Fat Guy Lays it on the Table

[suzilightning]

or ask your local Librarian Goddess (or Librarian God in rjwong's case) if you can look at their copy

or i'll fax you a copy if you say pretty please

[jhlurie]

Hey, Steven. It's Amazon sales rank #204,529! Congrats! (actually that's not bad for a non-fiction book a month away from publication)

Curiously enough, San Bernardino Fire Department (Images of America), by some guy named "Steven Shaw" (without the middle "A" initial) is ranked #823,540. And his book has been out for a year and a half.

[Fat Guy]

Today it's at 76,084 -- that probably means 3 people pre-ordered the book this week. Be sure to watch this number obsessively as it settles in to its natural resting place as one of the 50,000 most popular books of the fall.

[MaggieB]

Steve - just did my part by pre-ordering from Amazon...watch that number change! Can't wait to read your book. I'll be one of those mailing it to you for autograph, unless I'm lucky enough to get to a book signing.

[Angela Alaimo]

Today it's at 76,084 -- that probably means 3 people pre-ordered the book this week. Be sure to watch this number obsessively as it settles in to its natural resting place as one of the 50,000 most popular books of the fall.

←

Steven,

I went to pre-order your book the other day, and saw on the page that 1st August was now the publication date. I was hoping to have your book to take with me when we go on holiday in VT, but we'll be there on the first and so I would appreciate some insider information so I can figure out what to do.

TIA,

Angela

[Fat Guy]

I'm no expert on the book publication process, but as I understand it there are several dates in the sequence, such as printing date, stock date, pub date, etc. The only one that matters from a consumer perspective, however, is the "on-sale date." In the case of Turning the Tables, the on-sale date is August 16 (this has not changed). Bookstores, warehouses, et al., will surely get the book at the end of July, but I don't think they will actually ship them or put them on shelves until the on-sale date. Then again, you could get lucky. My wife Ellen has gone through five book publication sequences with her books and we were almost always able to get the book from Amazon and Barnes & Noble earlier than the on-sale date.

[Angela Alaimo]

Ok, thanks. I'll put in the order and take something else to read.

[jhlurie]

I'm no expert on the book publication process, but as I understand it there are several dates in the sequence, such as printing date, stock date, pub date, etc. The only one that matters from a consumer perspective, however, is the "on-sale date." In the case of Turning the Tables, the on-sale date is August 16 (this has not changed). Bookstores, warehouses, et al., will surely get the book at the end of July, but I don't think they will actually ship them or put them on shelves until the on-sale date. Then again, you could get lucky. My wife Ellen has gone through five book publication sequences with her books and we were almost always able to get the book from Amazon and Barnes & Noble earlier than the on-sale date.

←

Yes, but I believe that the retailers get into big trouble with the publishers if they jump an "on-sale" date. Even with books that are not expected to be Bestsellers, a lot of the success of the book is judged by first week sales and disrupting that process by shipping (and thus charging for and "selling") a book early screws with that calculation.

[suzilightning]

Yes, but I believe that the retailers get into big trouble with the publishers if they jump an "on-sale" date.  Even with books that are not expected to be Bestsellers, a lot of the success of the book is judged by first week sales and disrupting that process by shipping (and thus charging for and "selling") a book early screws with that calculation.

←

not just the booksellers but libraries, too. we'll receive our copies of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince probably this friday. we will be able to process them and get them ready for the shelf, put them in our catalog so those who didn't pre-request can add their names to the waiting list but we can't give them to our patrons until saturday the 16th. publishers have been known not to sell to stores, libraries, etc. who violate the argeements we make.

[Dave the Cook]

Today it's at 76,084 -- that probably means 3 people pre-ordered the book this week. Be sure to watch this number obsessively as it settles in to its natural resting place as one of the 50,000 most popular books of the fall.

←

I checked this morning, and it had crept into the high 40,000s, but now it's languishing at 82,323.

Regardless of its Amazon rank, or when you might actually get your hands on a copy, you can read the first few thousand words today, in the Daily Gullet.

[DoctorPaul]

I had the pleasure of reading a proof copy of Steven Shaw (aka Fat Guy)'s new book "Turning the Tables"...in fact I'm still reading it.

It's essentially a guide for the unitiated (and a refresher for vets) on how to insure service when you go out to eat.

Having spent almost 12 years in this crazy biz, I can honestly say that for myself, there weren't a whole lot of new revelations (except the section on sushi bar etiquette...well done!)

But, after reading just two or three chapters, I've come to a conclusion:

While "Kitchen Confidential" (aka my personal bible) should be required reading for anyone considering foodservice as a career or going to culinary school, "Turning the Tables" should be required reading for anyone who ever plans on dining outside the home in any capacity, particularly if they've never worked in a restaurant, and in some cases, even then.

Recommend it to your friends and neighbors!  Make our jobs easier!!!

←

Peter...

That sounds like a wonderful, must read book.

While having lunch at a local eatery, I placed a twenty-dollar bill on the table...payment for a cheeseburger. The waitress grabbed the cash and asked if I wanted change. The meal ran around eight dollars. Not knowing what she specifically met, I responded with..."No!" What a mistake. Goodbye twenty. In my opinion, the young lady should have brought the remainder back to my table, leaving the tip decision with the customer. Live and learn!

[Ninjai Fanatic]

Congratulations on the book Sir! I hope to get my hands on a copy sometime soon.

[Rebel Rose]

Irwin, I'm speechless. Thanks for your kind words. And yes, my intent is to write at least two companion volumes -- but on account of ongoing talks with publishers I'm not yet at liberty to discuss those plans.

I haven't even read the first book yet, and I'm hungry for more. Hearing about the process is great fun. I suppose your publishers want you to wait for now so as not to detract attention from the release of Turning the Tables, which certainly makes sense. Do you have a vague idea of when you'll be free to discuss future projects? Six months? A year?

[Fat Guy]

Sooner than that. It's just a question of getting through some negotiations. Maybe a couple of months.

[Fat Guy]

There's a fun piece in the Telegraph (London) about the book today:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wine/main.jhtml.../21/edeat21.xml

Also I'm going to be on Spanish radio in about an hour. That info is here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=71293

(It's in English and you can listen online)

[jhlurie]

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,808 in Books, baby!

Everyone can go buy their copies tomorrow. Barnes & Noble, I was told today will, oddly enough, apparently be carrying the book in the "Professional Cookbook" section. You know. Right next to people like Rachael Ray, Thomas Keller and Dom DeLuise. Okay, maybe only Keller (I think there's a difference between "Professional Cookbooks" and "Cookbooks").

Actually BN.com is doing their own thing. They are classifying the book like so:

Find Related Books

• Industries

• General & Miscellaneous Cooking

Amazon doesn't really seem to categorize books as minutely, but they claim that "Customers who bought this book also bought":

# The Perfectionist : Life and Death in Haute Cuisine by Rudolph Chelminski

# Hotel Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones

# The Sky's the Limit : Passion and Property in Manhattan by Steven Gaines

# Garlic and Sapphires : The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

# Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking by Anthony Bourdain

and that "What similar items do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?"

* 15% buy this item (Turning the Tables by Steven A. Shaw

* 8% buy Fork It Over by Alan Richman

* 2% buy Sirio by Sirio Maccioni, Peter J. Elliot

* 1% buy A Meal Observed by Andrew Todhunter

* 1% buy Don't Try This At Home by Kimberly Witherspoon (Editor), Andrew Friedman (Editor)

* 1% buy Super Chef by Juliette Rossant

What this all means I have no clue.

[Fat Guy]

Most people looking for non-cookbook books to read about food instinctively gravitate towards the cookbook section, where they will find, alphabetized separately on their own shelf, the books they're looking for. The section, which in most Barnes & Noble stores is called professional cooking and food writing/essays (not professional cookbooks) is a section within the food books section that houses Ruhlman and such -- all the narrative nonfiction books about restaurants, chefs, etc.

[Busboy]

Senior Washington Post Critic and all-around eminence gris Jonathan Yardley looks at Turning the Tables here.

Reader's digest version: 11 Paragraphs of "A former lawyer who now does food journalism on and off the Internet, Shaw may be just about the best friend the restaurant business has ever had, which so far as the reader is concerned is both good news and bad news. The good news is that Shaw knows a lot about restaurants and how they work, so he provides a lot of interesting and useful information. Moreover, he's not a food snob; a hot-dog stand in Connecticut gets as much applause from him as an expensive, trendy vendor of haute cuisine in Manhattan..."

One paragraph of "This is where the bad news comes in. Shaw has some very odd and, to my mind, totally wrongheaded notions of what a restaurant critic should do..." and then explores battles that any eGullet old hand will quickly recognize.

Congrats on another good review, Steve, I may have to buy the damn book after all. Hey, Bourdain did a book signing at the Dupont Circle Farmer's Market down here, and now he's as inescapable as taxes and faux martinis. Maybe you should come down.

[Fat Guy]

I'll be there, doing several events in October. They'll all be posted on the eG Calendar (as are some events already, with more to come).

[Fat Guy]

The nice things about Yardley's review are that 1) they ran it in the Style section (this has been the big challenge in promoting the book: getting it out of the cookbook ghetto and into mainstream reviews and news pages), 2) he reviewed it seriously and at length, and 3) the good news/bad news structure really forces people to read to the end, where they find out that the bad news is pretty minor -- at least, from the standpoint of whether or not one should buy the book, it's irrelevant; it's just a disagreement.

I'm glad we're generating controversy over the reviewer anonymity issue. We've now had Wine Spectator's reviewer supporting the book, the Washington Post critic attacking on that point (in an unnecessarily dismissive manner, I think, but what can you do?), and the New Yorker covering the issue while not particularly taking sides. So, I can't really complain about the media coverage the book has been getting.

[jsolomon]

Hmm... I wonder if my ersatz independent bookstore will have my copy today so I can peruse it whilst on my trip to Manitou Springs.

Oh, yeah, check out my ISO Dining Companions in the West & Southwest forum. I don't want to be bored while I'm there.

[Jennifer Iannolo]

I won't say much here, as I'm reviewing the book for my site, but as I've said to you privately, Steven, I think Turning the Tables brings a lot of important things to light -- things that needed to be said.

Congratulations on your first book -- I do look forward to the coming volumes, and I'm happy the world has one less lawyer.

You may be the best thing that's happened to restaurant criticism in a long while, and you've certainly given me new insights on its inner mechanisms. Well done.

[jgm]

My copy arrived in today's mail and is on my desk. In two hours (lunch) I can start reading. If I'd known it was for-sure going to arrive today, I'd have brought something much better for lunch.

[Fat Guy]

It wasn't something I intended when I was writing it, but quite a few advance readers have mentioned that reading the book made them hungry, as in, "You bastard! The book made me hungry!" Then again, most of the advance readers were people who are always hungry anyway.

[rich]

Today is the Official Book Opening Ceremony - congratulations Steve! All the best. I just ordered the book and will take you up on the signing offer.

I hope you have chapter on tipping and the pratfalls of pooling in a Capitalistic society.

Seriously, all the best - a remarkable achievement. I remember when I saw my first TV/Video credit and print byline - but a book!!! That's the ultimate literary achievement.

Your talent and knowledge are always respected.