Here, Have a Free Slice of My New Book, for Free
Today, I am beginning what may be the busiest week I have ever lived in my life. Here are the things that are happening:
- I am finishing my edits of my new book. I may have to do some late nights to make this happen, but I will get it done.
- Something I can’t tell you. It’s important and kind of a big deal to me personally, but doesn’t have anything to do with cycling or this blog.
- I am completing and submitting an application to a reality TV show, at their request. I will either have more to say on this in the future…or I won’t. I guess it all depends on whether anything happens after this. What surprises me about this, though, is how much work it is to put this application together.
Why am I telling you all this? Because even with all this, I still plan to post as often as possible this week. Why am I doing this? Because I love you, you big crazy bunch of Friends of Fatty.
And also, because I have some kinda really amazing stuff to tell you about.
Pre-Order My Book (or Long-Sleeve Jersey, or Both), Get a Chance at Racing The Leadville Trail 100
It’s probably no secret that The Leadville 100 mountain bike race is a massive part of my life. That it has, for each of the past 18 years, been the focus of my racing efforts.
It’s also no secret that this race is pretty darned difficult to get into. I don’t know the numbers, but anecdotally it seems like entering the lottery gives you about a one-in-ten chance of getting in.
So I’m pretty excited to announce today that someone who pre-orders my book (or any of the items in my online store, including the t-shirt, jersey, a WBR donation, or a bundle) is going to draw a free entry into this race.
Yes, really.
And those of you who have already pre-ordered something? Yeah, you’re already entered in the drawing. How about that?
And even if you don’t win, well…you’re still getting the book (or whatever it is you ordered). And 25% of the profit still goes to World Bicycle Relief.
So no matter what, you get something cool (I promise, my book is cool…more on that in just a minute) and help the world become a more awesome place.
And of course, you also have a chance at winning any Ibis you want, completely tricked out with a top-end SRAM build.
Oh, and also…I’ll be announcing more prizes soon. Including one that is going to require you to have a current passport.
Here, Let Me Give You a Big Chunk of The Great Fatsby For Free Right Now
I am, in addition to being a beloved and award-winning superstar celebrity in the cycling blogosphere, a fairly imaginative person. This is, mostly, a good thing. Thanks to this trait, I generally have a pretty easy time of coming up with things to write about, and the writing process is a lot easier for me than it is for most people.
However, this imagination also makes for some freak-out-edness sometimes. I worry about things I shouldn’t. I lose sleep. I fret about worst-case scenarios, in spite of the fact that this worrying does me no good.
This surprises you, doesn’t it?
No? Oh well, let’s continue anyway.
So this morning I was talking to The Hammer, telling her how it worries me that my readers don’t know much about my new book, The Great Fatsby. You haven’t seen it and don’t know whether you’ll like it. So you don’t know whether you’re going to want to buy it.
“Well, why don’t you give them a sample to look at, so they can decide for themselves whether they want it?”
Oh. Well. Duh. Have I mentioned that one of the downsides of being an imaginative person is that I’m not a particularly practical person?
But I can recognize a good idea when I hear it. So here you go: a PDF of the first 28 pages of Chapter 3: “Valuable, Practical How-To Guidance You Can Use Right Now,” from The Great Fatsby.
Yeah, a 28-page sample—that’s about half the chapter. That should keep you busy for a little while…and it should give you a pretty good idea of whether you’re going to enjoy the book.
If you do, I hope you’ll pre-order it.
And I’ll be interested to hear what you think in the Comments.
Comment by Fellowfattychris | 11.17.2014 | 11:30 am
I love all the tips in the sample Fatty! Thanks for the idea Hammer! As someone who was apparently living in a black hole because I didn’t discover the greatness of this blog until early this year, all of this amazing material is new to me.
Comment by Neeta@scooter | 11.17.2014 | 12:02 pm
I really appreciate your love for cycling. By cycling one can challenge themselves with their own strength and limits. Every mile you cross there is one more horizon waiting for you to test the limits! Cycling not only promotes good health it’s also a great contributor to the Eco-System.
Comment by M | 11.17.2014 | 12:21 pm
Will the book be out on iTunes? Or even in .pdf?
Once I finalize the paper version, I plan to make an iBook version, Kindle version, and Nook version. I’ve considered doing an audio book, just cuz it would be fun to read the thing out loud. Not sure how I’d handle the footnotes though. Also not sure whether there’d be any interest. – FC
Comment by Susan's Sister Christine | 11.17.2014 | 12:24 pm
Elden–Good luck with everything you have going on this week! Hope everything goes perfectly. Now I am about to sit and enjoy a bit of Chapter 3….
Comment by leroy | 11.17.2014 | 12:31 pm
Wait a minute, my dog borrowed my credit card so he could buy a book about how to pay for bike stuff!?
Hope he got his own jersey. I’m not sharing one with wet dog smell.
Comment by Sunny | 11.17.2014 | 1:29 pm
I am not very good at cycling, but I love your writing and know a little of your personal journey through the years (because you have shared it) so I already ordered the book. Hope all goes well this week.
PS Leadville is out of the question for this gal.
If you win, maybe you’d like to give it to someone; that would be quite a present! – FC
Comment by MattC | 11.17.2014 | 1:39 pm
Oohhh…I can’t get to the “online storage site” that contains your 28 pages of Chapter 3 (it’s blocked by my big bad corporate internet security system). I’ll have to read it at home, darn it!
But at least my dog(s) don’t borrow my credit card to buy stuff. So I can be thankful of that. Good luck Leroy…I’d be running those credit-checks if I were you…who knows WHAT ELSE your dog has been buying!
Comment by MattC | 11.17.2014 | 1:48 pm
Oh…and just wanted to ask a favor of all you FOF’s out there…please don’t buy anything from this current contest (nothing against you or your way-cool stuff Elden).
It’s just that I’ve been saving for “quite a while” now for a Ripley 29′er. But sadly, at the current rate of savings, my new MTB might be a 2025 model year. So I’d REALLY REALLY REALLY like to win this one.
Thanks for your understanding everybody…I knew I could count on you!
Comment by Meredith | 11.17.2014 | 3:29 pm
Amazing Race? With the Hammer at your side, you could totally rock that show!
Comment by Bo | 11.17.2014 | 4:06 pm
Any recipes? I lost my copy of the last book and think about that cake a lot.
Comment by Andy@wdw | 11.17.2014 | 4:18 pm
It’s it possible to win both the Ibis AND the Leadville entry? The Leadville 100 is absolutely on my bucket list, but I don’t think my road bike will be any help in that race. A brand new Ripley would sure do the trick though! :-D
What’s the difference between the 3 buckles in the photo? Are they podium finish, sub-9, and sub-12?
I take your name out when I draw it, so no: you can only win one of the two. If you’re the first one drawn, you get to pick which. The next person gets to choose from the remaining prize(s).
For the buckles, the little one is what you get when you finish under twelve hours. The medium one is when you finish under nine hours. The big one is when you finish ten of them (and you can see it’s personalized with your first name). There’s also a giant one for when you finish 20 of them. I have three more to go. – FC
Comment by Gumby | 11.17.2014 | 6:11 pm
Wow! You are being ***recruited*** to appear in a reality TV show!
Comment by Justin L. | 11.17.2014 | 8:25 pm
I wanted to get a kindle or ibook version, however, the thought of winning an IBIS bike sucked me in. So now i just bought the paperback version and will still want to buy the digital version, so you get two buys from me. Looking forward to it, it will be the only christmas present to myself, since i spent the rest on my 3 kids. An audio version might be fun while sitting on a spin bike in the winter rain. Then again, maybe not, if listening to you has me laughing like a moron at the gym, while i should be suffering.
Comment by Justin L. | 11.17.2014 | 8:26 pm
By the way the 28 page sample was great. It reeled me in. Looking forward to the whole book, anything to help me kill time sitting at the inlaws for the holidays!!!!!
Comment by Carl | 11.17.2014 | 10:53 pm
I ordered the whole bundle already, so I won’t read the part you posted today. Good luck with all the stuff you have going on… hope everything goes the way you hope it does.
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.18.2014 | 12:58 am
Dear FatCyclist:
I had to wait till I got home to a computer since it was impossible for me to express myself on a phone keypad, luckily my incredulity had not ebbed.
Probably the three most incredible declarations I’ve ever read in your blog.
…it worries me that my readers don’t know much about my new book
…haven’t seen it and don’t know whether you’ll like it
…you don’t know whether you’re going to want to buy it
Seriously?
I can only conclude that the 100MoN took 5 minutes longer to sell out this year than in years past.
That you hadn’t seen AKChick’s impassioned plea to one day, come to Alaska.
Or our ‘comment count has fallen below some blog metric standard as defined by Gardner.
Anyone who has read anything by you would immediately know they needed more. The chance for Leadville, an Ibis, or anything else that becomes part of this event would only be icing on the cake. Money to WBR; ice cream for that cake!
We all know Lisa is the wise sage of the Nelson Castle, but one page was all the ‘taste’ we needed.
or,
A ‘dog eared’ review from Leroy’s dog
or,
a brief review from Paul Guyot
Any of these would be sufficient to have us buy not one, not two but easily THREE copies each!
To fret and lose sleep suggests you forgot that great scene in Breaking Away where Greg Lemond says “if you write it they will come.”(it’s in the Directors cut)
Relax, enjoy, and have faith in all of us. After all you’re our ‘leader’!
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.18.2014 | 1:03 am
….After all, you’re our ‘leader’! (take two)
Comment by Kukui | 11.18.2014 | 2:16 am
This book is gold dust based simply on the fact that “hornswoggled” made it’s way onto the page.
Oooh, and that Ibis Ripley looks sweet. It would be nice to add that to my growing collection of N+1 bikes without having to resort to begging or bait-and-switching… every time I try that we somehow end up with a puppy instead of a bike…
Comment by BostonCarlos (formerly NYC) | 11.18.2014 | 8:31 am
can I win 2 ibis ripleys in one year!? Nah… I think I’ll get the Mojo this time.
Comment by Snowcatcher | 11.18.2014 | 11:37 am
I would so buy every single book you ever write on CD, even if I already have them in print or electronically. PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE, READ ALOUD INTO A MICROPHONE!!!
Comment by Doug (way upstate NY) | 11.18.2014 | 12:29 pm
Carlos, if anything I want to see you at Leadville. That would be just “punishment” for a 3rd win. ;)
Comment by Tes | 11.18.2014 | 7:05 pm
You have to do an audiobook! The we can listen to it during 100 MON!