4 ms·

Agile/Kanban without the Bullshit For folks who have suffered under various Agile, Kanban, and other improvement regimes and know that it's not supposed to be

Agile/Kanban without the Bullshit For folks who have suffered under various Agile, Kanban, and other improvement regimes and know that it's not supposed to be like this. I'm about 80% of the way through the first draft. I have a few prominent community members that are going to review (and recommend, if they like it) but it's more of a personal statement than a commercial venture. It's a topic I have a lot of experience in, and the neat thing about a book is that it's there and can provide assistance for a long time. I plan on taking my time finishing it. I'm also a self-publisher, so I had to learn epub and the ins and outs of self-publishing. There's a lot more to learning that stuff than I suspected. Probably enough for another book. The website isn't up yet. Email me if you'd like to be on the notification list. (Obligatory cool 3-D book cover image http://www.whattofix.com/ak2%203d%20book%20image.png http://www.whattofix.com/ak2%203d%20book%20image.png )

nikcub 16y ago
What are the best current resources for self-publishing and the epub maze?
- DanielBMarkham 16y ago
  I had to scrounge around all over the net finding stuff. The EPUB format alone eventually required downloading the spec. I didn't expect to be reading specs as part of the technical bits of writing a book. Then there was the question of who to send the book to -- once it's done, where does it go? And, if you ask me, it's very easy to get screwed as an author. There are about a dozen different decision points you have to go through -- format, topic, compatibility with other formats, distribution, marketing, sales, etc. Each of these is non-trivial. For instance, you could just offer folks your book from your web site. Click the button and get a download. But do most people know how to take a download and put it on their e-reader? Are you sure you want no DRM at all? Which vendor do you want handling the mechanics of the sale, if any? If you offer a download from your site, does it preclude also offering the book on Amazon or iTunes? It's issues like that every step of the way. As another example, I found EPUB looked one way on one device, but converting it to MOBI for a Kindle caused subtle changes. It's almost like browser compatibility BS all over again. Wasn't trying to duck your question, but I basically found nothing that wrapped it all up in one easy-to-understand package. Perhaps if I make a few bucks with the first book I'll go back and write an ebook, "Ebooks for hackers" which assumes you know stuff like CSS, XML, and XHTML and instead concentrates on the other parts.
- dpapathanasiou 16y ago
  My startup runs eBookBurn (https://ebookburn.com/ https://ebookburn.com/), which lets you create valid epub and mobi files w/o having to learn the underlying spec or do any coding.
- billswift 16y ago
  I don't know that it could really be called a reference, but Joe Konrath has a blog that gives a decent overview, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/, unfortunately the information is pretty scattered through the posts. He also wrote an Kindle book, The Newbie's Guide to Publishing (Everything A Writer Needs To Know), http://www.amazon.com/Newbies-Publishing-Everything-Writer-ebook/dp/B003I6496Y http://www.amazon.com/Newbies-Publishing-Everything-Writer-e....
- peterarmstrong 16y ago
  My startup Leanpub (http://leanpub.com http://leanpub.com) lets you create and sell EPUB (as well as PDF and MOBI) ebooks. You write in HTML or Markdown, save files in Dropbox and publish with 1 click. Assuming you're writing a technical book, if you use Markdown you can even keep code samples in their own files and include them like you'd insert an image. Ping me at peter@leanpub.com if you have any questions...

nikcub 16y ago

What are the best current resources for self-publishing and the epub maze?

DanielBMarkham 16y ago
I had to scrounge around all over the net finding stuff. The EPUB format alone eventually required downloading the spec. I didn't expect to be reading specs as part of the technical bits of writing a book. Then there was the question of who to send the book to -- once it's done, where does it go? And, if you ask me, it's very easy to get screwed as an author. There are about a dozen different decision points you have to go through -- format, topic, compatibility with other formats, distribution, marketing, sales, etc. Each of these is non-trivial. For instance, you could just offer folks your book from your web site. Click the button and get a download. But do most people know how to take a download and put it on their e-reader? Are you sure you want no DRM at all? Which vendor do you want handling the mechanics of the sale, if any? If you offer a download from your site, does it preclude also offering the book on Amazon or iTunes? It's issues like that every step of the way. As another example, I found EPUB looked one way on one device, but converting it to MOBI for a Kindle caused subtle changes. It's almost like browser compatibility BS all over again. Wasn't trying to duck your question, but I basically found nothing that wrapped it all up in one easy-to-understand package. Perhaps if I make a few bucks with the first book I'll go back and write an ebook, "Ebooks for hackers" which assumes you know stuff like CSS, XML, and XHTML and instead concentrates on the other parts.
dpapathanasiou 16y ago
My startup runs eBookBurn (https://ebookburn.com/ https://ebookburn.com/), which lets you create valid epub and mobi files w/o having to learn the underlying spec or do any coding.
billswift 16y ago
I don't know that it could really be called a reference, but Joe Konrath has a blog that gives a decent overview, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/, unfortunately the information is pretty scattered through the posts. He also wrote an Kindle book, The Newbie's Guide to Publishing (Everything A Writer Needs To Know), http://www.amazon.com/Newbies-Publishing-Everything-Writer-ebook/dp/B003I6496Y http://www.amazon.com/Newbies-Publishing-Everything-Writer-e....
peterarmstrong 16y ago
My startup Leanpub (http://leanpub.com http://leanpub.com) lets you create and sell EPUB (as well as PDF and MOBI) ebooks. You write in HTML or Markdown, save files in Dropbox and publish with 1 click. Assuming you're writing a technical book, if you use Markdown you can even keep code samples in their own files and include them like you'd insert an image. Ping me at peter@leanpub.com if you have any questions...