What Did You Do This Summer

So how did you spend the summer months in 2012? Travel to exotic locations for stimulating sightseeing? Bask at the seashore coated with lotion to protect from harmful UV rays? Or just do all business and no play in attempts to spawn ideas creating new toys and games?

I've been absent from my blog since late March and most forms of summer fun, (fall and winter, too) to concentrate with co-author Richard C. Levy in the preparation of our publication, The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook, for release as an ebook. We were gratified with hardcopy sales since its release in 2003. However, when our publisher notified us the book had sold out and would not be reprinted, that was motivation for us to update and move our work into the realm of digital readers. So, the 2nd edition will be digital like so much of other communication around us.

By foregoing travel, beach time, gardening, raking, shoveling and other seasonal activities, I am delighted to announce, "mission accomplished"! The Handbook will be available on Amazon for Kindle readers February 1 with versions for other tablets later in the year.

Indeed, the industry has changed significantly since the original hardcover publication. Inventors today are faced with even more challenges in attempts to license toy and game ideas as playtime, like our 2nd edition, has become more digitized. With invaluable help from some new contributors, active links to useful websites, and encouraging words from industry leaders, we believe the 2nd edition will continue to be a message of hope and direction to the creative talents that have been and will continue to be the lifeline of new products for the industry.

Richard and I hope that The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook 2nd edition, like its predecessor, will be one small steppingstone for inventors as they work to make their toy dreams reality. If we meet that goal for a few inventors, our project was well worth the collective loss of other leisurely pleasures.