Solar2D guide e-book (just an idea)

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#1

Hello everyone. I’ve been learning some basic lua lessons since 2013 thanks to an scripting system for a game called CS2D. In 2017 I met Corona SDK and i’ve been learning it since then to now intermittently. This year i’ve published my first game based in Corona, and I also have some unpublished games. Also I’ll be coding more games from now on. I’d like to pulish my skills first.

After building more games and project I’ve got schemmed, I’d like to start a project about a Solar2D guide book, or something similar. I think there are big chances that it isn’t possible to carry on, but I’d like to ask first. Would it be possible to write, publish and sell an unoficial e-book about Solar2D?

But, why would someone want to read an e-book about a framework that has its own documentation, someone could ask. Well, there are some good points that support this idea. First, there’s no (or at least i couldn’t find) any documentation in my native language (Spanish). I think it would be very helpful for some readers to have it translated (not by me, of course, I’d work with someone else). On the other hand, i think there’s a lot of people in my area (Argentina) that has good ideas and the will to build teams, but they don’t code and they would like at least know about what a team is doing. So the added value here would be to have the technical parts translated and explained in an specific language (not directly from the documentation or the already existing tutorials, but in an own perspective and structuring), and also cover some (more opinion based) non-technical parts, also helpful. Finally, the e-book would conform some kind of “course”, adding a way of contact to give/correct/help with exercises.

Going right to the answer, would it be legally and ethically possible to go ahead with a project like this?

Thanks for your time.

#2

As someone who has written books about another game engine, I can say, “Yes is is entirely legal.”

However, I must caution you, writing a book is a massive endeavor. I suggest, that if you are going to write a book, do it with the intent to sell it.

I know, I tell folks here to make their first games for free, but a book is not a game. Like game making it starts off fun, and like game making it can end up being painful, but in my experience, finishing and publishing a book is one of the most painful efforts there is. (So like a masochist I did it twice.)

This is the post-mortem I wrote after my first book. You might find it interesting.

Links to my (very old) books:

PS - Don’t do what I did. If you’re going to write a book, do it fast and release it fast. I spent 4 years writing my first book and about 2500 hours of (after my day job) late nights and weekends doing it.

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#3

Hey! thanks for the reply. I’m doint my own research about copywright, writing and publishing, but there are some basic things like this that I wanted to be 1000% sure about. I wouldn’t like to break any community rule.

As someone who has already written books (congratulations by the way, i’ll be checking them), would you recommend to choose an specific target? lets say, it would be explicitly mention that the contents are just for beginners, for example. Or intermediate/advanced. Or would you mention some broader groups and then, in each part, you specify “this explains A. If you already know A, you can skip it”?

Also, it may contain an introductory section to Lua language, so I have the same legal question, whether it’s possibly to mention Lua language in an unoficial book.

Thanks again!

#4

re: Rights of Ownership (Copyrights and others)
You’re not facing a lot of legal issues here. As long as you don’t verbatim copy other peoples’ work you’re not violating someone else’s ownership rights.

While you can’t verbatim copy content, you can base your work on existing content. You just have to put in the effort to make it your own. Change the format of the docs, add new examples, re-write descriptions to make them more clear or easier to understand.

This is the API guide I wrote for the first book (came on a CD with the book):

Forget about copyrighting your work… it won’t work anyways.
If you’re going to give your book away for free, you don’t have much to worry about. Forget about trying to copyright your work or any of that. It just isn’t worth the effort and if someone wants to steal it they will.

My first book was initially print-only. However, within less than a month of first printing, it had been fully scanned (all 608 pages) and released for free on various off-shore sites. Sure, the quality of the scans was terrible, but boy was that a blow. I felt gut punched until I realized it made no difference. My fans still wanted the ‘original’ copy and I had helped out my (game dev) community.

What should you write about
First, don’t try to make it comprehensive. That will take too long.

Second, write about what you struggled with and have overcome, especially if that struggle was recent.

Third, write about what you love. If you don’t love the topic it will show. If you don’t love it, your readers will see that and they won’t love it. Then, the whole journey will be for nothing.

PS - Here are the contents of the CDs that came with my first and second books:

  1. https://github.com/roaminggamer/GPGT-Support
  2. https://github.com/roaminggamer/MGEC-Support
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#5

Publishing
Today, you are very lucky. You have many many many… options for publishing.

When I got started, print-on-demand (POD) was a new thing and self-publishing was barely a concept, so I had to go with AK Peters who then took a significant amount of the earnings.

I strongly suggest, free or paid, that you packge this and sell it on your own.

You’ve already indicated you want make this an e-book, but it might be worth looking into self-publishing companies that offer both e-delivery and POD services.

Book Baby is a good example, but there are MANY MANY more: https://www.bookbaby.com/

Just search for the terms ‘self-publish book’

Good luck! Please post back as you make progress and choices. Be sure to build up your fan base and audience early and take their inputs and requests into account.

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#6

I took some time to process every bit of data from your explanations.

  • About copyright: my main researching here is to avoid legal troubles with other people and work, more than registering my own work. I already tought about some strategies to offer a free version and a premium one (like you explained in the post-mortem), so copying/stealing shouldn’t be a problem. Even more, I hope it gets copied since it will mean somebody is interested in it, and may consider acquiring the premium version (this one shall contain the standard plus the exersising section).

  • What to write about: great advising here, especially “write about what you love.”. I’ll take a look at the contents from the CD to learn more about your process and get some inspiration.

  • About publishing: i hadn’t tought about publishing paperback version, but POD is a really good alternative i think, as it will let me offer more selling channels and product alternatives.

I’m going to post back about progress once I start the project. First I’m going to finish the other games mock ups, release them and in this process i’ll surelly get more troubles solved to add to the book, a portfolio to back up the course and an initial audience.

Thanks once more for sharing this amazing information and experience with me! I hope someone else benefits from these answers.