Corona Textbook available summer of 2011.

General (non-technical) K-12 / University
#1

I have announced this in other locations, but I thought I would include it here as well:

I am currently working on a textbook for Corona. My target audience is upper high school & college.
Initially I started this project for just my students, but having published several tutorials for Corona on my site, there seems to be the demand and interest to support the project on a larger release.

As it currently stands, the book will have 17 chapters and 3 appendices. It is designed for beginners and will cover how to develop basic apps and two different styles of games. I plan to self-publish, with an ebook final draft being available mid-summer.
The writing is going well with the book approaching 40% complete. [import]uid: 6551 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 309596[/import]

#2

Woot! I’d buy it! Its a book I would actually enjoy and read VS the others that I’ve purchased, read the first coupla chapters and then said “meh” to.

Keep at it!! [import]uid: 11636 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 35168[/import]

#3

Thanks! The writing is going well and I’m starting to get contacted by textbook publishers.
Right now I’m planning publish it as an ebook so that I can make timely (and free) updates, but it does look like a print version will happen.

Brian

Dr. Brian Burton
http://www.BurtonsMediaGroup.com [import]uid: 6551 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 35234[/import]

#4

This is GREAT news!

Consider another sale from me :slight_smile:

I can’t wait to get going with Corona!

Thanks,
E R [import]uid: 24304 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 35517[/import]

#5

I now have a webpage up on the forth-coming book with a (planned) table of contents: http://www.burtonsmediagroup.com/books/

There have been a couple of publishers contact me interested in the book, but at least for now, I plan to self-publish to help keep it as affordable as possible.
Still on target for the final draft being available by the end of June/first of July.
I will have a pre-order page available very soon!

[import]uid: 6551 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 36874[/import]

#6

Great, I love reading dev books. One more customer here.

Are you planning on building a game throughout the book or several minigames?
Will it be a paperback or pdf and what publisher are you using?

Looking forward to the book
lano78. [import]uid: 13560 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 36878[/import]

#7

I really look forward to the book. Perfect timing too :slight_smile: [import]uid: 24304 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 36883[/import]

#8

While I will cover how to build two different types of games in the book, it is more focused on being a first semester “how to develop mobile apps” textbook. To that end, I have tried to have a different project in each chapter. Only on the game chapters do I break this rule (just too much material to fit in one chapter).

It will first be available as a downloadable PDF/mobi/epub. I should have the final draft finished by the end of June (I’m a little ahead of schedule now, hope to stay that way!). Once I’m sure I’ve caught all the dyslexic typos and am happy with the final version, I will give everyone who purchased the draft a final e-copy, and go to press for the paperback version. At this time it looks like it will be between 300 to 350 pages.

As to publisher, I’m not using one at this point. While I have already had interest from publishers, the percentages that they are offering are just too low. Perhaps I’ve become spoiled by iTunes and Android market’s 70% to developers, but it just seems wrong that I do all the work and some random publisher walks away with 90%. I may change my tune later, but self-publishing seems the way to go right now, even if it means fewer copies sold.

I am already drafting two other books on Corona; a 2nd volume of app development to cover all the topics that just won’t fit in the first volume, and a book that will specifically cover game development (my area of specialty… I’m a professor of digital entertainment) with Corona. [import]uid: 6551 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 36886[/import]

#9

Have you looked at Kindle publishing ? They offer I think 70% if you keep it dirt cheap or less if you are ore expensive [import]uid: 61610 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 37359[/import]

#10

Looking forward to this :slight_smile: [import]uid: 33866 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 37533[/import]

#11

Yes, I am considering Kindle publishing. Still have to workout all the logistics, but I do plan to have it available in the three major electronic formats (PDF, epub, and Kindle) in June. The print version should be available in August. [import]uid: 6551 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 37528[/import]

#12

Update:
I’m now past the halfway point on my planned page count of 300 pages (though that may go up). Still on track for an end of June release date for PDF, ePub, and Kindle, and early August for the soft-cover print edition.
Currently I am writing about 1/2 a chapter a day and sending completed chapters immediately to my copy-editor.

As soon as ‘Mobile App Development with Corona: Getting Started’ is completed, I will start writing my second book: ‘Game Development with Corona SDK’ (already outlined). A third book, ‘More Mobile App Development with Corona’ is in the planning stages for all the material that just wouldn’t fit in the first book.
[import]uid: 6551 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 38841[/import]

#13

Any news on being able to get early access ? [import]uid: 61610 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 38842[/import]

#14

I am working on setting something up for anyone who wants early access. I hope to have it in place by the end of next week. As long as anyone who purchases it this way understands that early access means “not finished and contains typos” [import]uid: 6551 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 38848[/import]

#15

+1 for Kindle publishing. or at least a PDF I can read with iBook. I put everything there now :slight_smile:

Got a tutorial? Use a browser and Print to PDF then whack it on my iPad == WIN! :smiley: [import]uid: 10389 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 38879[/import]

#16

If you’d like a proofreader I can be strict with spelling and punctuation :wink: [import]uid: 10389 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 38880[/import]

#17

Where do we sign up/buy? :slight_smile: [import]uid: 33866 topic_id: 9596 reply_id: 38932[/import]