Herald Publishing Announces Blockbuster Book Deal
by Alphaville Herald on 16/06/05 at 1:34 pm
Press Release
Media Contact: Pat the Rat, Vice President for Corporate
Communications, Herald Enterprises
Herald editors Urizenus Sklar and Walker Spaight announced today that they have inked a blockbuster book deal with O’Reilly Publishing to co-author a volume on the life and times of Herald founder Urizenus Sklar and his misadventures in The Sims Online, as well as their joint endeavors in Second Life as they built the Herald into the trusted news souse source that it is today. Titled “Only a Game: Online Worlds and the Virtual Journalist Who Knew Too Much,” the book will introduce the general reader to social MMOs through the always fairly unbalanced prose stylings and flinty surrealism that have become so familiar to Herald readers and groupies-if not to the paper’s reporters.
Reached for comment on the Herald yacht in the Adriatic Sea, Mr. Sklar had this to say while dining on a breakfast of fresh turtle eggs, Portuguese presunto ham and mimosas: “I’ve been reading Mark Leyner, Jullian Dibbell and Ernest Hemingway and they are all pussies. Stand aside boys, and we’ll show you how real men write!”
Co-author Spaight, interrupted during a recuperative visit to his Sausalito houseboat while his sprawling Brooklyn loft is patched back together after yet another all-night anarchist poetry reading, added, “Can’t you see I’m working?”
budka groshomme
Jun 16th, 2005
A deal!? Where’s my cut? Here I’ve been working my fingers to the bone (the bare bones!)for chickenfeed and now you guys are raking in the big bux. As soon as I can find a SL court and lawyer I’m going to sue you guys. Come on, where’s the love?
Urizenus
Jun 16th, 2005
What can I say, Bud, you’re just not FIC enough for us. If you want to complain about this new episode of the FIC stomping on the little guy to reach the top, you might try the forums. I hear there is an opening.
Walker Spaight
Jun 16th, 2005
We wanted to cut you in, Bud, but Aimee wouldn’t let us.
Walker Spaight
Jun 16th, 2005
Actually, Uri, I think the problem is that Bud is *too* FIC. Did you notice that his articles are the only ones Philip ever comments on?
simon
Jun 16th, 2005
Will I be in it? I have to be in it! What about my Stratics story i told you? Can that be in it? Can I write the Foreward?
/crazy
montserrat
Jun 16th, 2005
montserrat is overjoyed to hear this news!!!!!!!!!!!
big wet sloppy dog kisses to both of you.
-h
SNOOPYbrown Zamboni
Jun 16th, 2005
Wow. Is this news for real? Congratulations either way
Prokofy Neva
Jun 16th, 2005
Um, watch for Part II, the Sequel: “Only a Game: Online Games and the Virtual Journalist Who SAID to Much” by Prokofy Neva
Bleh, I’m more punished than you are Urizenus look at you, still dining out on your old story and *stepping on my story and my headlines today in my news cycle dammit* Blah.
O’Reilly Publishing? Is that like um a vanity press? Haven’t heard of it. Wait…is this a hoax?
Urizenus
Jun 16th, 2005
no Prok its not a hoax, there’s a link to O’reilly up top. They do the computer books with the cute animals on the cover. That’s why we went with them. We’re furries.
And good point about Phillip being a Bud groupie, Walker. He’s like inner inner core.
And thanks Snoopy and Mont for the congrats.
Cory Linden
Jun 17th, 2005
Congratulations, Uri! I can’t imagine a more fairly unbalanced look at MMOs. I assume that you’ll have color plates for the State of Play pictures . . .
Urizenus
Jun 17th, 2005
ooooh here I was just thinking screen shots! Good idea! Photos from the State of Play!
Tony Walsh
Jun 17th, 2005
Gents, this is great news, and cannot possibly lead to Uri’s ego or any other crucial body part inflating. When does the musical adaptation come out?
Walker Spaight
Jun 17th, 2005
Thanks, Tony! Unfortunately, though, O’Reilly is insisting that the Urizenus action figure be in the form of one of their furry little creatures — a llama, to be precise — so the merchandising and sub rights talks have somewhat broken down.
Urizenus
Jun 17th, 2005
I was working putting off the musical adaptation until after the movie came out. I was thinking though, that it would be better to have the musical be animated. My thought was we could have Elton John score it and my voice could be done by James Earl Jones.
About the action figure thing. There is already a Peter Ludlow action figure, so frankly it is hard for me to get excited about a Uri action figure:
Gina Fatale
Jun 17th, 2005
this is great Uri and Walker congrats! but Uri promise me you will leave out the night me, you and a couple of virtual drinks and well you know what happened *wink wink* lol oh wait i don’t think i was drunk in fact i think i gave up the virtual coochie in promise of a raise? never did get that raise in pay but sure did get a rise out of you lol.
Aimee Weber
Jun 17th, 2005
Congrats guys! You still need those nude glossies of me for the fold-out or did that idea not get by the editors?
Walker Spaight
Jun 18th, 2005
Actually, Aimee, that’s what sealed the deal. (So send them along already, wouldja?)
RB
Jun 18th, 2005
If this is for real. And a real book is being done for a real credible publisher for real readers. The good Prof. Ludlow will make sure to consult me on the consistently loss producing rubbish that TSO became. Nobody knows more about TSO history from beta to present than me and a few others.
We can even do an update when the bad dream finally ends late this year. And it will, trust me. But then EA are morons and it’s plausible they will run it at a loss just to save face since it’s a part of the Sims series by name. We’ll see.
- RB.
Walker Spaight
Jun 18th, 2005
email me, RB, show me what you got, we’ll get it in there
Neal Stewart
Jun 18th, 2005
Been real busy with RL. Only just found out about this. Well done guys
Towelie
Jun 19th, 2005
Wow, is this seriously true? Well, If people will purchase “virtual items” from Virtual Games, then I guess people will purchase a tangible book about the Virtual Game. If you need any Past, Present, or Future TSO news, just let me know. Still actively playing, since the game is still paying.
- Towelie
simon
Jun 21st, 2005
OH NO! NOT ELTON JOHN!!!
Just don’t let George Lucas or Steven Spielberg direct the movie, Get the guy who did the Matrix. Now THAT would be a good movie
Speaking of TSO, If you didnt know, I am working at , After spending a while there, I ventured over to TSO stratics. At worldsims the discussion seems more, shall i say, Civilized. About 95% of the useless posts that are not removed by one of the luffy mods at stratics would not be allowed at worldsims. (did you also know that 95% of stratics posts are short, containing such useful information such as “I KNOW!!!!!!!!
! and “I Luff Trish, shes the bestest!”, Such posts are deleted at worldsims. We want more civilized responses, Like “I know, that is a problem, but I usually push F5 when that happens” and “I luff Trish, She is the best mod that these boards have seen!”)
Towelie
Jun 21st, 2005
Best thing they ever did for me was ban me off that site. Seriously, I have never met such a group of hypocrites in my life. I would not be surprised if the Mods botted in TSO, while at the same time, clicking the refresh button to see the next post on stratics the second someone posts. Anyway, TSO is getting horrible, no updates except Avatar Move which will come right after the New Year. They better rush it out, cause I see a lot more people leaving, and that can’t be a good sign.
RB
Jun 23rd, 2005
T man, TafkSO has been horrible for a long time. lol. Don’t worry, the trash will soon be taken out. Unless EA loves to LOSE MONEY just to save face on the sims series.
But then you get hardly any dev work done when your staff keep leaving for much better work offers huh?
How many more will leave if they haven’t already? It’s a dead end job after all.
I wonder if it’s “just going by the numbers, we are doing fine thanks.” still.
And i let me guess about stratics, still the same recycled garbage and miscellaneous usless discussions posted every month? I wouldn’t know i haven’t posted there in like 4 months. Just got absolutley fed up with the constant bullshit, whinging, and continued frustration filled threads that were regular every week at the time. Nothing of value what so ever. Good riddence to bad news i say.
wait…. *car tires screeching sound* , Did you say the NEW YEAR until avatar move comes out? omfg! they were still working on that when i was still there. And the new year is a bit over 5 more months away. Oh dear, cry or laugh, im not sure. Just shocking.
- RB.
simon
Jun 23rd, 2005
Well, Since it didn’t go thru, it is http://www.worldsims.org that I work for, Come on over and see the useful discussions that dont say” WE NEED CARS IN TSO”
Car posts in Stratics to date: OVERLOAD!
simon
Jun 23rd, 2005
Don’t forget, “When is Custom Content coming!!??!!??
”
and “WHEN IS SIM MOVE COMING OUT” where ea took a rather smart move and banned Sahara from saying anything other than “I can’t say anything”
seldon metropolitan
Jul 1st, 2005
there are herald groupies? schweet.