My latest Publishers Weekly column, “With a Little Twitter Help,” describes the invaluable aid I’ve gotten in my ongoing self-publishing project, With a Little Help, by asking my readers through Twitter for help. I’ve now got a functional SD card cloner, free packaging materials, and a website design, and as soon as a few technical/contractual details are ironed out with Lulu.com, I’ll be ready to launch:

Soon after, another realization hit me: I still had no idea how to ship these things. I used to run the mailroom at Bakka Books, the SF store in Toronto, and I got very good at improvising cardboard book mailers out of scrap boxes. But I really wanted something less labor-intensive. I’d planned on using a 4mm cardboard book box, similar to the ones used by Amazon for single-book mailings. I’d then pad the book inside. I’m charging $275 apiece, so I figure I better make sure the books arrive intact! I was just about to order some bubble-wrap sleeves when my eyes lit on a small stack of burlap coffee sacks on one of my storeroom shelves.

I love coffee sacks. The burlap is soft but scratchy, tactile, and it smells great—coffee and sisal. I thought, if I got a book wrapped in this, I’d love it. So I cut up a sack and tried tying a book in a couple of configurations. I snapped some pix, put them on Flickr, and tweeted: would you be delighted to get a book wrapped like this, or put off? The chorus of “delighted” was unanimous. So much for less labor intensive—but as an “Internet guy” I must say I’m finding all this physical stuff almost indecently pleasurable. It’s like being back in arts and crafts class.

My Twitter followers also pointed out that I’d need a layer of acid-free paper between the books and the burlap to prevent scratching, and several sent in the URLs for Web sites devoted to Japanese fabric wrapping. A few hours later, I got a tweet from the legendary Square Mile coffee roasters here in London. They have more coffee sacks than they know what to do with; could I come and take some, please? Another Twitter follower recommended a cheap cardboard mailer supplier called Zetland. I bought 30 boxes of mailers for £23.80.

With a Little Twitter Help

I’m speaking this weekend at the London edition of James Randi’s The Amazing Meeting, a two-day event featuring the likes of Stephen Fry, James Randi, Alan Moore, Graham Linehan, PZ Myers, Susan Blackmore, Rebecca Watson, and Simon Singh (and many more!). The Amazing Meeting is a fundraiser to support science and critical thinking.

TAM London 2010 is a world-class fundraising conference which this year is being held on 16 – 17 October 2010 at the Hilton London Metropole hotel. Join amazing speakers and over 1000 like-minded delegates for a fundraising celebration of science, critical thinking and entertainment in the heart of the city.

PLUS delegates have the chance to buy exclusive tickets to the premiere of Tim Minchin’s Storm movie and spend Saturday evening being entertained by Tim and special guests. A totally unique opportunity!

And if that wasn’t amazing enough, we’ve also arranged for a very special performance of Andy Nyman’s Ghost Stories on Friday 15th October just for TAM Delegates, with £5 off all tickets!

The TAM Fringe is also back this year, with free or nearly-free events in the week before and after TAM.

The Amazing Meeting London

Rebel UK MP Tom Watson and I are speaking together tonight at a panel for the Wesminster Skeptics, held in London at 7PM, free to enter, on the subject of “Beyond the Digital Economy Act.”

Beyond the Digital Economy Act

Panel including Cory Doctorow and Tom Watson MP

When?
Monday, October 11 at 7:00PM

Where?
The Monk Exchange
Strutton Ground
London
SW1H 0HW

What’s the talk about?
Now the Digital Economy Act has been passed, what happens next?

Beyond the Digital Economy Act – Monday, October 11 at 7:00PM

Here’s a set of Michael Eleftheriades’s photos of William Gibson and me on stage last night at London’s Intelligence Squared event.