First Edition	Second Edition

Dave Fox won the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop Book Proposal Contest in 2004 for his proposal to write Getting Lost: Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad. The prize: a package of services from AuthorHouse, a company that uses "Print-On-Demand" self-publishing technology. With that publishing package, the self-edited first edition was published in June, 2006.

A year later, Dave signed with Inkwater Press to publish a second edition through traditional publishing channels (as opposed to self-publishing). That edition was released in March, 2008.

In the revision process for the second edition, many of the chapters were re-edited, with improved writing and tighter endings. Many of the short essays in the last section of the book were cut from the second edition — not because they were bad, but because they did not fit the tone of the rest of the book. (Dave hopes to eventually republish these essays elsewhere, but that could take a while.) Other chapters in the last section were folded into a new final chapter, which replaced the original ending.

With the new edition came a new layout. Dave was sad to bid farewell to the gang of sheep who graced the cover of edition one. That cover was designed by Rhonda Pelikan, an independent graphic designer. Inkwater wanted a clear distinction between the first and second editions, so their own goddess of design, Masha Shubin, set out in search of the perfect bovine. Masha has also done a phenomenal job with the interior layout in the second edition, adding whimsical mini-sketches in the margins to illustrate Dave's adventures.

Approximately 700 copies of the first self-published edition were printed. Dave still has a few copies for sale on this website, as well as plenty of copies of the second edition. He's happy to autograph them.

Which edition is best for you? Edition one has rougher editing, but it contains bonus chapters and it's cheaper. Edition two went through a more thorough editing process, and it's got a more playful interior design. Can't decide? Dave will sell you both of them together for a super low price!

Order the Book

Differences at a Glance
	Edition 1	Edition 2
Editing	Self-edited by Dave.	Professionally edited.
Chapters	Contains nine stories not found in edition two.	Some chapters have been deleted — not because they were bad, but because they didn't fit the overall flow of the book.
Ending	Contains space aliens.	All-new, space-alien-free ending.
Interior	Pure as an arctic glacier.	Cluttered with nifty sketches in the margins.
Cover	Baah!	Moo!