Nancy: Well! I think it's time to get started. Bill, are you ready to go?
Bill: I'm ready!
Nancy: Great! Let me do some introductions. I'm Nancy Martin, the Guide to "The Simpsons" here at About. Our guest tonight is William (Bill) LaRue, author of "Collecting Simpsons!." He also runs a web site of the same name. And it is, of course, about collecting "Simpsons" stuff. I'll give you his web site address and other info at the end of the chat. Bill, how did you become a collector? When were you hooked?
Bill: I started collecting seriously in 1995 when I noticed how much I enjoyed the few items I had. That sent me off in a hunt to find more. It's now 4,000 items and counting.
Nancy: What was the first Simpsons collectible you acquired?
Bill: The first was back in 1990 when my wife bought a 15-inch Bart rag doll from Dan Dee with soft body and plastic eyes.
Nancy: I think I saw one on ebay today!
Bill: I saw one out at a toy fair last weekend. They are actually pretty cool, mint in box.
Nancy: What is that doll worth today, would you say?
Bill: Probably around $30. Although all the new merchandise has begun to change values a bit and it's been a bit hard to keep up with fluctuating values.
Nancy: Wow. That's actually pretty good since it's only been 10 years. Of your collection (4.000!), which collectible is your favorite?
Bill: My favorite is a full-size arcade pinball machine, although my official "Simpsons" crew jacket is probably a close second.
Nancy: Yes, you're in that jacket in the picture at your site.
Bill: Can't pry me out of it!
Nancy: LOL. Do you play the pinball machine? Or just gaze at it longingly.
Bill: Oh, I play it. So do my kids. It's got actual voices of characters and is really quite a fun game.
Nancy: That would be lots of fun. And a great family activity, apparently.
Bill: Can't pry my kids away from it.
Nancy: Now, your book came out about a year ago.
Bill: Yep.
Nancy: Was it difficult to get published? Can you tell us a little about how that happened?
Bill: It is self-published, which means I set up my own publishing company, hired a graphic artists, found a printer, and arranged to find distribution. It's been an eye-opening experience because the big publishing houses have a tremendous advantage. But I like the freedom of controlling my own destiny.
Nancy: Wow! How long did it take to put all of that together?
Bill: About a year. One of the hard parts was figuring out stuff like cover price, whether to include color photos, number of pages, etc. Because it's a relatively small print run, I had to make compromises in some ways just to be able to make it affordable to buyers and to not lose money myself.
Nancy: I'm surprised it only took a year. I hope the book is selling well. We'll talk a bit more about it at the end.
Bill: I kind of had a head start in that I had gathered a lot of information already for the Web site.
Nancy: Ah, that makes sense. Now, I've received lots of questions from fans around the globe about collecting stuff.
Bill: Fire away.
Nancy: We'll start off with an interesting one. Sara in Spain asks 'How old are you?'
Bill: 43
Nancy: LOL You must have an admirer!
Bill: (Blush)
Nancy: Do you ever suffer abuse for being a 43 year-old "Simpsons" fan with a web site?
Bill: Not any more, I guess, than being any "Simpsons" fan with a Web site. I think lots of people who don't follow the show closely have a hard time understanding the fuss of loving "The Simpsons."
Nancy: Don't I know it!
Nancy: Here's a question I bet you get all the time. minso in Staffird asks 'Where do you find collectible "Simpsons" stuff?'
Bill: It kind of goes in cycles. When I started, I found lots of stuff at flea markets and garage sales and close-out stores. For the past three or four years, it's been mostly the Internet. Now, there's stuff again in retail stores, including Spencer Gifts.
Nancy: Where do you think you find the best deals?
Bill: Amazon.com and Toys R Us seem to have the best prices for a lot of new stuff. I also like Sunway Co. Great customer service, too.
Nancy: This kind of follows what we've said: Kiyomi of Japan asks 'What do you think of using internet for searching something'?
Nancy: Where do you start? How do you search?
Bill: I love it. The Internet has made it so easy to find just about anything. I like starting with ebay because invariably that's where new items first appear, then I take my time and shop around for the best price.
