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| Preview of upcoming book... click the photo to enlarge! |
I've always wanted to write a book, and this is my version of a "vanity publication" on ball-jointed dolls, one of the many types of dolls in my eclectic collection. I just needed the perfect topic, and this is it.
My objective is to educate the reader in the history and anatomy of the ball-jointed doll, and assist him or her how to choose and purchase a BJD, how to provide its maintenance and care (with project ideas and photo tutorials), how to get connected to the blossoming community of global ball-jointed doll collectors, and provide a photo gallery with this full color book.
It's edited by Melissa Metheney, featuring dolls by Peak's Woods and fashions by JennyGrey and DollHeart (and company permission granted). It will be self-published, and available for sale from this website and directly from Amazon.com, plus I hope to get a few doll dealers interested in carrying it as well.
Here is the working table of contents:
Ball-Jointed Dolls for Beginners
What is a BJD?
A brief history of the BJD
My take on the Resin versus Vinyl debate
Notes about sizes of the BJD
Commonly used terms and abbreviations
The anatomy of the BJD purchase
How collecting ball-jointed dolls is different from other collections
A few words of caution
How to choose your BJD
Aesthetics: what’s important to you
Pricing and quality
Themes and customization
How to buy your BJD
To consider before your purchase
In person - at shows, meets and stores
Online
On the secondary market
How to care for your BJD
Supplies you will need
Regular maintenance
Basic customizing
Restringing
Enhancing projects
Joining the BJD Community
Netiquette
Getting connected online
Joining or creating a BJD meet-up in your area
Conventions
BJD sources
Index
My goal is to have it ready to ship by the end of June. I will be attending IFDC, and hopefully will have some for sale at that point as well. I'll keep you posted!
Another person I know is now a published author. ACK!! I am so jealous!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, congratulations, I hope it's a big seller!!!!
No, it's not hard if you publish yourself. If you have something to write, it's about free now. Well, $100 if you want an ISBN number and if you want to get paid. And if you don't give all your books away. ;)
ReplyDeleteISBN numbers are good things. Makes your book easier to find in a search if the database is dumb. Helped me SOO much when I was working in a bookstore!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to a book on BJDs!
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how excited I am for this book, and for you, Alison!
ReplyDeleteI've loved the tutorials on this site about restringing, changing eyes, etc. but I'm even more excited to have the book open in front of me while I work on my BJDs.
Plus, since my clothes will be in it, it just might be the present I give to all my friends and family for Christmas, whether or not they've ever even heard of BJDs!
I'll be buying a couple as soon as they're available!
My congratulations! I would just LOVE to announce this book on my website as the BJD lovers community in Russia is enormous.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that such books appear. The list of highlighted topics makes me think you did a fantastic job. I will gladly purchase your book for myself, as I have no special BJD literature in my doll library yet and this book seems to be right what I needed!
How much (approximately) will it cost?
I'm working on the costs so far. That's the one problem with self-publishing. I'm hoping to do two versions: a smaller pocket version and a larger 8.5x11 version.
ReplyDeleteThe larger version will run around $30, and I'm trying to make a smaller version that is more affordable. And also, I'm hoping to do an interactive iBook (electronic version) as well. :) I'll keep you posted!