ProgWriter [programmer + writer]

By

Azat Mardan

Lessons learned on my path from ordinary developer to writer of multiple programming books—that sell

Read First!

• Job Security is Dead But There Is a Way
  
• You’re Wasting $10,000 to $130,000!
  

Table of Contents

Foreword by Nathan Barry

Introduction

I My Story

• Humble Beginnings
• Learning Node.js
• Mastering a Niche
• Going Traditional

II ProgWriter

• Why Write Books
• Why Write a Programming Book
• Traditional vs. Self-Publishing
• The Time Spent Writing
• The ProgWriter Creative Process

III Writing

• Researching The Topic
• Technical Book Categories
• Testing Your Topics
• Writing The Manuscript
• Markdown for The Win
• Health

IV Publishing

• Structuring The Book Properly
• Summarizing Chicago vs. AP Styles
• My Style: Paragraphs, Lists, Asides
• Dealing with Source Code and Figures
• Editing, Design and Finding Help

V Marketing

• Spread The Word
• Have a Platform
• Marketplace vs. Storefront
• How to Improve Amazon Sales
• Pricing
• Packaging and Bundling
• Up-selling and Cross-selling
• Launch
• Things to Avoid

VI Q&A

• Should I have a dedicated website?
• Should I prepare a launch plan for my book?
• How to market to other developers (some of them who think everything should be free)?
• What tools/programs do people use to write a technical book?
• How do you go about the editing and

  proof-reading? Do you have a technical editor and a normal editor?

• Any tips on topics or ideas to write about?
• How to structure the book?
• How much to write each day?
• Any techniques on list building, beyond just blogging?
• Should I create webinars?
• What do you use to publish a book on

  Amazon?

VII Successful ProgWriter Survey

Outro

Appendix A: Absolutely Bare Minimum Markdown Cheatsheet
Appendix C: Tools and Services
Appendix C: Traditional Publishers
Appendix D: International Publishers