Digitally Obsessed on the Bava Book

Mark Zimmer's lengthy article about the Bava book and interview with me went live on the Digitally Obsessed website today, and you can read it here. Thanks, Mark!

In the meantime, the shipping ordeal continues and, boy, are my shoulders sore. Our friend Jan Perry has joined the assembly line (yay, Jan!) to help speed things along. I'm not only signing the books, but lifting each 38-pound box to the signing table, cutting them open, removing and unwrapping the books, and then breaking down the boxes for flatter storage. We haven't yet achieved Donna's dream of moving out 100 copies a day, but we haven't given up hope of getting there.

Delivery Day! Hallelujah!

Yes, folks, the Bava book is finally here.

We were told the first shipments would arrive sometime this morning, probably between 8:00 and 10:00. We got to bed later than we should have done, which explains the "sleepy tired" look on Donna's face when the first of two trucks backed up to the front of our house... around noonish.

These two gentlemen are Ray Grant and Jason Brummett, who personally unloaded two trucks' worth of Bava books and carried each 38-pound box (three copies per) into our house, building precarious-looking towers of weighty cardboard in what used to be our dining room and foyer. It took them five hours, working in 100º temperatures after noon, when the sun hits the front of our house without mercy. I don't know how they did it; I don't even like standing up for five hours. Make no mistake: these guys are heroes.

And here's Yours Truly, putting on a brave face in the midst of what looks like it could be the foundation of one of the great pyramids. Believe it or not, this is our dining room -- and, off-camera, my fingers are crossed that the floor will take the weight.

A special word to everyone who pre-ordered: You've all been very much in our thoughts today. This has been an overwhelming day for us, and we are very much aware that it could never have happened -- this book could not have existed as it exists -- without your financial and philosophic support. History has forgotten the names of the people who built the great pyramids, but everyone who acquires a copy of MARIO BAVA ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, now or generations from now, will know the names of the fans whose patience and investment made it a reality. And for those of you in the States, anyway, that reality should be in your hands in the next week or two.

So clear some reading time, people. You're going to need it.

Okay now, where'd I put those silver signing pens?

The Bava Book Comes to Cincinnati

The Bava books are arriving here at VW Headquarters tomorrow -- Friday, August 24!

We previously mentioned August 21st as the arrival date; this was the estimated time of arrival (barring any Customs exceptions) given us in writing by our printer. We tracked the shipment as it crossed the Atlantic by ship, then through this country by rail from the day it arrived on the west coast. (See the above tracking schedule -- you can click on it to make it more readable.) It was a worry for us every moment of the way because, after being told it would arrive early (August 11), we we were told on August 9 that the shipment had been flagged by US Customs for an "intensive" examination once it reached Cincinnati.

The railcar containing the books arrived in Cincinnati on August 15, and we've been in suspense ever since, waiting for the rail carrier to release the order to a secondary company we've hired to take the shipment to the local US Customs office. This happened on August 21.

Shortly after noon yesterday, Donna received notice that the shipment had been cleared by Customs and would be available for pickup today. We received word around 1:30 that a truck was on its way to take the container from Customs to our warehouse. Part of the order gets stored there and the other part will be loaded onto a smaller truck and delivered to our door tomorrow.

Since we had never gone through a Cargo Customs procedure like this before, we were frightened -- but, fortunately, the shipment was passed through pretty quickly. We've been told that it was a random spot check.

So the Bava books arrive here tomorrow and shipping will go on daily for a couple of weeks. All of the books need to be signed and carefully packaged, and this takes time. This is the stage where any haste or carelessness on our part could only hurt the product you receive, so please respect the extra measures we're taking to present you with a quality product in the condition you expect.

Thank you for your patience.

Ultimate Bava Book Auction Ending Soon!

Just a quick reminder to everyone that our Ultimate Bava Book Auction on eBay reaches its exciting conclusion in less than a day!

Here, in the east coast time zone, the final bids will be locked down Monday morning at 7:39:02 am. On the west coast, the auction ends in the wee hours of Monday morning at 4:39:02 am, Pacific time.

We apologize for timing the auction's end at such an awkward hour for most people. We hadn't sold anything on eBay in many years, and never anything on quite this scale in terms of page design. It was important for us to post the auction no later than Monday morning, to ensure that the winners' names and addresses would be in hand before the books arrive this week. If you're going to bed early, remember to bid your highest before retiring... or set your alarms to be there for the finish.

Thanks to the many numbers of people who are watching and participating in this historic auction! And good luck!

The Ultimate Bava Book Auction Is Here!

Actually, it's on eBay -- but, believe me, it's worth the trip. Click right here and check out the wealth of production materials and rarities Donna and I have assembled for the 10 lucky winners -- in addition to the first 10 signed and only numbered copies of MARIO BAVA ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK!

What could we possible offer in an "Ultimate Bava Book Auction"? Well, let me put it this way...

You've been pining to hear my never-released KILL, BABY... KILL! commentary? Here's your chance!

You've always wanted to eavesdrop on interviews with the likes of Vincent Price and Cameron Mitchell? Here's your chance!

You've thought of how nice it might be to have some actual manuscript pages from this historic effort? To see how I changed things before they went to press? Here's your chance!

You think 12 pounds and 1128 pages is awfully unwieldy and wish you could own a second copy that could be conveniently slipped into your laptop or jeans pocket? Here's your chance!

And you know what? That's still not even the half of it.

Go to the auction page now (why are you still here?) and check out the full details. Donna and I have worked very hard to make this auction as attractive and exciting and generous as possible. Our goal is to honor this once-in-a-lifetime publishing event by knocking your socks off not once, but twice -- first with the auction, and then with the book itself, which should start shipping shortly after the auction ends!

And remember... If you've already pre-ordered the Bava book, no problem -- you can still participate in the bidding. If you win the auction and have already pre-ordered, we'll gladly refund the price you paid for the book on request! (Some people may want to keep that second copy anyway, since they got it for less than half the cover price, so you'll have to speak up.)

Enjoy!