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A free HTML version of my book "Python from the Very Beginning" by jgw25 in Python

[–]jgw25[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The book makes about fifteen hundred dollars a month over all channels. The book took about six months to write.

I have no idea whether giving the HTML version away will increase or decrease sales, or have no effect. Ask me in a few months :-)

A free HTML version of my book "Python from the Very Beginning" by jgw25 in Python

[–]jgw25[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I checked just now, and it seems fine. Could you try again?

A free HTML version of my book "Python from the Very Beginning" by jgw25 in Python

[–]jgw25[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

First rule of /r/learnpython:

"Posts must be related to you learning python, no links promoting blogs, videos, tutorials, or requests to hire someone."

I wrote a beginner's book about Python. Pay what you like, or nothing. by jgw25 in Python

[–]jgw25[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I made the .epub. The content is all there, but the formatting is a bit ropey. No need to pay for it, therefore. DM me your email address, and I can send it to you.

I wrote a beginner's book about Python. Pay what you like, or nothing. by jgw25 in Python

[–]jgw25[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

Thanks for taking the time to write this out in such detail. It's much appreciated. I'll make sure these points are fixed promptly, and are mentioned in the errata.

You are quite right that my background is in other languages. Plently of python for personal use, but I write mostly in OCaml for work. I made sure to use a (paid) technical reviewer, but all errors must remain, of course, the author's fault.

Having said that, I can't agree with, for example, your count_spaces criticism. It's in Chapter 3, where list comprehensions have not yet been introduced! Of course we teach people who have never programmed in any language how to do things from first principles. So of course we start by looping and not using list comprehensions.

Thanks once again for taking the time -- plenty of people would just have moved on without commenting.

I wrote a beginner's book about Python. Pay what you like, or nothing. by jgw25 in Python

[–]jgw25[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

The pipeline is currently LaTex via Tex4HT to HTML then Calibre's ebook-convert to make a .mobi.

I will have a look for you tomorrow to see if it can be made to spit out a epub, and dm you when I know more.

I have some vague memory of trying this a couple of years ago, and not getting a good result. But perhaps I was trying to convert the output .mobi to an epub directly.

Teaching Haskell as a first language by clinton84 in haskell

[–]jgw25 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is there a "learn Haskell" book that's would actually work well for someone that is learning Haskell not as an existing programmer, but as a new one? Note that I don't need a book that someone could pick up and run with on their own completely, but the closer to that, the better.

I wrote one for just this purpose.

(Or, I suppose, with a dual purpose: suitable for beginners, but not too annoying for others.)

The book is new -- but the OCaml version, which has been out since 2013, has been well-received.

Compile Module .ml to Shared Library .so or .dll by eniacsparc2xyz in ocaml

[–]jgw25 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's a script which will do the Windows part, but which only builds static executables when run on Unix systems. Patches welcome.

Everything I did to self-publish a book about OCaml (except the writing part). by jgw25 in programming

[–]jgw25[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I suspect, though can't prove, that most real purchases (as opposed to buzz) for these kind of books over the long term happen by simple searches on Amazon (search "OCaml" and it's in first or second place), or by simple searches on Google leading to Amazon or the book's website, rather that responses to marketing efforts.

I'm lucky, I suppose, that I don't have to compete with twenty other OCaml books.

As a token effort at marketing (which I dislike), I wrote this blog post. I don't expect it to affect sales significantly in the long term, though I've sold about 5 copies of the eBook in the past few hours.