Writing a book

Hows things?

2007-06-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

So the book is starting to appear in different online stores, but I've not been lucky to see it in the shops yet.

It is strange how long it takes to appear in the UK stores once its finally been released in the USA. Your kinda looking at a couple of months.

I will know how its doing in October i think, not 100% sure as CRM was purchased by Thomson things changed alittle in how you get informed about numbers etc. But I can say from my Amazon watching, the book is doing OK in the UK, doing really well in France (thanks ;) and not so good so far in the USA. Not sure how to read into this yet, as i seem to remember that Make Amazing Games in Minutes took a while to sell anything in the USA.

Hopefully people who liked the first book might consider buying the second, or in fact the third once its out. I thought that having one book wasnt enough and two was not quite right, and with three hopefully it makes the buying situation better, because people who did like it might also buy and then you have "new" readers who then might buy the new book and then decide to buy the other books. OK i think this is a bit of a dream but got to have alittle dream now and again.

Got my books from the publisher, glad to see UPS did deliver it correctly this time ;) Im very happy with the book. When your writing books i think ive never written enough text, but when i get the completed works, i realise that i should stop writing so much and add more pictures, perhaps in book 3.

Now that I've got my 10 books, i can send them out to my family and friends who have supported me through the years or in fact for the book. Writing a book isnt easy and its nice to give your friends a copy, even if they don't need or want a copy as it shows that they have helped in some way in getting the project completed. Really, if i could take 3 to 4 months off work writing a book would be easy, but its not as simple as that, and the people that provide help are really the best. So thanks guys and gals i really couldn't have done it without you.

Onto other news, Im currently listening to Paul Mc Cartneys back catalogue (well some of it), great to finally be able to buy off itunes. Doesn't matter if you like his music or not, we all have music from our childhood, and his best music in the 80's and 90's really brings back memories. At the moment i'm listening to Flowers in the Dirt, Tug of War and Pipes of Peace. I think i only have to get Give my regards to Broadstreet and I will be a happy man :)

On the TV front, i have started watching The Unit, seems pretty good, and has the ex-president from 24 in it, alot better than "Over there".

Also watching Pirate Master, strangely addictive even though its cheap TV.

Well until next time, when i will give you a better idea on how PUGTW is doing, and any other random thoughts.

Take Care

Jason

Book Released

2007-04-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

I got my review copy from the publishers a couple of days ago. Waiting for it was alot of fun, i had the UPS letter through my door on Tuesday. Luckily for me I was working from home on Wednesday and Thursday, so I knew i was going to get it Wednesday. Of course after ringing UPS to confirm it was being delivered, I waited and waited. Ringing them up again later they then decided to tell me they had put the item on the wrong van or had mislaid it so that is wasnt going to be delivered until Thursday. I was mad at them, and the person on the other end of the phone was about as helpful as a dead toad. "Well it will be delivered the same time it was expected today", errm "yeah as long as they deliver it unlike today" I told her. It didnt help much, the usual "Were sorry", and thats all they can say. One day I would like these places to actually turn road and fix the problem, rather than leaving us to wait yet again.

Anyway after cursing of UPS, Thursday came and they actually delivered it. The book looks nice and is thicker than Make Amazing Games. So thats it, all i can do now is wait for it to appear on the various webshops, keep an eye on how its fairing in the charts ;) and get on with the next project.

As far as this books concerned, i still need to update the powerusersguide website, but other than that, I can officially announce this project is done.

The book is now available on Amazon USA, and shortly will be available elsewhere as the books start to filter through the system.

Thanks

Jason

The Final Curtain

2007-03-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend i uploaded the last changes to the book, and have now approved the final CD content that was delivered by courier.

Ive been advised that the book is going to print this week, and there is now nothing left for me to do on the book now. So the actual writing of the book is complete.

Its been a long and difficult journey, but its funny, all the hard work and effort is kinda forgotten due to the 4 weeks that have passed since i did the finishing up of the main manuscript work.

Oh well I hope that once the book is released people enjoy it and fingers crossed it sells well. If it does there is more chance of similar books being made, which can only be good for the "easy" programming market.

I will continue to post nearer to when the book is complete and once I get my copies from the publisher (and my ordered copy from Amazon). Let me know what you thought of the book.

Take care

Jason

Final Uploads and Changes

2007-03-10T07:55:00.000-08:00

The final manuscript was reviewed a few weeks ago by a professional reviewer and its was very positive. This was very uplifting and gave me a bit of a boost. Writing this book was very tiring but that really helped me feel good about this project when someone else gives it a really good review.

You would think it was all over and done with, but no ;) ...

I recieved a PDF of the manuscript with highlighted problems last week, and had a week to make the relevant changes and send them back off. Also I got a request to send the CD-ROM files to them, which i arranged a courier, unfortunately they missed the shipment and it didnt get there till friday by which time i had already uploaded another version of it, so that was a good waste of £54.

Yesterday was the deadline for the manuscript changes, which i had completed and sent back at about 7pm UK time.

I also had been sent a new front/back cover for the book and approved that (with some small changes). So as you can see pretty busy, considering the book was finished in January.

Things are getting close now, and I think everything is needing to get done quick because we are getting closer to the release date (April 15), which is only next month and five weeks away. Considering the book takes 4 weeks to print (so i believe) then it will need to be distributed, its going to be close.

Now the changes have gone back and the CDROM files received, there is only one thing left to do (yipee), once the CDROM printers have compiled the CD I get sent a copy to ensure it works, I then need to approve this and send a form back so that it can get printed.

From there on in, all my work on the book is done. So this time I really can say the finish line is in sight.

Join me next time when i post to confirm the CD-ROM was received and checked, and also when the book is released!

Suppose i'd better make a start on the next book.

Jason

Not over till the Fat....

2007-02-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when writing a book, it never seems to end, and your always plodding along doing something. Chasing permissions, amending text, testing the CDROM. You certainly need more than a little patience before the final printed text is in your hands, and you can finally say "Its done".

Though ive done very little in the 2-4 weeks, i have made a few small changes, completed the CD-ROM and emailed off the permissions form. Unfortunately im still missing one permission form, which will probably require me to change the image. Its a shame, but i cant let it stop the publication of the book.

Im awaiting the final changes to the book, at that point the finishing line will be in sight.

Jason

Im currently listening to OneTwo's EP.

Review Completed

2007-02-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

Having uploaded all of the files, i awaited the review. That has now come back (albeit quicker than i expected) and everything is fine and good to go. Ive made a few small changes and fixes to the manuscript to save me time changing them later, and ive just uploaded them to go ready into the production department.

They will now begin to format it and create a sample final manuscript which will look exactly like the book. Then they will send that to me to confirm all is ok. Im not sure when i might get this but i suspect by the 24th of February. At any rate things are going well, and depending on how long it takes to format, if it is no later than the 24th, then things are looking very good for the April release date. I wonder what happens if they complete it alittle sooner?

"Lost" starts again on Sunday, so i can sit down and enjoy it without needing to worry too much, basically the hard work is all but done on this book now, just finishing bits off and a final push. The only thing outstanding out the moment is the permissions forms. So im just trying to get them out of the way as its the last silly thing. Im hoping soon i can leave this one behind as done and move onto the third book, which i need to start in the next two to three weeks.

Jason

The Finishing Stretch

2007-01-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Oh my what a long month this has been.

After many different things going on, spending a few days at an education show (which was very interesting), and generally using alot of holiday up to try and get my book finished, im worn out.

Well I am glad to say, that after taking an extra 4 days holiday that i was planning to, ive basically finished :)

But not quite... as with all books even though i have just uploaded the final manuscript, theres the CDROM to complete, the permissions forms to get signed and then just when you think its all over the manuscript goes for review, editing and then is sent back so i can make all the changes to it. So though its nearly done its not quite.

Its been a strange month really, ive been working late at night, doing my full time job, doing the book and other things and ive been feeling alittle down. Over the last weekend i was working on probably what i considered the hardest bit of work, unfortunately i left this chapter to last and i must admit i wish i hadnt. It was really hard, and it took over two days to get to a point where my planning was done and i could get to writing it. Even when i finished it i wasnt even the slightest bit overjoyed or even happy. This is a totally different situation to last time where i felt really great after sending off the manuscript. The project hasnt been harder and everything has generally gone to plan, so i can only assume because of the shorter timeframe that has put the pressure on me.

After ive finished doing my day job tomorrow evening i will complete the CD part (which will require me to go through all the manuscipt - all 450 pages) and check the filenames are correct. Once that is done i can actually step back from this project and take a breather.... i say breather but ive still got lots of other things to get done.

Im still trying to work my way up the ladder in World of Warcraft, but that has really taken a back seat for a while ;)

So now that this is nearly done, i think that if i hadnt already signed to do another book i probably would be considering taking a break and just trying to catch up on all those other things i need to do (tax retuns etc).

Its late, im tired and i need a sleep. Tomorrow is another day and once this weekend is over my evenings will be free for a couple of weeks and then it all starts again for another 5 months. Oh Joy!

I will post again once the CD-ROM has been sent, and will continue to post smaller updates from now on. Until then have fun in whatever your doing.

Jason

The Final Stretch?

2007-01-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

Well its January, didnt the last month of the year go quick?

December was alot of fun, but very hard work. I was hoping that I was going to finish the book in December, this would have meant i finished it 28 days early, which would let me focus on a little break and also get some other work i have planned done. But nope ;)

Many late nights were required in December, but because i got so tired that after about 3 or 4 nights of going to bed at 2am, i was totally tired and couldnt work on the book for 3-4 days. It doesnt help that i also have a full time job working in front of a computer.

I also decided to write an article for a magazine, unfortunately their timescales were scary (less than a week), unfortunately i didnt want to start it to the last minute because i was desperate to get some work on my book done. This meant that i worked on the article on the day it was due, and went to bed at about 4am only to have to get up at 7 to go to my other job :). What a fun week that was.

OK... so you might be wondering how i'm getting on? Over the Christmas break i finally broke the last major milestone and that is getting under 100 manuscript pages left. Im currently at around 78 pages left, and i have till the 28th to complete it. So its going to be close, but next week i have some more time off and so hopefully will be getting alot closer. But only 2 and a bit weeks to go...scary. I have to admit still alot of work to go, but its starting to get exciting now.

Im currently finishing off Chapter 10, which is all about windows dialog's and other windows application objects (buttons, list boxes etc). The next chapter after this is quite straight forward and is all about text, this should be relatively simple. After that we have the Networking and operating sytems section, that could be a bit of a hassle to write about as networking isnt the easiest of things to get working out of the box. Then we still have a chapter about databases and files storage. Then from the practical projects point of view, we still have a zoo tutorial, a application creation and finally the Music program to write about. Looking back at the list, it looks pretty scary, and i think im going to struggle to finish it in two weeks :(

So i'd better get on with it. I now have the next three days off, so its very important that i dont get distracted too much and get on with getting some of these other chapters done and start work on the music chapter which is a quite complicated project.

Jason

Hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas :D

Halfway Late

2006-11-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Ooops Im a couple of weeks late getting the half manuscript finished (I think im about three weeks late now).

Im at about 200 pages, so 25 pages short of halfway. So fingers crossed, if i can keep my energy levels high enough Im hoping to send the half to the publisher. Im hoping that I dont get half manuscript writers depression. This is when you get half way, in one way your really excited about getting half way, and at the same time you get very depressed about only being half way... haha.

Still alot to do, but its slowly coming together. The guy Im working with to do some of the example files is currently on the last file he is providing, so im looking forward to that, as that will give me something good to get my teeth into writing wise.

This is part of the problem writing a computer book, the chapters im on at the moment need me to think up examples and make them up on the spot, which takes alot of time. In the book there are a number of practical projects, and some of those ive had premade, so i can generally just get on and deconstruct them, remake and write about them. I do have one example the Music player that is going to take some time to take apart as its pretty complex, im hoping to be able to get my head around it. But it will be very much worth it as its a major project that people will be taking on board by the end of the book.

Ive got a couple of days holiday this month to use up, but I have to get cracking, the book is due to be completed in January, and Im not halfway just yet :(.

Unfortunately December is going to be a hard month, as being 3 weeks late on a 5 month project is pretty serious as you can imagine. January Ive got things going on which mean i cant devote all my time to writing, so Decembers the month its either going to go right or horribly wrong.. hey at least i will have mince pies and Xmas episodes of the simpsons to keep me happy.

The new website is up at www.powerusersguide.com. Didnt take alot of effort, i just amended the www.makeamazing.com site.

Just downloaded the new Depeche Mode single off itunes to keep me going. Not bad.

Series 3 of Lost starts on Sky on Sunday, that is probably going to be the most TV i will be watching over the next couple of weeks. Oh well not alot on except for that, as DR Who doesnt start again till next year ;)

Looks like alot of late nights are coming up, just hope i can keep going..........

Oh before I go, Ive got some contracts next to me for a third book that will start straight after this one... i think i need to find a desert island and hide (obviously its probably best if its not the same island as the one in lost). More on that in a later post.

Stay tuned for me sinking faster than the titanic, and getting in deeper than the channel tunnel, all on next weeks episode of "How not to write a book".

Take Care

Jason

Half Time Drinks - Part 1

2006-11-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

When a game of football has got half way they normally take a relaxing drink, unfortunately in my case no relaxation and no drinks. Why ? Read on....

Last friday was delivery of half manuscript. Errr well what i mean to say is that it was meant to be the delivery of half the manuscript. Unfortunately I'm a couple of weeks behind. I have alot going on and i lost alittle bit of focus and seem to have no energy. I have a few days off here and there and then plodded on where i could. Its been harder for me to get moving on this book this time, why I do not know, perhaps because I had alot more time to finish the book (8 Months rather than 5) and so i took more breaks.

Im currently around170 pages, I should be at about 235 (half is 225) so i am down quite alot, but its still moving forward.

One little bit of good news, the book has been partly uploaded to the amazon site, not all information is there yet, but still progress which does give me a bit of a buzz and hopefully will push me forward to getting the half manuscript completed.

Thats it for now, need to get working :)

Pressure

2006-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Im coming home from my day job exhausted. For some reason it's really draining me of energy at the moment.

With only 10 days to go before I'm supposed to complete my half manuscript (225 pages), im steadily falling behind. Im currently at 121 pages and will have to do 10 pages a day from now till Monday to get back on target. Im currently completing about 2-3 pages a night on a work day and not alot on a weekend the last few weeks. Once i get back from work i just dont want to sit at the computer :(

So somehow I've got to pick myself up, and just try and get motivated. I love the idea of having another book written, and people enjoying reading it. But its hard at the moment.

Im currently getting through about 20 pages a week and need to do 30, so ive got to somehow do it. Why I am writing so slow I really don't know.

Ive completed the chapters for the Game CD Menu, Video Player and currently on my way to finishing the game project.

I am lucky to be having Friday off as holiday this week, so that will help towards me getting to the 225 pages. I have to admit it's slightly depressing at the moment, knowing 6 weeks in that ive done 120 pages and ive got two weeks to do about 100....doesnt look good!

We thats all for now as ive got to go to work. Will let you know if i can get back on target or going to have to talk to the publisher about a movement of the hard manuscript date. I dont want to delay if possible as moving that target back puts my other stuff back.

Oh well fun and games!

Jason

Plodding on

2006-09-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hmm interesting how you always remember things being easier than they were. Four weeks in and its a real hard slog. It didnt help that the weekend was my Birthday, and i didnt then want to do any work for two days. Also it didnt help the fact that I played a few computer games too, the classic (and should be remade) "Xcom Terror from the Deep", and a new game (demo in this case) of a new war game RST (the name which escapes me right now). Well ive had to tear myself away from it, so i can get back on track.

Im currently about 19 pages down, havent yet submitted my first two chapters (though i have more than two in progress), but I also havent got my contracts back yet, so Im kinda ok for the moment - well fingers crossed ;). Unfortunately the way I work means that there are 4 chapters in progress, but none are done.

Im still working on Chapter 16, which is a CDROM menu program (in fact two menus one for a game and one for a business). It's taking a while, and its hard work for some reason. It's just not flowing easily. Apparently I was like this last time (so I've been reliably informed).

Chapter 16 is a good chapter in theory, because its all based on fact, and exact steps and so is more finishable than a chapter where i have to think and type (you always have to go over that more).

Ive got Friday off as holiday this week again, and so hopefully i can scratch out some pages.... not much fun eh! Problem is that its really early days and its going to be like this until at least Christmas.

Current Page calculation 55.7 pages. Target for September 75.

Seems that my calculation of 30 pages a week might be over doing it. We shall see the second week in October when ive scheduled thats how many i will do a week. Seems that i am generally doing a couple of pages a day. Weekends I should be able to get 10. So in theory 30 shouldnt be a problem, but alot of time is spent taking the example files apart and rebuilding them (as you have to do this to write the exact steps of what to do).

So time to get back to it, hopefully when i post my blog again towards the end of the week or weekend i will have reached my 75 and got my two chapters done! Lets hope so.

October will be hell :)

Jason

Listening to some A-ha and Talk Talk today

Progress update

2006-09-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

The new website/domain has been completed for the new book. It does use the same template as makeamazing's website, but i think it doesnt require anything different or more fancy than that. Once i have more content i will post the web address.

Finally, I'm slowly getting back into writing again. I decided to stop writing chapter 3 which I wouldnt say was a difficult chapter to write, just one of those chapters that take time and effort to put together (its alot of graphics and explaining things).

Ive started on Chapter 16, and have made good progress on that chapter so far.

Im now at around 41 pages (book not manuscript). That leaves me about 14 pages down off Last Mondays target, so about 17 pages down overall including this week. I have a days holiday on Friday, so i'm hoping i can at least cancel out the original 14 pages i am behind and start making a dent on the 20 pages i need to do by Monday next week to keep to my 75 pages for the week.

The target for this week is to complete two chapters of the book and upload them for approval/checking by the publisher. This process is very common, and allows the publisher to check that you are writing the pages in the correct format and also writing in an ok style. This is one of only three milestones, and though the two chapters could be very small, completing it means that your one step nearer to completing the book. In my case the two chapters might not be any more than 20-30 pages (depends on which chapters you write to be uploaded). It could easily be two very small chapters, there is no requirement set down to say what it should be.

The milestone after the first two chapter uploads, is a biggie. Its the half manuscript milestone, where you need to put in half the chapters or half the book pages (doesnt really matter which, again its just and indicator for the publisher to make sure progress is being made). That milestone for me is the end of October, and that is alot more of a challege for me.. serious work is going to be needed to complete that target.

In the next couple of blog posts i will start to reveal what projects are included in the book, and hopefully some idea of what the book is all about.

Jason

Oh So Slow

2006-09-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last couple of weeks have dragged by. This hasn't kinda been helped by my normal day job, and i've been feeling what i call "Repetative PC use syndrome". I use a PC at work for 7.5 hours, then coming home to do writing, at times i've just not wanted to touch the keyboard.

3 Weeks in and ive done around 33.6 pages. Ive scheduled 55 at this stage, so im currently about 21 pages down :(. So ive got to pick up the pace soon. I think once ive got my mind into it, things should start to get quicker, but at the moment, im really on a go slow. Ive got to complete 75 pages by the end of September to be on target for the month. Oh well lets hope the purchase of a couple of Enigma albums off iTunes will help me speed up? It's not helped by me having so many other things going on (company accounts and returns and all matter of other things).

My graphic artist/Example maker has been making excellent progress though, which is a great positive thing for me. The work I've had back so far has been A++, so thats exciting, and will mean that i can really get some book pages written when i get to it.

I do have two days of holidays coming up, which should help keep the book page alittle bit more healthier.

Well thats it for now, really need to be writing for the book and not my blog :)

Jason

Slow Progress

2006-09-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well a few days have passed, and it's been really quite difficult getting back on the writing pony. Before the contracts turned up, I made sure I got some of the basic details done (so i don't have to waste a day doing silly little things), like:

Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction (not classed as part of the chapters)
Chapter 1 (60% done).

Just for a little perspective this equals probably only about 6 pages... so still lots to do. Unfortunately except for the small amount done for Chapter 1, the dedication, acknowledgements and Introduction dont actually count towards the final page count anyway.

Ive started work properly on it today, well i say properly. Having sat at my computer i had only done 3 manuscript pages (in one day). Ive only been working on Chapter 2 not finishing Chapter 1 which I've already started. That equals out at about 2 proper book pages, so not very good. In fact pretty rubbish really. Ive targetted to get 20 pages done by Monday, so it's looking bad :(

My main target is 30 book pages a week, so thats alot of manuscript pages (1.6 manuscript pages per 1 single book page). So im looking at 48 manuscipt pages a week. So 6.8 pages a day....oh dear, it feels a little bit like trying to catch up a run rate in cricket... the worse you do each over the harder it gets.

If you remember, I have two chapters to complete by Friday. So why so slow? Well kids were running around crazy :) , I had some screenshots of the installation of the program I am using to do (not slow using Fireworks but all takes time), but also i just couldnt concentrate. I think i am much better at 6am and 11pm, than middle of the day etc.

In total Ive got 24 Chapters set aside. Over the next couple of weeks, i will be letting you know how its going, how many chapters have been written and how many are left. I think this will provide anyone who is looking to be an author with some insight into what happens. Of course you may be a much faster writer, or slower, may have a book with more pages. So its only a guide.

This progress is also good for me to look back and see how fast or slow I am, so i can better plan any next book that i might write (which you try not to think about while writing, because its such a tiring and slow process).

So Progress on the 24 Chapters is

Chapter 1 - 60%
Chapter 2 - 60%

Total Pages done today = 3 Manuscript

Oh just so you know there is alot more to this writing lark than just writing the book, but we will cover that when i get to it :)

Ive got to pick it up tomorrow alot, but at least Im on a very easy bit, which will add a couple of pages quickly within an hour. The weekend is my main work part, so i have to get alot done then to ensure i dont have to worry so much in the week (when i might be too tired to do it because of being at work all day).

I will post again tomorrow, to show you if things have improved any.

Jason

Good News

2006-08-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well good news at last. Its been a long six or seven months (maybe more) waiting to get another book off the ground.

This week I was expecting an email to say the current status of the book, and a DHL package arrived at home, which was the contracts for the work. So great news!

I've posted them back today, and will start work in ernest on Sunday. The deadlines are tight, and it's going to be very hard work. The book is to be completed (450 pages) by January.

This is about half the time, and a hundred more pages than the last book, but I learnt alot from the last, and fingers crossed, I'm not going to have the same time issues this time around. Dont get me wrong, this timeframe is interesting, and will require me to put alot more dedication to it than before. I will let you know how i get on.

Just to give you an idea of the plan and the requirements (for anyone wanting to be a potential author out there)... Ive now booked 7 days holiday from work (3 in September, 2 in October and 2 in November) to help me keep the page count up. I used alot of my holiday up for the first book the previous year, but partly because of time issues I had to take extra days off to play catch up. So using just the last 7 I have actually doesn't sound alot (let's hope it's enough).

Im working on the basis that I need to do about 30 pages a week. Sounds easy but it can be difficult working full time and spending time with the family. The extra holiday time off helps alot, as the kids will be at school, and I can spread the 30 pages alittle more evenly over the week. The hard work is when you dont have time off, and in the week, its difficult to motivate after a day at a computer screen, to come back and put some time and effort in. So when you dont have a spare day, most of the work comes from the weekend. 30 pages doesnt sound alot, but when your on a few difficult chapters, that can decrease very slowly :(

Im an active game player (of course), and so that will need to be drastically cut. I play WOW (World of Warcraft), this will need to be cut to a very small amount (and any other games), keeping them to short bursts for light relief and writing breaks.

The same will be said for TV time. It's nice to sit down at 9 or 10pm and put on a nice dvd etc (I don't watch alot of normal tv). But that will go until end of December, which will make my wife happy, as she can concentrate on watching her programs without needing to worry about boring me.

Finally, Coffee and Tea will need to be in good supply, music (I-tunes), lots of early mornings and late nights. You need to make sure if your writing you have all the things that can help you progress. Watch out for the things that can distract though, like checking email every five minutes, or logging onto a forum you like and checking for posts... can really dent into your time.

So this is it, felt like a long time, but its now here, time to get on with it and see what happens. I have a couple of weeks to get some work done and give it to the publishers. The half manuscript is due end of October, so I'm going to be busy.

Oh you might be wondering what the book is about? Well its computer based again (hope if your reading this blog thats the kind of books you like), but for now, thats all i can reveal. Once the publisher has completed the front cover, a domain will be purchased and a new website will be made. Then i will let you know what it is and what the content is likely to be.

I will post again in about a weeks time and let you know how i'm getting on.

Thanks

Jason

Time for Reflection

2006-08-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post, but there has been a reason for this. Unfortunately the book deal that I was working on, fell through. It left me a little out of sorts, and i didnt feel like doing anything at that point.

Of course I was upset at not getting on with the book (I had already made all the contacts and pressured people into getting the permissions forms sorted quick ready for the start date). But it was not to be, and well thats what happens sometimes. I had my mind set on it and it took me a couple of months to want to even consider another project.

I'm in a position where ive written one book, but I want (need) to write another. Im sure I've mentioned it before but it's a weird experience, I dont feel like a true author at the moment, just someone who's written one book.

Well I've contacted a publisher with a proposal (not the same book idea as the one I was going to do - this is something new :). Ive been told that I will hear next week (probably). So it's back to the waiting game. This next book (if it gets signed) is less of a problem if it doesn't happen, Ive not needed to get peoples permission to get ready for it. Its much more straightforward (I'm glad to say).

If it doens't happen I'm not sure what Im going to do, I really need to write this second computer book. It's something my brain wont let go of, and I just need to do it. I dont really want to wait for the opportunity in 12 months etc, I just want to start it now. This may have something to do with how long it takes to get the book to print but also just needing to write a book that I feel is interesting (I don't have many book ideas that I really love the idea of).

Im hoping if it does happen, the book will be completed by January, which is a very very tight deadline, but I'm just going to have to work really hard and get through it.

If it does happen, I think for now it might be the last computer book I will do. Just because Ive only got three really good computer book ideas, the first Ive done, the second was not signed, and this one that Im currently working on getting signed. A problem then is what to do, I really have always wanted to write a fiction book, but that is a totally different set of challenges, and Im not sure I have those types of skills (I have some ideas but perhaps not the writing style or skills). It will be a challenge and I may well and truely fail. But i didnt actually think i would ever be published, so why not. Oh well that is for another time and another blog, something for me to consider next year.

Hopefully i will post something alittle more positive next week.

Jason

Ps for those that are interested i am now at level 42 of World of Warcraft :)

Getting Started

2006-02-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

Still waiting the contracts, but that shouldn't be long now I hope.

Well Ive made a start on the book...now hold on before you tell me off because my last post said I wouldnt start writing until I had a contract turn up!...Ive only been doing little bits and bobs.

Mainly getting the easy stuff out of the way to pave the way to easier writing of the chapters when the contract does turn up. There are alot of permissions to get signed off before the real work can be done, where I actually write some of the book.

So the dedication, acknowledgements and forword are all done! In terms of writing "Nothing" because its hardley anything. But for me to know who to put in the acknowledgements means i'm making some good progress on who is going to help me on the project. It is certainly difficult to write a whole computer book on your own without some form of help, and this project is no different. Of course i will be writing 99.9% of the text, I still need many other forms of help. Especially with the looming deadlines :D

Talking of deadlines we are looking at something like:

May 15th for half the manuscript
July 20th for full manuscript

As you might be able to work out, the second half has less time than the first half. Unfortunately the second half is usually the harder part [gulp].

Reason the second part of the book is harder is because I personally try and get some of the easier chapters out of the way as quickly as possible. The real difficult ones come towards the end of the book writing process (this is so I can make good progress and hit the half manuscript deadline). Also you find that you dont want to spend a week doing research and not have written anything at the start, you just want to get into it and start knocking the page count down.

Ive printed off my calendar, so I can keep a track of page counts (always a fun game you can play when writing). I also know that I need to be writing around 15 book pages a week to be on target for the first deadline. Thats not too bad, and it doesnt sound it when you have a real easy chapter to write (luckily i probably have about 6 chapters that should hit around 30 pages each)..but some chapters might only come in at about 3 or 4 pages each...now they are hardones to write and get right!

When do i really expect to get started on the real process of writing? Well not until the end of next week (March 4th and 5th). I might start to pad out some of the harder chapters with ideas and basic text to make it easier, because I cant do some of the major work until i have some graphics and code.

Anyway, work to do, permissions forms to write. See you next time, when i hope to actually have done some real work!

Jason

Verbal Confirmation

2006-02-08T14:17:00.002-08:00

Ok so things have moved on since I got to level 10 in Warcraft ;)

Ive had email confirmation that the second computer book I am hoping to write, the TOC (Table of Contents) has been accepted. Now this is only email confirmation, and until I find a set of contracts delivered to my door I wont actually start anything. I guess this has it's problems as well as it's benefits. For example, Ive had this idea for a couple of months, and I could have probably written 3-4 chapters by now if I had started in anticipation of the book being agreed. This would save alot of time and mean that I am well ahead of whats expected. BUT the downside is that I did not know that they would agree it, and so you could spend many a weekend writing for writing sake and not actually have done it for any benefit (it would have been a waste of my time).

I guess this is one of my problems, I cannot actually start something like this until I am 100% certain its going ahead. So email wise Ive got confirmation, but until I get written contracts, I will start to get my permissions on track but I wont actually write a word of the new book.

Ive been told the contract documents will be created this week, and I have to be careful to get ready to begin writing because I dont want to miss a step if it is agreed. The timescale Ive agreed is going to be tight, and there are two chapters in the book which will need alot of research before I can write about it (its not the subject thats the problem but the actual facts to make sure its correct).

So should I begin or should I not, that is the question. I wonder if other authors have these thoughts and issues? I am sure I am not the only one out there who works like this.

Im going to have to get ready for what is going to be a rough 6 months, not only from writing the book, but I have alot of other business related things going on, and a full time job. I think I'm not really happy unless I'm under a bit of pressure and a tight deadline.

Will post again in the next few days, and let you know if I've actually started anything or just sitting at my computer contemplating doing some work.

Sooner or Later!

2006-02-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

After a delay of a couple of weeks, and having chased again, Ive got semi confirmation that the second book is a - go! Im not upset about the delay, in fact its good timing as I had alot to do over the last month. I also dont blame the publisher, as it must be difficult keeping track of all the "possible" projects, not forgetting the many requests they must get. As mentioned in the past few posts, patience is a very useful skill to try and practice as you will definately need it for writing a book. Anyway it gave me the chance of getting upto level 10 on World of Warcraft. :)

So now i've been advised that the book is effectively been approved what happens next you might be asking?

First Ive stated to the publisher that the book will be complete at the end of August. That is going to be a tight deadline, but the first book was hardwork, and took about 8-10 months in all. There were problems with delivery of certain key aspects of the book especially the games. This led to weeks where I wasnt working. I also struggled at times and I think now I've learnt a few things that it should be straightforward (fingers crossed) to breeze though it.

Well its time to start planning out the work and what i need to do, just some of the things that will need to be progressed before any serious chapters can be created:

Permissions - any images, websites, quotes or content will need written approval before the book can go to the publishers.
Software - This is in hand, and I already have this ready.
Book Games - Will need to source a graphic Artist (have one in mind who is A+)

So you can guess from some of my comments, my second book is all about games again ;) but thats all i can reveal for the moment.

I have started the permissions process, and will start the graphics creation in about two weeks time (it will take alittle managing and cost some money). Some of the games will take very little graphic work and will mean the Chapters will be very quick to write.

Thats all for now, will be back in a couple of weeks to let you know how Im getting on. I don't expect that I will reveal the project details for a couple of months. But you will hear it here first.

Thanks

Jason

The Waiting Game - Part 2

2006-01-23T01:56:00.000-08:00

This authoring lark is a bit hit and miss. Because its computer games based and not the more financially rewarding "Fiction", I suspect (and this is just a thought) that publishers are not so much in a rush to get the next project up and running. I can understand this fully, as they dont want to waste 6-8 months work on a book that wont sell. Though as an author of one book, the need to complete a second book is quite an unsettling feeling. Even with one book out and a number of magazine articles, I still dont feel like a proper author. I wonder if its the subject matter or the fact that since completing my first book, Ive always felt that to be a proper author you need to have two or three books released.

Well the person who is going to approve the work was off all week, until today. So it was another week of not doing any work on the new book idea. You certainly have to be patient if you want to write computer based books. No matter how hard I try I cannot start something until I get the all go. Perhaps its all the work thats required, that I dont want to start using all my weekends up like last year.

Well hopefully i will get some good news this week, so i can make a start. Though if approval comes through, theres still waiting contracts etc and getting approvals.

Oh well, back to the normal day job I suppose!

The Waiting Game

2006-01-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

A new proposal has now been created and sent off to the publishers. They will look at it from Monday. Im pretty excited about it, as when i search amazon etc, there are no books that could touch it from the content point of view. Its very much like the first book in the sense that it's really pushing the boundaries of something different.

Well as the title says, its just a waiting game now, have to see what the publisher thinks of it. I hope they see the benefits of this books as I do. At the moment, there is only one similar book and to be honest its no where near the same with regards to interest or content.

If it does get approved next week, then there will need to be alot of behind the scenes work, but I will go more into detail of that "if" it goes ahead.

Im still considering writing another couple of articles and sending them off to magazines, but Im pretty much pushed for time at the moment, but we shall see.

My next post should hopefully bring some good news :D

Idea - Sowing the Seeds

2006-01-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

Well the first book has been released for over two months, and I have to wait till April to find out if it is selling well or not.

From a few emails I have received it seems those people who have emailed me liked it. There are always worries as an author that people are not going to like your work, so even though ive only had 3 or 4 emails, they have all been very positive.

The main problem with writing a book is that once you get the final product in your hand, there is a long pause before anything else happens. Ive mentioned it on my website before as Writers depression, where you have the book and now what. Another issue is that as a computer book it is never going to set the world alight and be in the high 100's within the book charts, and it's certainly never going to get any votes in any book awards. So you have to be prepared as a computer book writer, that recognition is going to be pretty much low.

Ive always wanted to write a book and have done it, but now what? Well there is a weird empty space now that i'm not writing, and not looking forward to anything. So I decided, rightly or wrongly to consider a second book (even though I know of the issues of computer game book writing).

So I initially put forward an idea, which got alittle stuck in the mud, due to being to familiar to books already released by the publisher. Well after having a long think, I sent off another idea that I had, and was well received. So spending a weekend putting together some more ideas, and emailing a few people who would need to be involved in the project (because writing a book you will always need help), I had a draft outline.

Now! Things never run smoothly do they? Unfortunately the person who was behind my project idea has put in his resignation, but fortunately for me the idea has been passed onto another person who wants to at least progress the idea further.

Well nothing is signed as of yet, but a full proposal needs to be sent off for the start of next week. So I think its getting there. With regards to the idea, it's pretty cool, and will need alot of work to make it a really interesting project but if it gets the go ahead it will certainly be an excellant second book.

Shame I have to work full time for a living or I could have written half of it by now, but hey have to pay the mortgage somehow :D

Thats it for now, tune in next time for an update to the project!