Just about to ship out of Los Angeles, but before I pack up the laptop, I thought I'd try to illuminate some of the details from this week's meetings. As ever, everything is subject to change until it's done and in your hands... but I think you guys know that routine by now.

We're still right on schedule for a fourth quarter 2008 release. I will deliver the locked text by the end of July. The publishers (who will still remain nameless until we're ready for press releases) have been incredibly flexible in terms of length and layout. Right now, we're aiming to keep the finished book at or under 200 pages. This means that, unless the final layout wildly rearranges the material, nothing will have to be cut from the current draft. That's amazing, and almost unheard of. I'm tremendously grateful to be working with people that understand that the audience for this book doesn't want a watered down, well-pruned bit of fluff. 

I will finish up the supplementary material with Shore in NY in early to mid August. That will be locked shortly thereafter. We're most likely looking at a single double-sided DVD. That will store everything we need without compression and keep the final price tag down. DVD authoring will begin after the materials are locked, of course.

I'm happy to announce that, after years of your suggestions to produce "normal" and "deluxe" versions of the book, we're now actively exploring that possibility. See, we do listen to you! 

So what's the next step? Well, next I have to get on this plane, make my way back my office and get back to work!

Oh, and for those of you interested in such things here's an updated look at the book's mocked-up layout. Same disclaimers apply as last time... and again, mind your eyesight!