The old book: The Best of Down Goes Brown

(This page is from October 2012)

I wrote a book, and it's available now. Creatively titled The Best of Down Goes Brown, the book was released in September by Wiley Publishing. It's a paperback, and will list for about $15-20.

The book features 250+ pages of material, such as:
  • 46 old favorites
    (many of which have been revised and updated), including:
    - The suspension flowchart
    - The official map of an NHL rink
    - A detailed look back at game seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals, which due to a scheduling error had to be published twelve hours early
    - The Code: Hockey's unwritten rules revealed
    - How the NHL stacks up against the NFL, MLB, UFC and others
    - The 1993 Leafs/Kings liveblog
    ... and more (see below for a full list of chapters).

  • 24 chapters of exclusive brand new material, including:
    - The NHL War Room's top secret flowchart for deciding whether a goal counts
    - What an official suspension call really sounds like
    - A beginner's guide to advanced statistics
    - In-depth comparisons: Eric Lindros vs. Peter Forsberg, and Mario Lemieux vs. Patrick Roy
    - A brief history of Wayne Gretzky
    - A period-by-period look back at the 2012 Stanley Cup final
    - A history of the NHL's greatest rivalry: Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs
    - The ten greatest coaches in NHL history
    - A complete transcript of every postgame call-in show ever broadcast
    ... and more (see below for a full list of chapters).

  • Forewords by TSN's Bob McKenzie and James Duthie.

Here's some additional information about the book in a handy FAQ format, since long-time readers know that I'm incapable of just writing in paragraphs like a normal person:

Can I buy this in stores? It's available in stores right now. Most major stores in Canada and the northern US should have it. It may be a little tougher to find in less traditional hockey markets, although people are reporting seeing it pretty much everywhere. If you're outside North America, your best bet may be ordering online. Speaking of which...

Can I order online? Yes. You can order today from sites like Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, or directly from Wiley.

I'm from the Internet. What is this "paying for things" concept that you speak of? I was a little hazy on that one too, but I'm told that apparently you can exchange money for things that you feel have value. It's all very confusing, but the accountants at the publishing house seemed to think this part was important.

Is there be an ebook version? Yes... There's a version for the Kindle and the Nook, as well as Apple iBooks, Google Play and Kobo. You can also get an ePDF available directly from the publisher.

Do you make more money based on what version or where people buy it from? It varies slightly, but not enough to make a difference, so please buy whatever you want from whoever you want.

What does "exclusive" new content mean? It means that the new stuff will only be available in the book. It won't appear on this site or in the National Post, or (except for any excerpts they do for promotional purposes) anywhere else. If you want to read the new stuff, you have to buy the book and/or awkwardly read it in the store aisle while everyone stares at you.

Wait, Bob McKenzie and James Duthie wrote forewords? Do they even know who you are? Well... not necessarily. Let's just say McKenzie covers this topic in his foreword.

Can I get an autographed copy? In Ottawa, signed copies are available at the follow Chapters locations: - The downtown Rideau location - The Centrum plaza in Kanata - The Pinecrest location next to the Ikea megaplex

If you don't live near those stores, I will totally sign your book if you run into me in a bar and/or mail your copy to me. However, be warned that I haven't hand-written anything legibly since I first got the internet in 1995, so you could achieve the same effect by just taking a sharpie and scribbling all over the front page.

Which posts are included? What's the new stuff? Here's a full list of chapters. The new stuff is bolded.

Foreword by Bob McKenzie Foreword by James Duthie Acknowledgments 1. A Complete Transcript of Every NHL Game Ever Broadcast 2. The Ten Greatest Coaches in NHL History 3. The Other Former NHL Stars Who Interviewed for Colin Campbell's Job 4. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. the NFL 5. A Look Back at Game Seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final (which, due to a scheduling error, had to be published twelve hours early) 6. Take the Quiz: Do You Have a Concussion? 7. The Code: Hockey's Unwritten Rules Revealed 8. A Moment with the Guy Who Has to Go Out and Fix the Glass When It Breaks 9. What an Official NHL Trade Call Really Sounds Like 10. The Signs of the Hockey Zodiac 11. The Not-So-Original Six: A Look Back at the NHL's First Expansion Teams 12. The NHL's Top-Secret Flow Chart for Handing Out Suspensions 13. A Brief History of Mats Sundin 14. Signs Your City May Not Be a Viable Hockey Market 15. Behind the Scenes at the Rehearsal for the Presentation of the Stanley Cup 16. You Wanna Go? A History of Hockey Brawls 17. From the Archives: The 1993 Leafs/Kings Game Six Live Blog 18. An In-depth Comparison: Mario Lemieux vs. Patrick Roy 19. The NHL's Plan for Appealing to Video Game Fans 20. A Period-by-Period Recap of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final 21. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. Soccer 22. Behind the Scenes at an NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Session 23. Other Complaints about Brendan Shanahan 24. Leafs vs. Habs: Hockey's Greatest Rivalry 25. The Details of Don Cherry's Contract 26. An In-depth Comparison: Daniel Alfredsson vs. Zdeno Chara 27. Take the Quiz: How Will Your Team Do this Year? 28. Behind the Scenes at NHL Referee Tryouts 29. Come On Down: A History of NHL Game Show Appearances 30. The Official Map of an NHL Rink 31. A Brief History of Wayne Gretzky 32. How to Spend Your Day with the Stanley Cup 33. Determining Whether a Goal Should Count: The NHL War Room's Top-Secret Flow Chart 34. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. MLB 35. The Pros and Cons of Fighting In the NHL 36. An NHLer's Guide to Never Saying Anything Interesting 37. Democracy Doesn't Work: A History of All-Star Voting 38. Take the Quiz: Should You Rebuild? 39. A Tale of Two Homecomings 40. The NHL's Hall of Fame Application Form 41. Rating the NHL's Relocation Candidates 42. What an Offi cial NHL Suspension Call Really Sounds Like 43. Other Mario Lemieux Grievances 44. Understanding the New Wave of Advanced Statistics 45. A Brief History of Teemu Selanne 46. Other Ways NHL Teams Use Home Ice Advantage for an Unfair Edge 47. Seventh Heaven: When One Game Decides the Stanley Cup 48. How to Dominate Your Fantasy Hockey League 49. A Period-by-Period Recap of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final 50. NHL Hockey, Then vs. Now 51. An In-depth Comparison: Eric Lindros vs. Peter Forsberg 52. Take the Quiz: Was that a Dive? 53. No Ties Allowed: A History of the Shoot-out 54. So You Want to Be the Commissioner: The NHL's 1993 Job Application Form 55. The NHL's Top-secret Flow Chart for Dealing with Scandals 56. Nobody Remembers Number Two: A History of First Overall Draft Picks 57. How to Become an Ironman 58. Behind the Scenes at NHL Fan Training Camp 59. Signs You May Be Injury Prone 60. Inside the NHL's Legal Brief on the 2011 NFL Work Stoppage 61. An In-depth Comparison: Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin 62. Make His Head Bleed: A History of the NHL in Pop Culture 63. When a Day with the Stanley Cup Goes Wrong 64. Breaking Down the Battles: Inside Canada's Provincial Rivalries 65. Welcome to the Doghouse: A History of Coach vs. Player Feuds 66. Know Your Sports: The NHL vs. UFC 67. A Hockey Fan's Guide to Modern TV Technology 68. Behind the Scenes at the Matt Cooke Suspension Hearing 69. A Complete Transcript of Every Post-game Call-in Show Ever Broadcast 70. Dear Son, Welcome to Life as a Toronto Maple Leafs Fan






8 comments:

  1. Should get Pierre McGuire to do the audiobook.

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  2. When is this thing going to be on Kobo??. I keep checking and nothign yet.

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  3. HEY, good news. It showed up on Kobo today!!! :))

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  4. Not available on Amazon or BN. :(

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    Replies
    1. Available, but temporarily sold out. New stock on the way.

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  5. Remind us on 10/30, when it's available at B&N!

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  6. This book appears to be out-of-print now and thus commands outrageous prices for used copies on the secondary market. Too bad... sure would like to get a copy some day, but not for $110!

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