Augie: The Book

On and off since we moved back to Michigan, I've been working on a special project that I was hoping to have done before Christmastime. After a few last touches this afternoon, it is done. The picture you see above is the cover of a book I've been working on that includes almost all of the posts on Decoding Dadhood from the day Augie was born until the end of his first year on Earth.

Some time ago, someone mentioned to me that it would be neat if there was a way to save the stuff from the blog so Augie would be able to see it someday. I thought so, too, but was having trouble finding a way to do it. This spring, I noticed another friend, a photographer from school, had used a website to take some of his work and make it into a book. I checked the website out, and found that it had free software I could download to make my own book. Since then, I've been culling information from the blog and putting it into book format. I've been very active the past few weeks, because I wanted the book done before Thanksgiving.

It came out to be 100 pages. The last post ended on page 96, so I added a few pages of pictures never before seen on this website (though I can't say for certain if they ever appeared on Facebook). I plan to order my copy before the end of the month (assuming I can figure out exactly how to do it) because I have a 20% off code toward my first book.

The books on this particular website, blurb.com, are priced by type of cover (soft or hard), size and number of pages. According to their pricing chart, my book will be $44.95. I don't know if that includes taxes or not. With my 20% off, the book will only cost me $35.96. And if 7 or more people want to order a book, I might get another 5% off (I'm not sure if they allow discount stacking), reducing the price even further.

It may seem like a lot of money for a book, but I figure for under $40 my whole family can savor the memories of Augie's first year for a lifetime. The book will be looked at time and time again as he grows up. The way I see it, I spent more money on books for college that I never even opened.

If you, or someone you know, would like a copy of the book, let me know ASAP. I plan on making an order at the end of next week. I'll try to provide some more information on ordering (whether I have to do it all at once, or people can do it themselves) after I've uploaded my book to their website. Until then...