Whedonesque : Comments on 12249 : 'Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby?' available for pre-order.

Very cool. Congrats on the book, Allyson.

Reddygirl | January 14, 22:13 CET

Cover here.

gossi | January 14, 22:23 CET

That's a wonderfully cool cover!

Gill | January 14, 22:33 CET

Congrats on the book. The cover looks great.

SoniaPL | January 14, 22:37 CET

How wonderfully surreal!

Maybe I'll get to meet some of you on the book tour.

Allyson | January 14, 22:40 CET

Cute cover, and great chapter on how you tried to save "Firefly". I am also looking forward to to the other chapters, too, and will order my copy post haste!

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2007-01-14 20:53 ]

impalergeneral | January 14, 22:49 CET

Only if you tour England, Allyson - it truly is a world-wide fandom!

Gill | January 14, 22:57 CET

I think the cover is great. It stands out.

gossi | January 14, 23:00 CET

Oh, I am so totally buying this! You better tour in LA, Allyson, so I can tell you in person how much I loved it (I'm sure I will!).

BrightShiner | January 14, 23:35 CET

Hmm. More marketing...

Get the book that's been hailed as

"Eye-opening. . . . a fast and funny read"
Nicholas Brendon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"purest gold"
Deborah Grabien, the Haunted Ballads series

"refreshingly crisp and tart -- like a Fresca in book form"
Sarah D. Bunting, TelevisionWithoutPity.com.

Author Allyson Beatrice has been called

"a damned entertaining writer"
Tim Minear, Executive Producer, Firefly, Wonderfalls, The Inside

"smart, insightful and, best of all, supremely snarky"
David Fury, Co-Executive Producer, Angel, Lost, 24.

Joss Whedon's television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly created cult followings, with some devoted fans coming together on the Internet as a family.

Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? chronicles the true story of a family's love, hate, trust, lies, kindness, spite, and sometimes even meeting in person.

Beatrice's book gives an insider's account of a community created from shared love of good television, which led to her running charity events that included the writers and stars, marketing an underdog show, and finding a home for Joss Whedon's cat.

Includes interviews with Buffy/Angel/Firefly writers on fan reaction to their work: David Fury (Buffy, Angel, Lost, 24), Jane Espenson (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica), and Tim Minear (Angel, Firefly, High Tide, Robin's Hoods).

Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? by Allyson Beatrice. Don't Leave the Bookstore Without It.

Coming August 2007 from Sourcebooks.

[ edited by Ying on 2007-01-14 22:06 ]

Ying | January 14, 23:49 CET

One of us! One of us! One of us!

Niels(Telltale) | January 14, 23:51 CET

Allyson, I think you should have Ying appointed to the marketing staff!

J.Monique | January 15, 00:02 CET

Seriously, Ying. Send your address in August and I'll send a book. I feel all street-teamed. I'm just beside myself.

Allyson | January 15, 00:07 CET

Wow, Allyson. Thanks. I was there on the Firefly OB in the dark days of imminent cancellation, so I remember your (and others') hard work and difficult leadership then--though I didn't know you didn't like the show at first :) .

As usual, this started out as goofing around late on Sunday morning. Then I start to take it seriously and it's Sunday afternoon.

Ying | January 15, 00:29 CET

Allyson, represent! :-)

billz | January 15, 00:40 CET

As usual, this started out as goofing around late on Sunday morning. Then I start to take it seriously and it's Sunday afternoon.

I know that one, it happens roughly 7 days a week to me.

gossi | January 15, 00:49 CET

Gossi, for once this thread is about Allyson, not about you.

Congrats on the release of your book, Allyson, you must be well chuffed right now.

Caroline | January 15, 01:02 CET

Allyson, I think you should have Ying appointed to the marketing staff!

Seriously. That's awesome work, Ying.

Kristen R | January 15, 01:36 CET

While I found the original Bronze interesting, I could never really connect with folks there, nor was the insulated environment one I could relate to. However, this is a big however, I can appreciate the things The Bronze meant to, and did for, fandom. Not to mention seeing the Buffy VIPs posting there being a big and instructive thrill for me. I look forward to reading your book, Allyson.

Tonya J | January 15, 02:00 CET

Very cool! Congratulations Allyson!

debw | January 15, 02:16 CET

Congratulations, Allyson! I look forward to getting a copy.

palehorse | January 15, 02:53 CET

Allyson, wow. The sample chapter definitely makes me interested in reading the whole book (even though I disagree re. the Firefly pilot ep!). Despite being a long-term Joss fan, I am not really familiar with the 'inner workings' (for want of a better term) of the online fandom so it was quite eye-opening.

Oh, and I loved this:

'...why a network would spend millions and millions of dollars to produce a television show and then take it out to the backlot and shoot it between the eyes...'

Heh. That's a fabulous description.

Also? Greatest title ever.

Mythtaken | January 15, 03:36 CET

Can we have little whedonesque/fandom parties at each of your signings across the country? Wouldn't that be fun! Plus then you would sell lots of books directly. Like a house concert type thing -then you would get all the money.

ruthless1 | January 15, 03:54 CET

Congrats Allyson! Hope to see it on Amazon.com in the ensuing months so we can all give it RAVE reviews! :)

Mort | January 15, 04:43 CET

man, i can't wait to get my hands on this book. so many memories that i can't wait to remember(and probably some i'd like to forget).

it would've been neat if you could've gotten a release date for the 10 year anniversary of BtVS' airdate or even the anniversary of the first PBP. no matter! i can wait until august. i think...

i'm so excited for you, Allyson. i plan on pimping the hell out of it.

tiggy | January 15, 04:57 CET

Allyson, is your book going to have an anti Spike/James slant to it? No hard feelings, but I just want the buyer to beware.

wrikiwood | January 15, 06:40 CET

I don't really know what to say, wrikiwood. The book isn't about the shows themselves, really, and I don't spend any significant amount of time commenting on them. I don't even think the word, "spike" appears in the book, as a character, a noun, or a verb, but I'd have to do a search, there's a lot of words.

Allyson | January 15, 07:07 CET

Oh, I didn't think the book was about the show, I thought the book was about the internet fandom. And I can tell you, the internet was pretty harsh and cruel, especially the Bronze towards Spike/James fans.

Just for curiosity, were the nouns Buffy, Angel, Willow, Xander or Giles mentioned in the book?

[ edited by wrikiwood on 2007-01-15 05:35 ]

wrikiwood | January 15, 07:14 CET

No worries, then.

Allyson | January 15, 07:32 CET

No offense, but I'm a little curious as to why we're asking about specific nouns.

I will say that I've read a majority of the book, and the noun J.Monique specifically isn't in it. What's up with that? I will accept the word J.Monique being edited into the book as a verb, however.

[ edited by J.Monique on 2007-01-15 05:54 ]

J.Monique | January 15, 07:43 CET

I was simply asking because Allyson said that the word Spike doesn't appear in the book. My question is simply "Is Spike excluded from the book.* If the others are mentioned and Spike is excluded, it tells me something.

wrikiwood | January 15, 07:48 CET

If it helps: The book isn't about the characters. I've read a majority of it while doing preliminary edits, and it's about Allyson's specific experiences as part of the fandom.

The book isn't a Spike-centric/anti-Spike, pro-the original Scoobies thing. It's an Allyson thing. I respect what you've experienced in other parts of the Internet, but the pro-/anti-character movements and this book are two different situations. I can assure you of that.

I still want to be a verb, though.

[ edited by J.Monique on 2007-01-15 05:59 ]

J.Monique | January 15, 07:53 CET

I'm confused. The book isn't about the show(s). It's about the relationships she's formed with the people she met (and the adventures she's had) because of the internet. I'm sure the word Buffy is used as part of the phrase "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and Angel might be used because of the show called "Angel" (since there is an essay about Tim Minear) but I don't think any other character name is really mentioned, except possibly in passing.

The name Kristen is, of course, featured heavily.

[ edited by Kristen R on 2007-01-15 05:54 ]

Kristen R | January 15, 07:53 CET

But I am a Spike/James fan! If I buy the book, I want to ensure that a known Spike hater doesn't trash my character.

I know the book is about her relationships she formed in the fandom, and that's what scares me from buying the book. The relationships she formed, are not something I want to spend money on to read about. :)

wrikiwood | January 15, 07:59 CET

Well, yeah. It depends on who you are as to whether you'll be interested. Different strokes, different folks and all. I get a huge kick out of Allyson's stories, so I thought it was quite entertaining. The girl's got a gift with the words, IMO!

The name Kristen is, of course, featured heavily.

Showoff.

[ edited by J.Monique on 2007-01-15 06:14 ]

J.Monique | January 15, 08:14 CET

Don't hate the playa. Hate the game.

Kristen R | January 15, 08:26 CET

Well put my order in cause August will be here soon enough.

RavenU | January 15, 08:51 CET

...why a network would spend millions and millions of dollars to produce a television show and then take it out to the backlot and shoot it between the eyes...'

Believe me...that happens far too often these days, and deciding to show the rest of the show online (*cough*DayBreak*cough*Kidnapped*cough*Smith*cough) does not prove the network really cares. What Fox did to Firefly and Wonderfalls is "pioneering" in not giving quirky shows a chance to catch on, which is what the more established networks are doing. Heck, FX's shows get better respect.

impalergeneral | January 15, 09:23 CET

The cover and title totally kick butt. That alone would get me to read it.

hayliss | January 15, 09:29 CET

The Spike fans are at it again! Completely unrelated to James and/or Spike and yet... there he is, mentioned and the fan is complaining about a possibly anti-Spike slant... which is completely, utterly irrelevant!

Bizarre.

crossoverman | January 15, 09:53 CET

I, for one, am looking forward to reading the book. As someone who's been lurking about for many years but never had the nerve to post anything, I'm excited to find out what those who are bold enough to get out there and really get involved have been doing. I'm sure I'll be wishing I could have joined you on your adventures!

jossgirl | January 15, 10:07 CET

I suddenly do not need either a book or a documentary to remember the bad parts of internet fandom. Thanks, crossoverman.
wrikiwood was asking a question that many of us have and was going out of their way to be nonconfrontational. It's relevant because some people being anti-Spike also turned into being anti-Spike fans. Being attacked and put down for liking a fictional character is not the internet fandom experience I want to relive, especially if I had to pay to do so. I think Allyson would rather have the question asked than have her book dismissed outright by any group of fans.

iowagirl | January 15, 10:25 CET

Thank you Iowagirl, well said. I love it when someone bolder than I writes what I was thinking. Good girl.

silver81 | January 15, 10:49 CET

I don't really know what to say. I'm uncomfortable having to "reassure" any group of fans, and I've already stated that I don't discuss Spike, and in fact, I pretty much don't discuss the shows at all, even in context of fandom. I set out by stating that people can be connected by the smallest of things, like a television show, and then it's a collection of essays about the adventures I've had...like finding a home for Joss' cat. Also, raising the money in an evening to bring a fan from Israel here. There's some stuff about teh awkward issues I have about being both a fan, and a friend of Tim's, which I've never managed to resolve.

So, it's all very personal, and I hope it reads as it was intended: that I love the subject, which is fandom, even when it drives me mad.

The statement most people in fandom come back with after reading the book is: I can give this to my parents/sister/spouse and say, "This. This is what it's all about."

It's sometimes hard to explain to loved ones, "well, these are my friends, and they live in this little box on my desk, and there was an argument and I'm SO UPSET, or, "I need to buy a plane ticket to Toronto because I need to meet up with these people I've never seen."

My hope is that it doesn't matter whether your fandom/community centers on Firefly, or at DailyKos, that you can hold it up and say, "this is why I love the people in the box on my desk."

[ edited by Allyson on 2007-01-15 09:32 ]

Allyson | January 15, 11:22 CET

Yay! I can't wait for this book.

[ edited by TamaraC on 2007-01-15 10:33 ]

TamaraC | January 15, 11:34 CET

I think Allyson has answered the question so the matter of Spike/anti-Spike is now closed. Let's get back to the original point of this thread.

Simon | January 15, 11:39 CET

Congrats Allyson and best wishes to you on the book sales. I think it's a great idea for a book.

Firefly Flanatic | January 15, 12:00 CET

wrikiwood, I think you've just ensured you'll never be taken seriously here again. Think about that for a while while I revoke your posting rights. For what? For bringing 'shipping' into a thread that has nothing to do with it (see our rules) and for giving fandom in general a bad name.

Caroline | January 15, 12:30 CET

It's sometimes hard to explain to loved ones, "well, these are my friends, and they live in this little box on my desk, and there was an argument and I'm SO UPSET, or, "I need to buy a plane ticket to Toronto because I need to meet up with these people I've never seen."

So true, having spent the whole weekend discussing fandom with my sister-in law - your book would have been just the thing.

Congratulations Allyson and I think there may be multiple orders for all my family & friends.

And the cover is wonderful!

The Do That Girl | January 15, 15:28 CET

huh. my order with buy.com was just cancelled. i have a feeling they weren't expecting quite that many people to pre-order.

tiggy | January 15, 16:03 CET

It's sometimes hard to explain to loved ones, "well, these are my friends, and they live in this little box on my desk, and there was an argument and I'm SO UPSET, or, "I need to buy a plane ticket to Toronto because I need to meet up with these people I've never seen."

Oh, I do have some tales into this, trying to explain to "normal" people why these people are your friends, some of them dealing with vampire lore (haha). Especially, the Vampire people, that Alyson got in the title
Maybe I'll share a few of them at my livejournal, one of these days.
Congrats Allyson.

Ying - or whoever updated the thread with other store options - ~~Can someone tell me which one is more international customer friendly? I checked the Buy.com website, and it was not informative at all for international shipping.~~ I'm quite intereseted on buying the book, but everything will be quite linked to how much the store might charge for shipping the book to Brazil.

Okay, just checked and the Booksamillion (BAMM.com) is the friendlier one. Although, is the one who keeps closer to the Book's original price point (w/out much discount) it got the better shipping rates for international markets, if you're patient to wait several weeks for the book to arrive, of course.

[ edited by Numfar PTB on 2007-01-15 18:53 ]

Numfar PTB | January 15, 16:28 CET

Glad you won't be naming names, Allyson. ;-) Seriously, mazel tov! I cannot wait to read it (and possibly weep).

OzLady | January 15, 16:43 CET

wrikiwood Thank you for asking the question many people wanted answering. Don't see how a question about a singular character can be interpreted to be about shipping though.

Allyson Thank you for anwering. And congratulations. :0)

lynnie | January 15, 17:29 CET

lynnie I did say that the matter was closed, I think you need some time to reflect on this.

Simon | January 15, 17:58 CET

Congrats, Allyson! Can't wait to check out your super cool book, even though you obviously hate my favorite character, Miss Kitty Fantastico (kidding! My fave character is actually one of the kittens in the poker game... still kidding!).

zeitgeist | January 15, 18:31 CET

Allyson, this is great! I'm planning to order several copies for family and friends, can't wait to give it a read. Congratulations on a good idea brough forward. Any thoughts for the next one?

Madhatter | January 15, 19:58 CET

Congratulations Allyson, this looks very interesting. I have never been a fan of fandom but have always been interested in individual people and their stories. This seems like an interesting combination of how individuals, fandom, the objects of the fandom and the commercial interests that control/try to control the objects of the fandom interact.

...or maybe that is just me.

newcj | January 15, 21:06 CET

Thank you so much everyone! It's been an interesting thread.

Allyson | January 15, 21:48 CET

It's been an interesting thread.

To say the least ...

Anyway, congrats on the book, Allyson. Hope it sells well for you!

rbt | January 15, 21:52 CET

Congratulations, Allyson. What a great achievement - writing a book, much less getting it published. Well done. I can't wait to read your book. With such a fun title and cover, maybe you can judge a book by its cover. Good luck. I'll look for your name in the author appearance listings in San Francisco.

MacGuffin | January 16, 00:22 CET

I've just read the Firefly sample chapter and I was very impressed. Certainly a great taste of what this book will be like.

And great cover, too!

Looking forward to reading this.

crossoverman | January 16, 00:42 CET

It's sometimes hard to explain to loved ones, "well, these are my friends, and they live in this little box on my desk, and there was an argument and I'm SO UPSET, or, "I need to buy a plane ticket to Toronto because I need to meet up with these people I've never seen."

YES, YES, and YES! Thank you so much, Allyson, for writing a book that, as you said, I can give to my real life friends and family and say, "Here... this is what I'm talking about."

I rarely talk to anyone about my "'Net friends" because the 'real people' look at me like I've developed a second head. Yes, you can connect in a pretty meaningful and powerful way with a group of people, many of whom you'll likely never meet.

Thank you, Allyson. Thank you a million times over for putting the experience into words.

Arista | January 16, 01:59 CET

Anyone else expierencing payment issues with Buy.com, they canceled my order claiming non payment but when I check my account it has been charged. I called Buy.com and basically they told me they will look into it.

[ edited by RavenU on 2007-01-16 01:14 ]

RavenU | January 16, 03:12 CET

Congratulations on the book Allyson! It's a great acheivement. I really enjoyed the sample chapter. Looking forward to reading the entire book.

resa | January 16, 05:38 CET

January 14 2007