials – this also accounts for the weight loss. If I had eaten the book I would also have put weight on.
@Sauterelle – that is an identity tag as earlier in the day I had been doing this with @upthetrossachs – basically riding my fucking bike – which is what I believe its all about
@ErikDr – also gives a better view of the wingy things and the name of our mighty club.
@the Engine you Scots been taking some short length recommendations from COTHO? Straying on the long side of the Goldilocks principal there…
@Chris
Busted! I is indeed Simon, and yes, I am in touch with my feminine side, but not crossing over to it (yet).
@Mikael Liddy
Mine are club issue so there’s not much I can do unless I visit a tailor – I’m not sure what @upthetrossach’s excuse is though
@the Engine
Maybe you are both descendants of a rare breed of short-legged Scottish hobbits, so that standard-issue bib shorts look disproportionally long on the BFG’s? (But you wouldn’t think so, judging from the length of that head tube on your bike…)
But seriously: Nice Picture – looks like liberal sprinklings of V are being dispensed there.
@the Engine
Wait, you mean you’ve had TWO sunny days in Scotland this year? (This one and the Cogal) Hells bells, must be a lot of wee lassies running around with 3r degree burns after exposing their lily-white flesh to the sun. I think if you get three sunny days you’ve officially had a summer, right?
@ErikdR
Talking of hobbits – as I may have mentioned elsewhere, I’m still having nightmares about being chased down the road by Dobby……
@UptheTrossachs
Hmm, yes; I see what you’re getting at, I think. Someone apparently gave the house-elf behind you a sock (whether voluntarily or not, is still to be debated) and now the creature is FREE. Oh my….
@wiscot
For what it’s worth: the first serious cycling holiday of my life (three weeks), took place in Northern England and Scotland. (We’re talking the late seventies here, so it’s quite possible that the sun was in a different quadrant of the Milky Way, or something) – but nevertheless: in splendid defiance of what EVERYBODY had been telling us in advance about the weather in Scotland being terrible at all times, we experienced a week-and-a-half of beautiful sunshine and only one or two mild showers. And that being the case, I honestly don’t think I have ever cycled through landscapes as magnificent as the ones offered by Bonny Caledonia. It is truly breathtaking up there – and highly recommendable
There’s now at least 2 copies of THE RULES in Northern California.
When I typed “The Rules” in Google, this is what came up:
“Why Men Love Bitches”
“He’s Just Not That Into You”
“Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man”
…and other such drivel! ACK!!!
I was delighted to find my copy in the mail upon arriving home. With extra noisy children running about, I’ll mount my new ‘cross tyres (father’s day presents) this afternoon and read in a quiet house this evening.
Thank you to the keepers.
Vive la Vie Velominatus
Ride then read.
My book arrived today! All the way to Toronto in just 5 days! It’s just terrific…my only regret is that I didn’t order two more copies…I have a couple of friends that could use a little push in the right direction!
@ErikdR
Tis truly a bonny place. I lived there for 27 years before relocating stateside. We used to have time trials that ran up the side of Loch Lomond and another (the Tour of the Trossachs) that started in Aberfoyle and went up the Duke’s Pass to Callendar then back over the Braes of Greenock to Aberfoyle. Stunning scenery. The Trossachs TT was a real tough ride. Low 40kms I think. Nary a bit of flat road on the whole thing with some killer climbs. The Loch Lomond TTs were twisty and gently undulating. Not a course for a fast time.
The result of believing your VMH when she says “fine” when you say you’re going out on your bike
@the Engine @Mrs Engine seems to be a very switched on member of the community, are you sure it wasn’t that she’s deeply embarrassed by the number of spacers your sporting?
@wiscot
The Trossachs Mountain TT is still going annually in the Fall. A lot of the greats won it, including our very own Robert Millar (78) and Obree (90). It started back in 1943. It certainly has a couple tough ascents on it.
Waterstone’s stock The Rules in the UK – or at least the Chichester branch do. There is no excuse!
I don’t know who Boris Johnson is, or what the Conservative Party represents in the UK (I’m an American, Merckxdamnit, not a Doctor!) or even what FW Magazine is, but the cover photo of the last issue featured him being all Casually Deliberate with a copy of The Rules on his desk. It makes my head bleed trying to understand what it going on here.
Story at FT.com.
@frank
I’ve just had a trouser accident…
@frank I think he’s some fucking pom politician.
@the Engine, @frank, @Nate – He is the Mayor of London and a true character. The Libs despise him and the Conservatives tolerate him. He can be hysterical and the fact that he has the Rules on his desk is a PR coup. I am sure that some of the Brit Velominati will have a more colorful description of Mayor Johnson. And; yes, he qualifies as some fucking pom politician. The FT Weekend Magazine is the magazine that comes in the weekend edition of the FInancial Times – the Brit equivalent of the Wall Street Journal.
@frank
Boris Johnson is the Boris of Boris Bike fame. He’s also the Mayor of London,
@Nate
Indeed he is – however the kid has a certain popularity with the people of London
It’s likely that he hasn’t taken on board all of the rules yet, this was him at the recent Ride London event that preceded the pro race
Credit should be given for the fact that he rode the 160km course. If you’re going to ride with the #1 dossard, you’ve got to go the distance.
@Chris – That helmet $29.99; this picture – priceless!
So which one of you planted that book on Mr. Johnson’s desk? He clearly hasn’t had time to read it yet.
We are officially releasing the book in the US in the Spring of 2014! Get psyched!
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/spring2014/
Officially psyched!
Damn, that Boris ad and the WW Norton notice, what a world, what a world.
Somehow I missed the Boris thread… that is fucking awesome. I don’t quite know how to explain it to you, but if you asked the average Brit to name 10 famous cyclists Boris would probably be in there.
He has raised the profile of cycling more than any other politician in living memory, as he brought in the London hire-bike scheme, supports mass cycling events and expansion of cycling facilities, regularly cycles himself and defends the right to do so without a helmet, for which he has earned my undying admiration.
Boris is an incredibly bright, well-educated and intellectual guy who affects a classic British upper-class eccentric daftness with a disarming charm and frankness, and people find the combination quite appealing.
A little story to illustrate… some reporters recently did the old trick of asking politicians “How much is a loaf of bread” sort of thing, to see if they were out of touch with the common people.
Our tosser of a Prime Minister (from much the same privileged background as Boris) got all flustered and started spouting about how he didn’t know because he had a bread-maker and baked his own bread.
Boris on the other hand basically told them to stop being utterly ridiculous because he was the Mayor of London and did anyone think he bought his own bread/milk or whatever.
Guess who got more kudos for their response.
@Chris
The next shot could have been interesting as Arnie appears to be about to grab a fistfull of what he probably thinks is rear brake……
The US Amazon pre-order link is up already – looks great!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rules-Way-Cycling-Disciple/dp/0393242196/
Got my copy Monday and have read each night, so far it has totally changed my view of the Velomanati. I admit to developing a mental picture about la Vie from the idiots using references to “The Rules” in fora, I was wrong in total. This is actually well reasoned and responsible thoughts, keep the tongue in cheek presentation in mind and it comes together for you. It is a pleasure so far and, I suspect will continue to be. Thanks for the enlightenment, sincerely.
Be it known that Cafe Roubaix Bicycle Studio will soon have The Rules in stock.
That is all.
Maybe the question has already been posed but why can’t I purchase the kindle version?? I’m in America and looks like it’s only available in the UK?