Isaacson: Jobs biography could expand

The author discussed possible plans for expanding the 630-page book in the future with Fortune senior editor at large Adam Lashinsky.

By Richard Nieva, contributor

FORTUNE -- Liked Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs? There may be more to come.

At an event in San Francisco hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California, Isaacson shared a number of gems about the two years he spent with Jobs writing the book and talked about the possibility of expanding the title in the future. Fortune senior editor at large Adam Lashinsky moderated the talk.

The author discussed potential plans for expanding the already 630-page book in the future. One possibility is doing an extensively annotated version. Another is writing an addendum that addresses the period surrounding Jobs' death. Fleshing out the details seems like a logical next step, since Isaacson believes the Apple (AAPL) CEO's story will be told for decades or a century to come. "This is the first or second draft," he said, referring to his book's role in documenting Jobs' life. "It's not the final draft."

One of Jobs' unfinished projects was a dream yacht for his family that he redesigned over and over again, probably just because he loved that creative process, reflected Isaacson. (Read Fortune's exclusive excerpt from the book here.)

The author also talked about putting together the book's cover. All of the signature Jobs touches are there -- a sleek iPod-white body, minimalist design and even the Mac's signature font. The Apple co-founder jokingly threatened to stop cooperating with his biographer if he wasn't given some input over the cover. "It took me about one and a half seconds to say, 'Sure!'" said Isaacso. "I mean this is one of the greatest design eyes of our time."

The one subject Jobs refused to discuss with his biographer was philanthropy, no matter how hard Isaacson pressed. Jobs even ignored a personal phone message from Bill Gates asking him to take the Giving Pledge -- a joint campaign between Gates and Warren Buffett that urges billionaires to give at least half of their money to charity. Jobs even managed to take a dig at his rival: "Bill Gates was better at philanthropy because he didn't care about making great products," Isaacson recalled Jobs saying.