User:Stbalbach/SW

Spoiler Warning: The best of Wikipedia book, movie, play and poem spoilers.

150 Spoilers from Casablanca to Les Miserables


 * What is this?

Spoiler Warning is an idea for a printed book containing some of the best articles from Wikipedia that are spoilers. Each article will be 1 to 2 pages in length (book pages) and the total book will be 200-300 pages in length.


 * Can you do that?

As far as I know! The GFDL allows it. The only complication may be figuring out what the GFDL requires to be legal.


 * Why are you doing it?

Not to make money! I've done considerable research in to this and expect such a project will loose money. It will take a lot of time, effort and money and in the end I'll probably have a garage of un-sold books.


 * Why are you doing it?

Ok, really, it's not about the money. I want to publish a book. I want to go through the process of conceptualization, gather the data, copyedit, layout, printing, distribution. It's been a lifelong dream to publish a book, although in this case only as an editor.


 * Will authors get credit?

There will be a section on authorship. Details to be worked out, but yes, Wikipedians could have their names listed.


 * Is this a vanity press scam? It sounds like you publish a book with 100s of authors names, then sit back and wait for them to buy a copy so they can see themselves in print.

Absolutely not. While I hope copies are sold, I don't envision this as being a niche product. My goal is to have an ISBN and sell it directly on Amazon, and through a web-page, and hopefully through non-traditional marketing techniques such as the blog sphere.


 * Why buy this type of book when it's already on the net?

This is partly an experiment. Just as Plays in the early 20th century were redone in to movies, the remix culture is alive and well today more than ever. Different mediums are transposed and reworked and create entirely new ways of using the same content. In this case it is going from a new-world to an old-world.


 * Why not have a web-site that lists the best Spoilers?

Again the idea is primarily to have a real-live book something you can do book-like things with. Is Wikipedia useful in book form? I believe so.


 * Will you donate proceeds back to Wikipedia?

I hope so! In fact, probably so. Details to be worked out.