Excellent New Book/Guide for WDW

[momto2inKC]

I just reserved this at Borders, I can't wait to pick it up tomorrow

 

[luvthemouse71]

I bought this last week! You beat me to the review...this book is great. It's very funny and has info as well. I believe the author is from Boston so it was funny to see a fellow New Englander's point of view.*Update* oops..he's from New Hampshire. Still New England though..I laughed out loud a few times while reading this..especially at the mention of Dunkin' Donuts..I live on their iced coffee in the spring and summer.

I think it's more suited to those who have been to WDW and who are addicted but it's an awesome book.

 

[mickeyholic]

I can tell that I am going to have to pickup a copy next time I am in Barnes and Noble.

 

[ChefBilly]

I bought this last week! You beat me to the review...this book is great. It's very funny and has info as well. I believe the author is from Boston so it was funny to see a fellow New Englander's point of view.*Update* oops..he's from New Hampshire. Still New England though..I laughed out loud a few times while reading this..especially at the mention of Dunkin' Donuts..I live on their iced coffee in the spring and summer.

I think it's more suited to those who have been to WDW and who are addicted but it's an awesome book.

Thank you for the very, very kind words.
(I was born in Boston. Lived in Mass. for 34 years or so, worked at the Herald for 12 years. No matter how hard I try, I can't shake my Mass. roots. )

 

[MsDisney23]

Good to see ya Bill Looking forward to reading your book!

 

[jenelope]

My name is Jenna, and I am a Mousejunkie!

I'm so happy that DISers are enjoying Bill's book! I know I was thrilled when he asked me to contribute and have been anxious to see how people reacted. I first found the DIS back in February of 1999, when I was planning my first trip as an adult. I had to re-register at some point, so my date's a little more recent than my involvement. Unlike the other Mousejunkies in the book, I've actually known the DIS boards longer than I've known Bill!

Thank you so much for buying/reading Mousejunkies! And thank you, Bill, for inviting me along!

 

[Poodie]

I read it from cover to cover in one day, while my kids were in the pool! It's a GREAT read, and funny as all get out! I ready MANY parts of it outloud to my family.....

I loved it and highly recommend it!

 

[ChefBilly]

Hey Bill I had 4 people email me the article in the Herald that was about your book. Sounds like a great read. I'll be picking it up. How did you go about getting it published?

Hi MapleGirl.
Well, here's my story...

I worked in the newspaper business for about 18 years. During that time I became addicted to Walt Disney World (something that is well chronicled in chapter 1 of the book. It's a bit of a story.)

Anyway...
I loved to write. I did it every day at work, so when I combined it with my love of WDW, I was in heaven. Like a lot of other people I would write trip reports. I wrote the first one as a way to deal with Disney-withdrawal. My wife said, "Hey, this is really funny... You should write a book."

I told her "You're my wife. You have to say nice things to me."

Another time I was on a press trip at WDW, when the PR person assigned to me said, "I see what you're sending back to the paper. It's really funny. You should write a book."

I told her: "You're my PR contact - you have to say nice things to me."

Fast forward a few years... I knew I wanted to write a book, but I had no focus or angle. Just about 80k words in the form of trip reports - not very useful.
In January of 2007 I found myself laid off and fighting off bronchitis. Which meant I was tied to my computer with nothing to do but wish I was at WDW.

I was thinking very hard about writing the book, but still lacked an outline. I had the title, but very little else. One morning I woke up to the clock radio, and the DJ was ranting about blogs. He said, "No one wants to know when I went to sleep, when I woke up, what I ate..."
Suddenly, it clicked: Mousejunkies Sleep. Mousejunkies Eat. Mousejunkies Travel...
Just like that my outline appeared in front of me. I ran downstairs and started typing as fast as I could. Before my wife had even come downstairs to get ready for work, it was done. And it changed very little from then until today.

Once that was done, all I had to do was fill in the blanks. Every day I'd drop my daughter off at kindergarten, come home, make coffee, sit down in front of the PC, find a live365 station playing Walt Disney World music, put my hands on the keys, and... everything around me would disappear. I'd be standing in the middle of Epcot, or the Magic Kingdom, and I'd just be writing what was going on in front of me.
Then I'd bug my friends. The Mousejunkies. I'd IM them, email them and call them. They were my panel of experts.

Once I got about 75 percent of it done, I put together a book proposal. It's a big packet with sample chapters, a letter... All kinds of information. Then I started looking for publishers that would be a good fit. I was looking for publishers who put out humorous books or publishers who put out travel books. Next thing I know I was looking at a Palo Alto, Calif., publisher who put out humorous travel books.

I emailed the proposal and before too long I heard back. They wanted to see more. Again... Long story short... One day I got a call from the acquisitions editor, and my dream came true. It sounds a little more simple than it actually was, but in a nutshell, that was it.

I got that call about an hour before I was heading out to my friend's bachelor party last July. We were meeting up to jump in a limo and go out to dinner and then see the band Rush. (I love Rush.)

That was probably one of the top three nights of my life.

Then came the editing process, which was still fun. Then more editing - still fun. Then the final edits - exciting. The editors were gracious, reasonable and great to work with. (Coming from a newspaper background, I don't mind being edited, spindled and mutilated. Not that they did those things, but it's just a normal part of the day for me.)

Then about a month ago two boxes showed up on my front porch.
Then I got to see my six-year-old sitting on the couch with her nose buried in the book - completely wrapped up in her dad's stories.
Then people who share my obsession started saying really, really nice things about the book.
It's been an awesome ride.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Hi MapleGirl.
Well, here's my story...

I worked in the newspaper business for about 18 years. During that time I became addicted to Walt Disney World (something that is well chronicled in chapter 1 of the book. It's a bit of a story.)

Anyway...
I loved to write. I did it every day at work, so when I combined it with my love of WDW, I was in heaven. Like a lot of other people I would write trip reports. I wrote the first one as a way to deal with Disney-withdrawal. My wife said, "Hey, this is really funny... You should write a book."

I told her "You're my wife. You have to say nice things to me."

Another time I was on a press trip at WDW, when the PR person assigned to me said, "I see what you're sending back to the paper. It's really funny. You should write a book."

I told her: "You're my PR contact - you have to say nice things to me."

Fast forward a few years... I knew I wanted to write a book, but I had no focus or angle. Just about 80k words in the form of trip reports - not very useful.
In January of 2007 I found myself laid off and fighting off bronchitis. Which meant I was tied to my computer with nothing to do but wish I was at WDW.

I was thinking very hard about writing the book, but still lacked an outline. I had the title, but very little else. One morning I woke up to the clock radio, and the DJ was ranting about blogs. He said, "No one wants to know when I went to sleep, when I woke up, what I ate..."
Suddenly, it clicked: Mousejunkies Sleep. Mousejunkies Eat. Mousejunkies Travel...
Just like that my outline appeared in front of me. I ran downstairs and started typing as fast as I could. Before my wife had even come downstairs to get ready for work, it was done. And it changed very little from then until today.

Once that was done, all I had to do was fill in the blanks. Every day I'd drop my daughter off at kindergarten, come home, make coffee, sit down in front of the PC, find a live365 station playing Walt Disney World music, put my hands on the keys, and... everything around me would disappear. I'd be standing in the middle of Epcot, or the Magic Kingdom, and I'd just be writing what was going on in front of me.
Then I'd bug my friends. The Mousejunkies. I'd IM them, email them and call them. They were my panel of experts.

Once I got about 75 percent of it done, I put together a book proposal. It's a big packet with sample chapters, a letter... All kinds of information. Then I started looking for publishers that would be a good fit. I was looking for publishers who put out humorous books or publishers who put out travel books. Next thing I know I was looking at a Palo Alto, Calif., publisher who put out humorous travel books.

I emailed the proposal and before too long I heard back. They wanted to see more. Again... Long story short... One day I got a call from the acquisitions editor, and my dream came true. It sounds a little more simple than it actually was, but in a nutshell, that was it.

I got that call about an hour before I was heading out to my friend's bachelor party last July. We were meeting up to jump in a limo and go out to dinner and then see the band Rush. (I love Rush.)

That was probably one of the top three nights of my life.

Then came the editing process, which was still fun. Then more editing - still fun. Then the final edits - exciting. The editors were gracious, reasonable and great to work with. (Coming from a newspaper background, I don't mind being edited, spindled and mutilated. Not that they did those things, but it's just a normal part of the day for me.)

Then about a month ago two boxes showed up on my front porch.
Then I got to see my six-year-old sitting on the couch with her nose buried in the book - completely wrapped up in her dad's stories.
Then people who share my obsession started saying really, really nice things about the book.
It's been an awesome ride.

Thanks so much for sharing your story. I just ordered the book on amazon and can't wait to read it.

You are living my dream. I would love to write a WDW book.

 

[Hallowishes]

sounds really awesome! im going to try to find it tomorrow aT borders

 

[mouseman68]

The book has been great fun for this Mousejunkie.

Mousejunkie Randy.

 

[justcantwait]

Kudos, thanks and congrats to all the Mousejunkies on here! I've been reading the book at work, laughing out loud. My coworkers know that I'm a Disney freak, they don't quite get it most times, but as I read them passages, they're laughing along with me! Great book, lots of info, really fun to read. I highly recommend it everyone on here.

Kathy

 

[LUVMICKEY]

I just have to have this book. I'm ordering mine now.

 

[spatulaqueen27]

Ordered my copy yesterday from Chapters.ca. Should get it tomorrow or the next day!

 

[SimonV]

This is a story Susan and I can really relate to, and it's great to hear. I have been in the travel-writing business for almost 20 years now purely as a result of a vacation to Disneyland back in 1987 and then WDW a few years later. It definitely gets under your skin and, for anyone who works with words, it becomes almost a compulsion, an obsession. It takes over your life and ends up doing strange things to you (like giving up a job for a top London newspaper and moving to the US!). But it is a great obsession to have and it is immensely rewarding; it takes you on a roller-coaster ride that you have no idea where its heading, and it assumes a life of its own that largely dictates what you do and when you do it!

I have to confess I have yet to read Mousejunkies (it is in my Inbox along with piles of correspondence and tax forms which I'm supposed to have done already this month, but other deadlines dictate that I haven't ) but I like everything I've heard about it, especially the personal stories and insights, which are absolutely priceless to all Disney-goers, I believe.

Big to you, Bill, and here's to Mousejunkies 2 (you know you've got to do it, right?!).

 

[spatulaqueen27]

Got my copy 2 days ago and finished it yesterday.

Awesome book! All I can think of is 2 words. Socky McCodpiece......I just about spit out my drink.

Thanks for a wonderful read, and it sucks that your Cruise didn't work out.

 

[mbcary]

I am going to go to Barnes & Noble today and get me a copy! Is it in the travel section?

 

[Disneyaunt4]

Couldn't help myself just ordered it

 

[Britgirlus]

I had my hands on a copy of Mousejunkies last week in Barnes and Noble - but put it down, as I had put it on my birthday list. I had BETTER find it in my pile of gifts on Tuesday, or I'll be really sad !!!

 

[ChefBilly]

it sucks that your Cruise didn't work out.

I think of it this way: I got a chapter out of it!

Did you happen to see the video I put on Youtube from it? It doesn't really capture the worst of the weather, but you get a little taste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Amg9obsVtc

And I'm so glad you got a laugh out of the book.