The Next Book
Monday, August 27, 2012 at 2:46PM Note: The Next Book was cross-posted at Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows.
Every time I complete writing a book like “Windows 8 Secrets,” I vow that I will never write a book again. And then I do.
This time around, however, I knew I’d write another book. I just realized I wouldn’t be doing it the way I’ve always done: With a publisher using a condensed and hectic schedule that results in an end product that can’t easily be updated and thus never is.
So I’m writing another book. It’s just going to be a different kind of book.
Why
Book writing is not a romantic, fun, or financially lucrative venture. It’s at the extreme end of the lots of work vs. little payoff ratio, the bad end. I smile sadly anytime someone suggests that I’m in this game for the money or, in the case of my most recent book explicitly, “promoting” Windows 8 to sell my book. Folks, wake up. There are individual months this year where the ad revenue on my web site outperformed what I expect to make over the entire lifetime of “Windows 8 Secrets.” I’m not in this for the money. If I was, I’d be broke.
(For whatever its worth, I’m sure some people have done pretty well for themselves writing technology books. I’m not one of them. I have never come out ahead financially, not once, and I never expect to going forward.)
So why write a book?
I’m a writer. And I think I do it well, I think, if only from the standpoint of being able to churn out tons of words fairly effortlessly. Like many of you, probably, I certainly complain enough about my job. But the truth is, I like it. And I’m good at it. (Whether the quality of the writing is any good is of course a matter of some debate. I’ll leave decision that as an exercise for the reader.)
I’ve also come to understand after almost 20 years of doing this that type of thing I like to write the most is the explanatory, informational stuff: Feature focus articles, tips, and the like. (And not the quickie, me-too blog posts that exemplify the modern web.) And I feel like some of this stuff, wrapped together with some transitionary language, could make a decent book in its own right. My Windows 8 Tips series, for example, or the Outlook.com Tips.
And maybe that will happen. Maybe part of the experimentation that leads to this new book involves binding some previous material together and making it available in various downloadable formats. But while that’s happening, I’d also like to plot out the next book.
What
So what’s the topic?
After a lot of deliberation, I’ve decided to write about Windows Phone 8, creating a sequel of sorts to my 2010 book, Windows Phone Secrets. I say “of sorts” because it’s not a direct sequel—I can’t/won’t use any of the material from that book or my SuperSite articles for the book—but is rather a spiritual sequel, one that covers Windows Phone 8 to the same level of detail as that previous book did for the original version and in roughly the same length.
For now, I think of this book generically as Windows Phone Book, or Windows Phone 8 Book, but I suppose part of the process will involve giving it a name. And that’s where you come in.
How
The big change for this book is going to be the process.
In the past, I’d contact the publishing company, or they’d contact me, and we’d agree that a book would happen. A schedule would occur and be missed, and then would occur a few more times until the actual writing of the book happened at a feverish pace late in the development of the product I was writing about. Money would exchange hands, in small amounts, and at odd times. And then the book would be released—i.e. printed—and after a brief spurt of promotional activity, I wouldn’t hear from the publishing company until the next book.
I’ve had conversations with this company about doing things differently, about adapting to the times and making a book that was dynamic, updatable, and interactive. They mean well, I know they do. But like so many other companies that have been successful doing the same thing, it’s hard for them to adapt. They make eBook versions of the title in various formats. But that’s about it.
I want to do something different.
For this book, I’ll write it as before. I will come up with a vague schedule of sorts that I know I will miss. But this time, I’m going to publish the book as I write it and invite readers to submit feedback. I will incorporate that feedback into the book as it’s written. As Windows Phone 8 changes, potentially, over the course of its development period, I will update the book accordingly. Not just the text itself, but the basic layout or structure of the material as well. I’d like to revisit the way this is done too. Instead of sections and chapters, maybe we have smaller pieces about features or scenarios. Maybe we don’t. I’m sort of making this up as it happens. That is in fact the point.
There will be a broad and public discussion about this book and how it evolves. This will happen at a new web site, Windows Phone Book, where I will begin posting a preliminary table of contents for the book and then individual chapters.
The book will always be free for anyone that wants it. You will be able to download it at any time in its development in whatever state it’s in at that time. I intend to make it available in PDF at least, but over time there will be various eBook formats (Kindle, Nook, Apple, whatever), and native app versions for both Windows Phone and Windows 8. Maybe those versions gets interactive, with videos and so on. We’ll see. Again, I’m making this up.
How will I make money on this book, you ask?
I won’t, at least not directly. I’m giving it away if you want that. In the future, I suspect you’ll be able to buy a printed version through Amazon or whatever at some charge, and I suspect the eBook versions can’t be free, though I’ll see what I can do. But I will be writing about the topics in Windows Phone book here on the SuperSite as the book is written, so I will probably end up doing just fine. What I write for the book will feed into my stuff here.
When
So when will the silliness ensue? I’m reposting this article on Windows Phone Book and see what the initial feedback looks like. Over the next few days, I’ll begin posting some rough ideas about how I see the book structure, and see if that passes muster with folks. And then I’ll being writing it, in a very haphazard way, probably on a sort of feature-by-feature or topic-by-topic basis. I suspect I’ll need to use the Windows Phone 8 emulator in the SDK in the beginning, since I don’t have a device. And that will limit what I can write in the beginning. But I’ll contact Microsoft and see what I can do about getting a device as quickly as possible.
My goal is to come up with something that will excite and satisfy Windows Phone users and enthusiasts. I’d like to engage more with the community and make this more a conversation than a one-way dictation. I would like to reward people for contributing, though I honestly don’t know how or even if that is possible. But I have to start somewhere.
I love Windows Phone. I look forward to writing an awesome book about Windows Phone 8. And this time, I hope to do it with your help.
Reader Comments (89)
I love this idea. Good luck!
Also, does Square Space offer any more modern site templates?
Can't wait and will be following this site closely. Thanks for all you do for the WP community!
Oh no... more to read from Paul. I can't keep up already... Will you ever stop?!
Er... wait...
Paul,
You keep surprising me! Great idea!
I think I just started reading this new book (and probably won't stop reading until it is finished ;-)
Looking forward...
Excellent! can't wait!
Hi Paul,
Sounds like a great idea.
I buy a lot of my books from manning, and they offer MEAP (Manning Early Access Program or something similar), where the e-book is sent out to those who've paid for it whenever updates are made. The cost isn't any cheaper, but as a MEAP reader I get the information early and in smaller more digestible nuggets than a full book.
As someone who switched over to a Lumia 900 from an iPhone 4s this excites me rather a lot! I love the device and plan to nab a Windows 8 phone when they are released. I am, however, not as savvy as I was with the iPhone and as a longtime Apple user, so would love such a book.
I'm also keeping an eye on the Surface and am thinking of swapping my iPad for one, so if you fancy further stress when it comes out, any books/guides would be much appreciated! :-)
I can't wait to see this comes together. Good luck Paul!
This is an awesome concept, Paul.
I love your work on Windows Weekly and your website and will continue to support you here!
I like the idea that the community will provide feedback to help improve the book over time and it could be a go-to reference for using Windows phone - a carefully curated wiki, crafted by an accomplished author, using a formal process.
I am all for it. I would love to see this concept applied to online learning in general. I will be visiting often to see how it progresses.
Suggestion: Allow donations for satisfied users.
My first thought was: isn't that in some way just like a huge Wikipedia article? But the more I think about it, the more I like it, because there's someone in charge of writing and putting together that 'article' who knows what he's doing (and that would be you, Paul).
So I'm really looking forward to this project.
Good stuff Paul. Love your writing & podcasts and looking forward to getting my teeth into WP8. I can't think of a better guide than yourself to show the world what we already know - That Windows Phone is the best phone OS bar none.
Best of luck Paul & I hope to contribute in some small way down the line.
I love this idea, and I look forward to participating with providing feedback.
Paul,
I wholeheartedly applaud your choice of topic (Windows Phone 8) and your determination to keep writing while seeking a way to make a buck doing so ... please know that we NEED books! Both users and developers! Producing something .. a book.. that is interactive and digital is a wonderful idea! I hope it works and catches on!
Personally, I pretty much only buy ebooks nowadays .. I prefer PDF because I can use it on the PC and can print 20 pages (or 100) for convenient offline reading. I still think nothing is more convenient than paper!
Thanks for doing this .. and I wish you every success!
Keith
Great idea Paul! I have been reading your supersite for about 4 months now and have found it extremely helpful. I appreciate your hard work. What do you think about numbering the paragraphs in your new "eBook"? For example Section (or chapter) #, then page #, then paragraph #. Would that simplify any additions, deletions, changes, etc to text as you compose the live document? Just an idea. Of course, you or someone else may have a much better idea. Thanks again for the supersite!
This is great news. The value of your first WinPhone book to me was more than just what I learned for my own use, but in incorporating your hints and processes into showing interested family and co-workers how best to show off the attributes of the OS, I've converted a number of folks to WinPhone.
I am excited about the new technology appraoch to this edition. And I really like the font you are using on this website. Please include a section summarizing the differences between WP 7X and WP 8.
Great idea. This is going to be a whole lot of fun. Let the experiment begin. We're behind you on this a 110%.
This is a fantastic idea! It sounds like you should ditch your current publisher and go to O'Reilly. After listening to Leo interview Tim O'Reilly, it sounds like they have the same philosophy of information distribution instead of just publishing. I'd be willing to bet that Tim would be on board with this experiment. I'll be checking this site for the next content release, good luck!
Have you considered having a 'Donation' option for the electronic formats of the book?
I think most of your readers TRULY value your work and insight - and they may wish to leave a token of their gratitude. I think there is a lot to be said for the "pay what you want" model that Radiohead has used in the past. And Louis CK had some success in making his stand-up shows available for download at a very modest cost. By all means make you content free, but have a Donation button too. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Paul just a GREAT idea. Love it!
Wish U luck and hope I get to participate.
I am all in! Love your writing's from Delphi forward.....still awaiting the Windows 8 book from Amazon.