Читать книгу Alphabet of Manliness (revised and updated) - Maddox - Страница 27

This is the part in books where I usually skim the names in the off chance that somebody mentioned me, as you are undoubtedly doing now. I’m always disappointed when I don’t get mentioned, so I did my best not to leave anyone off the long list of people who helped make this book possible.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Cherry for putting up with my ill-temperament, grumpiness, and general bullshit while I wrote this book. She has been the most supportive person throughout this entire process, experiencing many of the same hardships that I experienced in seeing this book to its end. She tirelessly gave me advice and feedback at all hours of the day, even during my 5 AM red-eye sessions. Her understanding and tolerance know no bounds. It’s not possible to overstate her importance in writing this book. There would be no book without her, and that’s no joke. Check her out at www.yoyochinese.com.

I know I sound like a shit stabber by saying “thanks to all my fans,” but really, thanks to all my fans who have supported me, sent me amusing e-mail, porn, viruses, or signed me up to spam lists over the years. It’s been a blast deleting all your e-mails. Really, though, thanks for spreading the word and checking my site even in between infrequent updates. I’d especially like to thank everyone who created fan sites over the years and my fans on IRC for their dedication. Without you assholes, none of this would be possible.

Next, I would like to thank my Alphabet of Manliness editor, and now agent, Jeremie Ruby-Strauss, for all his hard work and enthusiasm for this project. He’s by far one of the most straightforward and honest guys I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with; he just plain tells it like it is. Jeremie first contacted me over seven years ago, and persisted until I finally got a deal. He adapts to emerging talents and technologies, and is one of the few people out there who truly “gets it.” That sounded way more business professional than I intended, so suffice it to say that Jeremie kicks ass.

I would also like to thank the Numbers of Manliness editor, Richard Ember, for all his hard work and patience with this project. Richard has been very helpful and understanding with all of the delays, and is one of the friendliest, most interesting, and best-grounded people I’ve ever met. I’m proud to call him my colleague and my friend.

Several of my friends were especially helpful in writing this book by reading early drafts and spending countless hours giving me advice and feedback at late night coffee shops: Dan “Taskmaster” Berman for his tremendous support and input. He kept me in line when I was on the verge of burning out and inserted gay porn into my manuscript to make sure I was paying attention. Dan and I collaborated on several sections in this book, and I’m very grateful for his help (check out his site at DanBerman.com). I also have to thank Tim Baker for his always lively commentary, solid advice, and for his very quick response to my initial draft. Thanks to Robert and Jamie D’Ausilio for their input, support, and encouragement over the years. My family for making this world a better place by having me.

Thanks to Robert Hamburger for paving the way for authors such as myself. Without the success of his book, Real Ultimate Power, many authors like me wouldn’t have ever been given a chance. My Internet service provider, Xmission (xmission.com), for their excellent service and anti-censorship policy that has allowed my site to stay up for over 12 years and counting. Curtiss Lopez and Erin Tyler for their help with the cover layout. Justin Killion for his friendship, enthusiasm, and input with several sections of this book. My good friend Shawn Schepps for imparting me with her sage-like wisdom over the years. Tamara V. Thorne for her very helpful advice and insight. She’s not only a talented author, but knows her way around a DOS prompt. Michael Gross from the Authors Guild (authorsguild.org) for his enormous help with the technical details. My book agent, Howard Yoon, for helping me with the contract negotiations and his forthrightness. WJFK’s Don & Mike—radio gods—for being the most talented voices on the air, and for being the catalysts for a lot of this craziness (my famous “children’s artwork” article was first read on the air on their show).

I’d like to thank my illustrators for their phenomenal work and the utmost professionalism. I know it can be hard to remain professional when asked to draw pictures of snowmen made out of tits and pirates ejaculating leprechauns, but they really came through when I needed them. Many of my illustrators stayed up late, worked weekends, and some even worked holidays to help get this project done. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to work with. These illustrators were all fans of my site before they were selected for this project, and I think their enthusiasm for this project shines through in their work. It was difficult choosing just 8 of the 762 potential candidates, and after seeing the submissions I received, I know for a fact that I have the most talented readers on the Internet.

I’d like to give a special thanks to Nort Mahoney for his tireless effort to help get my ass in gear to get the extended edition done. He cracked the whip when necessary and stayed up late with me to experiment with drinking whiskey and eating massive amounts of peanut butter cups to see if it would help with the writing (it didn’t). Nort is a badass. Also, hats off to Darryl Pierce, my pubicist. He did a fantastic job, and I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone for any project, or if you just want someone charismatic to talk to.

Thanks also to my good friends Brian Cooperman, Roger and Marie Barr, Amber MacDonald, Dax Herrera, Jonathan and Amanda Joyce, and Deborah Tarica for their input and advice in getting this book done. Deborah provided my favorite quote, and although it didn’t make it in time for the back cover, it was delightful enough to include here: “This book is awful. How did this get published for a second time?” Thanks to all of my friends at the Upright Citizens Brigade, Birds, and Peet’s Coffee for helping me while my time away, and listening to me ramble about blueberries, deadlines, miracle fruit, and mai tais.

Thanks to the staff at Kensington for dealing with my delays. This book turned out to be a lot more work than I originally expected. I would also like to mention Tucker Max, Max Wong, Carl, Mystie Eckman, Chuck Norris, my close friends Andy Lynn, Dan Kingery, Mike Negugogor, Robert Kangas, and Roy Horsley for their encouragement, support, or influence over the years. Also, thanks to the staff at Cup of Joe, and the dude who works late shifts at the 7-Eleven down the street for their coffee-related services.

But most of all, I’d like to thank me. Without me, none of this would have been possible. I really did a bang-up job on this book, and I deserve all the credit. I hereby revoke all the gratitude I expressed above and keep it for myself.