Bound Edition update.
Some good news, some bad news. Justin Smoak is not going to be able to make it to the Newberg Report Book Release Party, but today we got a tentative commitment from Ian and Tess Kinsler. The Kinsler's are the Rangers ambassadors for the Toys for Tots holiday toy drive program, which we'll benefit at this year's event as we always do. The party will be at Sherlock's in Arlington (same spot as last year), on either Wednesday, December 16 or Thursday, December 17. (The other players who are in, or tentatively in, include Rusty Greer, Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter, Chris Davis, and Derek Holland.) We signed our book deal a couple days ago. Thank you for helping make that happen. One of the things the publisher said we needed to do is add a shipping charge to the book orders, as they'll now serve as the fulfillment center (taking that mountainous task off my hands). I was told I was sorta crazy to charge the same price for the book all these years whether someone bought it in person or had it shipped. Maybe so. But that's been my deal. I fought them on the shipping charge issue, especially since we're now more than two weeks into sales and I didn't want to blindside you guys with it. We reached a compromise: • If you have already ordered the book, or if you do so this month, the total cost will remain a flat $25 (that is, I will pay the shipping fee to the publisher myself, out of the sale price). • But if you order it on December 1 or later, there is going to be a $4.95 shipping and handling fee added to the total sale price (meaning there will be just one $4.95 fee added to your order, whether it's one book or two or a dozen). Sorry about that. (But you can avoid it, obviously, by ordering in the next two weeks. Ordering details: http://www.newbergreport.com/buythebook.asp) • Of course, if you order (or ordered) the book and let me know that you're going to pick your order up at the book release party, there will be no shipping fee. • For those of you who won't be at the party, I'm told that the books, which should come off the presses on December 15, should take 3-6 days to deliver. Please keep that in mind in case you're buying books as holiday gifts. So the things to key in on: 1. Kinsler. 2. No shipping through November 30 ($4.95 thereafter). 3. If you've already ordered, or if you do so between now and December 15, please let me know if you want to pick your order up at the book release party. This is important: If you don't tell me to hold it for you at the party, your order will ship a couple days beforehand and probably won't arrive in your mail until afterwards. Let me know if you have questions. Jamey