Thanks to a peculiar turn of events, the only bookstore where you can get the book right now is in a Crossword in Jaipur. (Some Jaipur Lit. Fest supply chain outcome.)

But Penguin assures me that copies of Dork will be going out to all retailers, bookstores and online retailers starting tonight. Given that it takes a week to 10 days for the book to sort of propagate in the national wilderness, online pre-bookers need not worry. You should still get a copy, maybe even a signed one, before the local bookstore.

Indeed I spent the better part of a couple of hours at the Penguin office last night signing copious copies for Indiaplaza and Flipkart:

I should have some good news for foreign buyers soon. We all just suddenly realized a few days ago that Dork is not one of those only for sale in Nepal and Burma and Nauru type books. It can be shipped anywhere. We just need to find a shipper. Shortly.

Same for ebooks. The Penguin legal guys are having a look see.

Now for some events:

1. Delhi signings

Date: 30 January 2010
Location: Pragati Maidan, Hall 1, Penguin pavilion
Time: 3 PM onwards
Activity: Buy, sign, chat, hug, hand over cash etc, etc.

The Delhi launch, as in with dhol and gol gappa wala, is still being ideated. Details will be posted. That will have readings and such like. The one above is much more free form and agenda-less. Still come and buy a copy and say hello.

2. Bangalore readings/signings/limited sales

Date: 31 January 2010
Location: CPP Blocks, IIM Bangalore
Time: 12:30 - 13:30 PM
Activity: Discussion, readings, signings, questions, casual banter, stock of 50 books.

I will be in conversation with Praveen Gopal Krishnan who, I was told by him, is:

Praveen Gopal Krishnan is a member of the Student Media Cell in his first year at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Prior to his post-graduation, Praveen has worked as a research engineer, a programmer and as a journalist for the Economic Times. His articles have also appeared in Mint and Khaleej Times. In 2007, he co-founded Merchants of Drama – a theatre entertainment start-up and staged two full-length productions in Bangalore. At Merchants of Drama, Praveen primarily produced, directed and wrote plays for the stage. He also holds a degree in electronics engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Trichy.

Basically he is some form of local stud.

3. FM 104.8 Radio Meow. Shameless plug. Chatter.

Date: 1 February 2010
Location: Inside radio
Time: 5 - 7 PM
Activity: Chatter, phone in questions, intellectual debate

If you are stuck in Delhi traffic as much as I am you have surely heard the mellifluous voice of Ginnie Mahajan on the airwaves. She is the most vigorous and enthu radio jockey of Radio Meow. She will be talking to me, over two hours, about the book and other things. Phone in questions are part of the buffet of amusements. Call in. I am listening. Ahem.

4. Official Fultu JhingBang Mumbai Dork Launch

Date: 12 February 2010
Location: Kala Ghoda Environs
Time: 5 PM
Acitivity: TBD. But I am pushing for belly dancing office goers. Or, to look from another perspective, office going belly dancers.

Come come. This is the first big, star-studded Dork event of the year. We are still busy making sinister plans. But movie stars, celebs, page 3 icons and the odd book buyer is expected. Book sales will happen. And signings and whatnot. I have no idea what will transpire yet. But it will be debauchery indeed.

Otherwise so far things have been good. The few readers seem to like it. Let me put it this way. No one really hates it yet. Everyone has found something to laugh at in the course of the book. And surely there can be nothing as pleasing as that Yellow and Blue? No? No. Ok.

And finally I leave you with the beta version of the Dork poster. This has been despatched to stores and locations. The final 1.0 version has a slightly different text content right on top...

Saw the blurbs? Read them again. Carefully.

And that's all for now. Rest on Twitter, Facebook, etcetera.

Take care da peoples.

1. There is NO WAY you will miss the book in stores. This is the book you carry on planes so they can see you in the dark and rescue you. So don't lie. Don't.

2. I assume there will be some dilution of the yellows and blues when the actually printing happens. Or maybe not. Carry sunglasses.

3. Everything on the soft-board serves a purpose. Plot-wise.

4. There is some fun stuff on the back. I will post that piece up shortly.

5. Robin is a coconut oil kind of guy.

Ok bye. I need to do some Facebook thingie.

Launching books is hard work.

The second press release, with even more rules for the office, went out today.

As the release mentions, you can do a bunch of things now:

1. Join the Facebook group

2. Check out the Twitter handle

3. Pre-book a signed copy, at a 20% discount, from Indiaplaza. Rs.159. Whatay awesomeness.(Though I have no idea how many orders they will take.)

Thanks to the first press release, Twitter, Facebook and Shashi Tharoor tweeting out a link to one of my Cricinfo columns, the Dork juggernaut has progressed from neutral to, err, second gear. Things are getting, how shall I put it, buzzy. So now for a round-up of all the action.

1. Press Release

The marketing folk at Penguin put out the first press release two weeks ago. A teaser poster went out to many press types and some web-site editor types. The release is below:

The text in the poster is as follows:

***

From the desk of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese

Business Process Analyst - Trainee

Einstein's Office Theorems (Part 1)

1. Never volunteer for anything. That's what interns are for.
2. It is better to assume and sit at home, rather than to call up and ask if it's a holiday.
3. The size of the HR department is directly proportional to the number of forms you have to fill when you join.
4. All information can be converted into a PowerPoint presentation. The reverse is impossible.
5. The CEO is always right. Even if it means only the CEO is left.
6. 'A very rough draft' means it was written with a BlackBerry on the loo.
7. When the coffee machine goes missing, it is time to sell stock.
8. 'Industry standard' does not refer to your industry.
9. 'Cost to company' is a shameless lie. But so is your LinkedIn profile.
10. Your IT team lives in a parallel universe where Firefox does not exist.
11. You are the 'new guy' till you get the water bottle with your name written on it in black marker.
12. The term 'work-life balance' usually refers to two different people.

Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese by Sidin Vadukut.

Out February 2010, Penguin Books India.

***

Second press release this weekend.

2. Media References

Dork also got a couple of plugs in the press thanks to HT Brunch, Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle.

HT Brunch:

Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese by Sidin Vadukut, is a laugh-out-loud story about a loser who ends up winning.

Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle:

Two of India's funniest bloggers have books coming out in 2010. Sidin Vadukut's Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese is about a loser making it to the top of the corporate ladder...

(Scroll down to the Books page. The mention is in the blurb. The other one mention my dear friend Greatbong's new book.)

Radio/TV/Web and other plugs are expected closer to launch. If you have any ideas, pluggable positions, ideas do drop a line. Details at the end of post.

3. Dates

The book is 'scheduled' to go on sale on January 30th at the 19th New Delhi World Book Fair. In New Delhi.

Ha.

Some details here. Basically it will go on sale at the fair at Pragati Maidan and, I have been told, simultaneously in book stores all over the place. Copies should be kept somewhere prominent at the Penguin pavilion. I have no idea if the situation will be conducive to signing or readings. But as we get closer to the date I'll make some for of arrangement. Of some kind.

But by and large all readings and other activities especially in non-Delhi locations are scheduled from the first week of February. I've been told it is a bad time with many book launches. But I am prepared to slog it out. As long as I get leave at least.

And an audience. Gulp.

4. Price and size

The book will be available for sale at Rs.199. (99% sure.). It will be 240 pages long. (+/- acknowledgements and misc.) It will be approx. 5 inches wide by 8 inches high. I think. I can never put my head around book cover measurements. Especiall non-metric ones. The cover design is complete. In shocking yellow and blue. To put it mildly. The press release above should give sufficient clues.

I'll post out the cover over the weekend.

5. Excerpts

While there is still hectic planning happening over potential excerpting options, two have been fixed. A longish excerpt right from the beginning of the book, plus a essay on writing your first novel will appear in Mint Lounge very soon indeed. (Very very very very excited.)

Another one is scheduled to appear in an in-flight magazine. February issue I am guessing.

A couple of online excerpts are in the works as well. But will know solid plans only in another week.

Of course you can expect a few excerpts on Whatay.com. All in due course.

6. Contests

Plenty of contest ideas are in the works. Trying to close a couple of them over this weekend. And I want to give out more than just signed books but some other, less enjoyable, gifts as well. Let us cross our collective fingers and hope.

7. Pre-booking/Alerts

The wonderful people at Flipkart.com allow you to drop an email address and be alerted when the book comes in stock. Go here.

If you want signed copies you could go and fill up a form I've made here. Depending on how many people respond and locations, I will make every human effort to fly over and sign copies, or ship signed copies to you.

Wait another two weeks and another major online retailer SHOULD be putting up signed copies for sale.

(All this is valid for India only. It is way too early to say when it will be available outside India. UK and EU looks good. US not so much. Kindle and other ebook platforms I have no idea man. The geek in me wants to do it. The accountants at Penguin will probably want to wait and watch.)

So that's the scene right now. If you work in a media outlet or even a marketing savvy firm that want's to do an interview/event or a contest around the Dork release, drop me a line on sidin@whatay.com. Or tweet/Facebook me. I would be glad to help you. So that you can do something. That will sell the book. That will make me rich. And provide my wife with copious solitaires.