VMK - A Novel

[Enso]

to preface i should start by saying the reason im doing this. while in the final stage i might want to put it up for purchase, right now the goal is for me to have a physical copy of this completed book. i don't want to forget VMK and having this to look back at years in the future would be pretty cool. if all works out i'd like to maybe give away a copy or so to some supporters.

The Book

I haven't fully decided on the name, so I'd love suggestions, but I'm currently leaning towards "VMK: A Novel". I don't want this to be a very think book so I am planning on dedicating a lot of time to this with stories in-game and out revolvig around this virtual kingdom legacy.

I will talk about VMK, sulakes involvement, theories of its closing, VFK, MVK, Uvora, the many forums, VMKunleashed, openvmk, the conflict in the time peroid between ovmk & myvmk, and finally myvmk. Might talk a bit about games like Habbo (sulake), Toontown(disney) and other games people spread to. While this seems like a lot of topics: rest assured VMK is the main one.

I'd love to have 'interviews' with some of the main people involved in this journey but I am not expecting all too much in that department!


Some Questions I Have

Should the book be hard cover or paperback?

Should I focus on 'fill the void' games at all? (Habbo, Toontown, Smallworlds etc.)

What should the book title be, or do you like how it is now?

Thanks

Thanks for any support you're willing to show . Whether it be a "nice", to a suggestion on what you'd like to see, any input is greatly appreciated. I plan on self publishing & if I do sell it would be privately or possibly via Amazon, still looking into whether that would be a good idea given the case. This is a weird book, probably breaching some copyrights somehow, so it's aim is definitely not the shelves haha.

Updates

10/14 - Changed running name to "VMK: The Legacy"




Basically I'm writing a book about VMK & would love to hear your input.​

 

[chloeandre]

That would be awesome! The only thing I don't like about the title is that it seems like it's like an actual story with characters and a plot and an ending when it's more informational than anything. Seems cool though! I'd buy it for sure.
I'd go with paperback only because it's cheaper and saving money is always the way to go.
And I think you can talk about the fill the void games, but I wouldn't focus too much on them.

Good luck!

 

[Enso]

That would be awesome! The only thing I don't like about the title is that it seems like it's like an actual story with characters and a plot and an ending when it's more informational than anything. Seems cool though! I'd buy it for sure.
I'd go with paperback only because it's cheaper and saving money is always the way to go.
And I think you can talk about the fill the void games, but I wouldn't focus too much on them.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot for the feedback! How does "VMK: The Legacy" sound?

 

[chloeandre]

Sounds perfect!!!

 

[Fiyero]

I don't mean to doubt you or anything or try to bring any negativity on this post, but I like to keep a somewhat reserved mind about many things and ask the hard questions before I can put my faith in something.

1) I do hope you realize how long a book like this will take. Writers of books, especially for their first time, can spend months and years on their first rough draft, before they even get peer edits and take it to publishers.

2) Because of the documentary-like nature of this book, you will most likely be expected to back up your history with sources and professional opinions. With something like VMK, that is going to be especially hard, because all though it was a popular game in the Disney community, otherwise it was somewhat of a small blip on the radar. The reason I say you'll have to back up your information is because otherwise it becomes just a bunch of opinion, and hardly a credible book of the history of VMK. I really hope you can get

3) It will cost money. In less you can find friends who will do some editing/proof-reading for you, you will have to find and pay some editiors. Also, you'll most likely have to pay the publisher up front so they can make sure they don't just lose completely if your book doesn't sell well. I have no ideas what your plans are about getting it published, but if you do want to, these will be things to think about.

If you realize all of this, and are still willing to go through with it and make it the best it can be, then I wish you good luck and that I can't wait to see it when it's done!

 

[Enso]

I don't mean to doubt you or anything or try to bring any negativity on this post, but I like to keep a somewhat reserved mind about many things and ask the hard questions before I can put my faith in something.

1) I do hope you realize how long a book like this will take. Writers of books, especially for their first time, can spend months and years on their first rough draft, before they even get peer edits and take it to publishers.

2) Because of the documentary-like nature of this book, you will most likely be expected to back up your history with sources and professional opinions. With something like VMK, that is going to be especially hard, because all though it was a popular game in the Disney community, otherwise it was somewhat of a small blip on the radar. The reason I say you'll have to back up your information is because otherwise it becomes just a bunch of opinion, and hardly a credible book of the history of VMK. I really hope you can get

3) It will cost money. In less you can find friends who will do some editing/proof-reading for you, you will have to find and pay some editiors. Also, you'll most likely have to pay the publisher up front so they can make sure they don't just lose completely if your book doesn't sell well. I have no ideas what your plans are about getting it published, but if you do want to, these will be things to think about.

If you realize all of this, and are still willing to go through with it and make it the best it can be, then I wish you good luck and that I can't wait to see it when it's done!

I have some editors already. I don't really need to cite my sources because I am not aiming this towards the shelves. It's going to be privately sold aka you send me a private message and we can do this through pay pal kind of situation. I do have a job though so I am not concerned about funds really. I am also pretty committed to spending months on this, I am treating this like my baby so I won't rush through anything.

Thanks for the comment! I'd love to have your support along the way

 

[chloeandre]

You can also make books and sell them online through sites like Lulu. It's a really useful tool. You create your book either in some program like Indesign, or they may also have a book creator on the site. Making an account is free, you just have to pay for the books to be made. Not really sure what the full details are, but I made a small book through that site for a project and it turned out really nice. It's really simple and they don't run too expensive either. Just something to think about...

 

[Bindingkey]

from a professional standpoint you should probably get permission from Disney to do this. after all it is based on their product.

 

[ultrarobbie]

Interesting! Might bring some old players back into the world as well. The questions: I like the (new) title, and I think it would be good to mention those filler games as they will help people to understand this style of MMO which differs from the more mainstream games, plus give it some context (primarily Habbo and Sulake) as they are similar. I would say paperback, but that's entirely up to you; it's probably cheaper on paperback I'd say? This would be a fascinating book, quite an unusual one for games as I do not know of many theory novels about games other than YouTube videos or CreepyPastas which extend and twist history; and I'd like to learn a little more about it, especially as it does have an interesting past especially when it's connected to Disney.

 

[mijaro]

Why not include some comments by people that use to play VMK; especially the veteran players.

 

[mijaro]

Why not include some comments by people that use to play VMK; especially the veteran players.

What I meant is asking VMK veterans some general stuff. You know: "What got you into playing VMK? Did you ever feel that VMK was a second home? Were you devastated when you heard the game was closing? What was your favorite thing to do on VMK? In one sentence, how you describe VMK?" Something like that...