Just finished it. About what I figured.
The menu design, structure, and function is fairly rudamentary, just like it would be if someone with a basic grasp of home-PC DVD production savvy was doing it on their own computer. This disk also has some prints and blemishes where it's been handled, all consistent with being removed from a stack of disks and manually inserted into the case. Reinforces my belief that he did this all on his own.
The disk is a production piece, it doesn't appear to have been burned-at-home. But disk reproduction services are available just about anywhere. He could have easily had a couple thousand disks duped from a master copy and done the surface labeling himself. The jacket insert has all the appearances of being commercially printed but, again, a trip to Kinkos for a couple thousand copies is an easy weekend project.
Kinda neat in a way. If my presumptions are correct, he's really putting in the effort to try and get this thing out. Impressive that someone believes in their work that much.
Brad
*Edit to add*
p.s. - Now I'm gonna have to find some contact info. The disk is fubar'd on chapter 11. It plays on the bedroom DVD player with a few shudders and jitters. Didn't think anything of it because that player is a cheapo piece of crap and does it on most disks. The living room player and the computer freeze in the middle of that chapter. It's got a gouge in the disk that would correspond to about that time index. Problem is, no invoice or contact info in the package, and no contact info on his web page. Hmph.
p.p.s. - Amazing what you can find on the interwebz. Pretty sure I have his home address, complete with pic (couple of hot rods in the drive, too). Sending a replacement disk request via snail mail tomorrow. Hope it's the right place.
