Post by thread:[AD] Ideas for books on PIC

I like the way this book is written. www.engj.ulst.ac.uk/sidk/quintessential/ It is very comprehensive. Although other books that I have read have good routines, they are more towards kids' projects. I would rather prefer assembly language. On Apr 4, 2005 8:02 AM, Pitts, Tim (ELS) <spam_OUTTim.PittsTakeThisOuTelsevier.com> wrote: {Quote hidden}> > I'm Elsevier's UK editor for books on PIC and would like any > suggestions/ideas you might have for new books on PIC which are different to > books published so far. Also, we plan a new edition of a book by Dogan > Ibrahim: PIC Basic: Programming and Projects and would like your suggestions > on the short outline for the new edition.We can send you the outline for > comment. > > Hope you can help > > Tim > > Tim Pitts > Senior Commissioning Editor > Elsevier > Linacre House > Jordan Hill > Oxford OX2 8DP > > Tel: +44 (0) 1865 314539 > > http://books.elsevier.com <http://books.elsevier.com> -- Chetan Bhargava Web: http://www.bhargavaz.net Blog: http://microz.blogspot.com

> I'm Elsevier's UK editor for books on PIC and would like any > suggestions/ideas you might have for new books on PIC which > are different to books published so far. My suggestion would be a book that does *not* try to include everything, but does a very thorough job for a specific audience. Like: - midrange assembler programming for moderately experienced C programmers - 18F C programming (with 3 different compilers) for experienced (non-C) programmers - PIC hardware tricks for experienced programmers Wouter van Ooijen -- ------------------------------------------- Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: http://www.voti.nl consultancy, development, PICmicro products docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: http://www.voti.nl/hvu

>> I'm Elsevier's UK editor for books on PIC and would like any >> suggestions/ideas you might have for new books on PIC which are >> different to books published so far. > >My suggestion would be a book that does *not* try to include everything, but >does a very thorough job for a specific audience. Like: >- midrange assembler programming for moderately experienced C programmers >- 18F C programming (with 3 different compilers) for experienced (non-C) >programmers >- PIC hardware tricks for experienced programmers And have copies of demonstration versions of all the compilers mentioned on a CD with it, along with a links page to the appropriate compilers home pages. I suspect a small 3" CD would be enough, although depending on what source code from projects in the book, a standard CD is probably no dearer.

Our publishing imprint for books on the PIC and embedded systems is Newnes. Tim -----Original Message----- From: .....piclist-bouncesKILLspam@spam@mit.edu [piclist-bouncesKILLspammit.edu] On Behalf Of Alan B. Pearce Sent: 05 April 2005 12:19 To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. Subject: Re: [AD] Ideas for books on PIC >I'm Elsevier's UK editor for books on PIC Hmm, just had a look at the web site, and am wondering which press name you would publish such a book under. Some of the press names I know, others I don't, and for market penetration this may also have a bearing. >Tim Pitts >Senior Commissioning Editor >Elsevier >Linacre House >Jordan Hill >Oxford OX2 8DP Oh, you are not far from me then. Thank you Alan B. Pearce Space Science and Technology Department R25 Rm 1-122 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Chilton Didcot OXON OX11 OQX United Kingdom Tel +44 1235 44 6532 Fax +44 1235 44 5848

> Would anyone be interested in writing a book on these or > other topics on PIC (embedded systems). I can be contacted on > EraseMEtim.pittsspam_OUTTakeThisOuTelsevier.com to discuss ideas and explain the > publishing process. > > Tim Or you could write something and put it on the web so that everyone can A) find it and B) use it free of charge. Books are nice for reading in the bathroom, in bed or on a plane, but the web is better for actual information and tutorials. And before you think about the fortune you will make, have a look around for "how much do authors make" and read things like this: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=50620 If $1.50 per book is normal and the average new book sells 2000 copies then you could do better starting a web site and selling your self published book, ad space, and actively collecting donations and subscriptions. And the future is online. Google is putting the LOC online. MIT is publishing their course material on the web. I add content to PICList on a regular basis. And then there is the ethics of taking what you learn on a public email list or from web sites including piclist.com, microchip.com (such as the mfgrs datasheets, etc...) and many personal web sites and using that knowledge to publish a book that you charge money for. Yes, your experience is valuable, but no one fills an entire book with things they learned entirely on their own. I'm not saying it's immoral, certainly not illegal, but it just doesn't sit right in my mind. Richard Stallman "...People find ways of getting money by impeding society. Once they can impede society, they can be paid to leave people alone. " Now... If that doesn't spawn an argument, I don't know what will... ...so keep in mind that is just my opinion. And I'm just another open source nut... Who uses Windows. I'm confused enough as it is... --- James Newton: PICList webmaster/Admin jamesnewtonspam_OUTpiclist.com 1-619-652-0593 phone http://www.piclist.com/member/JMN-EFP-786 PIC/PICList FAQ: http://www.piclist.com

> "how much do authors make" and read things like this: > answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=50620 > This is excellent advice and perhaps my personal experience will be helpful as well. I have a published book as well and the process worked like this: (1) I wrote and self-published my book, first selling them door-to-door, through small retailers, and through booksellers and distributors who were accepting authors without publishers. My title is a bartending book and at that time I sold it for $7.85. My cost to produce was < $1.00 but selling them required much of my time and effort. (2) After selling approximately 4,000 - 5,000 copies by this method, I was picked up by Harper Collins Canada. Since I proved the marketability of my book beforehand, I was able to secure an agreement to receive 10% of cover, with other agreements for U.S., International and bulk sales (usually around 10% of Net.) I received an advance in three parts upon signing our agreement. Through self-distribution I was able to receive feedback from customers and provide my publishers with a "cleaned up" product, which improved sales. My book originally sold for $3.95 yielding a royalty of $0.35 and now sells for $7.95, so the payment is $0.795 per copy sold. Since publication 12 or so years ago sales have reached just over 300,000, with one major revision, and I think this was only possible because I test marketed before the publisher got a look. (3) So I would recommend that you: (a) Assure yourself that there is a market for your work. And listen to people who have your best interests in mind, and ignore all others. (b) Develop your product, seeking guidance from appropriate sources. (c) Accept criticism freely, especially from potential customers, but don't drastically change your plan to please one person or small group. (d) Create a mockup of your book, with an attractive cover (books really are judged by the cover.) This could happen on the Internet. (e) Let potential customers hold it and give you feedback. (f) Prove the salability of your product. (g) Approach publishers with your mockup and proof of marketability. (h) If they don't want it and you're sure it's a best-seller, try another publisher or publish it yourself. (i) Count royalties next to palm trees and ocean.

> > Marcel Duchamp wrote: > Not to mention the terribly grueling and painstaking research you had to > do. But this is certainly an inspiring tale... long will I ponder the > question "should I learn the art of PIC programming or try my hand at > bartending?" ;))) > MD Research was grueling, but nothing comes without a price -- You know, "No Pain. No Gain." I suggest that every successful bout of programming be followed by a well-contained/controlled night of bartending. ;-) while (( socially_unexceptable <= moral_level <= model_citizen) && ( boring <= pleasure_level <= foolishness) && (!obnoxious OR !alone OR !not_unclothed_in_public)) { if(bathroom_flag) { service_self(bartender); maintain_appearance(bartender, facecloth, cologne); check_balance(bartender, empty_hands); assess_inebriation(bartender, dignity); } else { if_drinkless) mix_drink (glass, ingredients); consume_drink (courage, responsibility); tell_funny_stories(cleverness); laugh_at_others_stories(determination); output_lies(imagination, restraint); . . . } } sleep( light_snack, water); apologize (everyone, pride); write_to_brain ("I will never do that again");

I think James advice was perfect. Although I have not published books I've written and published several very popular games in the 90's which (with the help of publishers) found their way into Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Sears, Radio Shack, and many drug stores. Like most software publishers a percentage of net sounds wonderful till they tell you what net turns out to be. Numbers get juggled and authors can find themselves disillusioned very quickly. They moved 70,000 copies a month (total - all stores), and I made 10 cents per copy. I did very well from Wal-Mart, K-Mart & Sears. The publisher that put me in Radio Shack had all these reasons for cost being so high that I didn't make a red cent. I think publishers should tell us how much money they are making for other authors in the same genre :) I've got philip greenspuns book also and love it, that is a great book. I love the photography as well. I also own Peter Friedrichs "The Voice of Crystal" and his latest one called "Instruments of Amplification". He is self published on both and says this in the second book and I quote "if you've ever given consideration to authoring a book yourself, I would urge you, by all means, buckle down and DO IT! Far from being a simple means to an end, the experience allowed me to meet dozens of wonderful and interesting people I'd not have met otherwise. It also taught me some useful lessons that have directly impacted the book you're about to read." Now I will end this with an off topic story .. A stocker broker trying to convince a new client to invest with him wanted to prove they were the best on the block at making money. So the broker took the client down to the yacht club and showed him all the brokers expensive boats. The client was seriously impressed and when it came time to leave said, "Now show me the clients boats" :-) {Original Message removed}

> Now I will end this with an off topic story .. A stocker broker trying to > convince a new client to invest with him wanted to prove they were the best > on the block at making money. So the broker took the client down to the > yacht club and showed him all the brokers expensive boats. The client was > seriously impressed and when it came time to leave said, "Now show me the > clients boats" :-) LOL! I decided to become a writer because I've always wanted to do this, *and* because my wife needs a full-time caretaker. This means that I had to leave a job I was good at (but truely hated) and earn less per hour than a fast-food worker. Unless, that is, my book becomes an instant best-seller. :) Seriously, I figure that between my income from writing and my income from my (quite) early pension that I will earn less than my wife gets from disability. :( I'm sure that some authors make a good deal of money in non-fiction, but I don't know any of them. However, if you want to write, then *write*. I've learned more about robotics and embedded systems by writing about them than I did before. And like any skill, the more I write, the easier it gets. -- D. Jay Newman ! Polititions and civilations come and RemoveMEjayTakeThisOuTsprucegrove.com ! go but the engineers and machinists http://enerd.ws/robots/ ! make progress

I have a book on PIC programming scheduled for publishing by Elsevier in May/June, "Programming the PIC Microcontroller with Mbasic." (It may be published under Elsevier's Newness imprint.) It's about 800 pages, with > 500 illustrations and it took me about a year to write and illustrate. The galley proofs look good, if I do say so myself. I've tried to mix both electronics and programming, as you can't do much with a PIC without becoming involved in the electronics end of things. Although written with the beginner to intermediate programmer in mind, the second half of the book makes liberal use of mixed in assembler code to speed up programs that, if written in only Mbasic, would not meet reasonable speed objectives. I've also done my best to write in a conversational, non-textbook style, keeping equations to the minimum, whilst preserving accuracy. It's harder to write at the introductory or intermediate level than one might think. You have to simplify or introduce many concepts without the depth of detail that a more advanced treatment would include. I wound up writing, for example, about 30 pages on PIC outputs, and how to drive various types of loads. Obvious things such as diode/Zener diodes for inductive loads, isolation via optical couplers, etc. But, if you don't know about these things, they aren't obvious and need explanation. I used close to the same space to discuss inputs, TTL versus CMOS levels versus Schmitt trigger, debounce, etc. Again, if you have worked with in the field, all pretty obvious, but mysterious to beginners. I wrote this not to make money, but rather as an educational exercise for me. I've recently retired and it kept me out of mischief for a while. The royalty numbers that were mentioned on the other posts are in line with what I've seen, around 10% of the price the publisher gets for the book, which means something around 5% or 6% on the cover price. Amortized over the time it took to research and write, I'm sure it won't come close to minimum wage. As far as building upon application notes and data sheets, yes, I certainly used ideas and information from them. I don't know of any other source on definitive information on the inner workings of a 16F876, for example, other than Microchip's documentation (recognizing its documents have more than a few errors. I've caught a few and passed my observations along to the authors. I see that Microchip has issued corrected App Notes in at least one instance.) What I've tried to do is synthesize the references, blend them with my original work and present the result in a fashion that can be understood by someone without the experience of those on this list. Everyone must start someplace. Jack

On Apr 5, 2005, at 4:44 PM, D. Jay Newman wrote: > However, if you want to write, then *write*. I've learned more about > robotics and embedded systems by writing about them than I did before. In that light, a publisher willing to hand-hold you through a book or two and show you the ropes (even if it's THEIR ropes) might be worthwhile even if the profits turn out "low." So what do all you authors use for (non-fiction writing) software? I was contemplating doing some writing, and found microsoft word (which I assumed did everything) to be terribly lacking in things like including source code examples and such. Short of $$$ packages like Framemaker, I wound up back at LaTeX, which seems a bit ridiculous even if it does have 'wrappers' that make it easier to use than in the old days... BillW

-----Original Message----- .From: spamBeGonepiclist-bouncesspamBeGonemit.edu [TakeThisOuTpiclist-bouncesEraseMEspam_OUTmit.edu] On Behalf Of William Chops .Westfield .Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 8:29 PM .To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. .Subject: Re: [AD] Ideas for books on PIC .On Apr 5, 2005, at 4:44 PM, D. Jay Newman. wrote: .> However, if you want to write, then *write*. I've learned more about .> robotics and embedded systems by writing about them than I did before. .In that light, a publisher willing to hand-hold you through a book or two and show you the .ropes (even if it's THEIR ropes) might be worthwhile even if the profits turn out "low." .So what do all you authors use for (non-fiction writing) software? I was contemplating .doing some writing, and found microsoft word (which I assumed did everything) to be .terribly lacking in things like including source code examples and such. Short of .$$$ .packages like Framemaker, I wound up back at LaTeX, which seems a bit ridiculous even .if it does have 'wrappers' that make it easier to use than in the old days... .BillW I wrote 1200 manuscript pages in Microsoft Word, using a dozen or so formatting tags. The publisher wants the graphics as separate files, not with you embedding them into the manuscript. My publisher contracts out the layout work, and the layout person I'm working with uses Mac platform with Adobe software. That, I believe, is pretty typical software/hardware in that business. They import the manuscript, and do the layout, insert the illustrations, size them, arrange for text to flow around, provide running chapter headers, etc. The more you do to make your MS look like a book, the more they have to un-do. What they want is for you to use style sheets and styles, so the composition person doesn't have to do manual text tagging. And, you are supposed to highlight the words/terms that are to go into the index using Microsoft Word's "highlight" function. For example, I defined a style for program code, Courier New, 9 pt, Bold, and named that style "PgmCode" and for text in tables, I defined Aerial, 10 pt as "Table Text," etc. Normal text got the "Normal" tag to cover Times Roman, 11 pt double spaced. This way, the layout person can import the file and re-purpose all text with the Normal tag as, for example, Times Roman 9 pt, justified, single spaced, without having to go through and manually tag every paragraph. However, looking at the PDF files of the book layout, I see that all my tables and "text illustrations" are used pretty much as I did them. And, even though I submitted electronic copies of everything, my contract said two paper copies of the manuscript and all illustrations. It came to about 1800 pages each copy, with one illustration per page plus the text pages. Jack

William "Chops" Westfield wrote : > So what do all you authors use for (non-fiction writing) software? > I was contemplating doing some writing, and found microsoft > word (which I assumed did everything) to be terribly lacking > in things like including source code examples and such. > Short of $$$ packages like Framemaker, > I wound up back at LaTeX, which seems a bit ridiculous even if it does > have 'wrappers' that make it easier to use than in the old days... Generaly speaking, for larger works, I prefer the edit/compile style of working, not the WYSIWYG way (a la MS-word). Unfortunaly there isn't many tools available on PC/Windows today. LaTeX is one of them. Now LaTeX doesn't have one of the most easiest syntax available :-) One tool that I realy like (but doesn't run on PC/Win) is "DEC Document". A tool originaly developed by Digital (DEC) for the VMS operating system. It's mainly a markup language (based on SGML, so it's standard and also looks very much like HTML in style, but more "dokument-oriented" then HTML) that runs TeX under the hood, so to speak. Well, those was the times... :-) Jan-Erik.

Just to make sure that this topic is absolutely, postively beaten to death.... ;-) My day job is at one of the biggest printers/distributors around, and I've had more than a little experience in the publishers industry. Anyone, my advice to potential authors is basically: o Don't expect to make a lot of money with a technical book. Fiction writers make a LOT more. But it's still all relative - a $300.00 check is a "lot more" than a $30.00 check. If you get an advance, consider that your payment for the entire book, as you probably won't see anything more from it. o The publishing industry is like the movie industry - the vast majority of books don't even begin to cover their cost. They're subsidized by the blockbusters. And since there are only a few blockbusters a year, publishers are, as a rule, not going to invest much, if any, money in promoting your books. You will not find a more conservative industry than publishing - they will only spend money to promote books that have either a well-known author, or books that ride on the coat tails of a blockbuster. In all other cases, you will be the primary marketer and salesperson. o Always, always, ALWAYS remember - the money flows from the publisher to the author. NEVER the opposite way. You don't pay for "setup fees". You don't pay for the ISBN. You don't pay for "editing". You don't pay for the cover art. You don't even pay for lunch with an agent or editor. If you pay for ANYTHING at all, then you have contracted with a copy shop ( otherwise known as a "vanity press" ), not a publisher, and must set your expectations accordingly. o There are advantages to a small publisher - you can get better treatment, personal interaction with the editors/owners/etc. But you also probably won't get an advance. Please note that there are legitimate small presses that don't offer an advance, and are totally above board. But, on the down side, the small presses might not have the same access to large distribution channels as a big publisher. And in this business, it all really boils down to access to the main distributors, because otherwise, the chain bookstores probably won't, or can't, order your books. With the rise of the net, this is becoming less of an issue, but if you have any expectation if being sold in a brick-and-mortar store, find out who your publisher distributes to, and then call up your local bookstore and ask if they can order from that distributor. If they can't, then you're going to have to rely on alternate means of selling books. o Learn how the industry works behind the scenes, if you really want to make a go at writing as your day job. Some of the other references that were cited in this thread were inaccurate. For example, "Print On Demand" ( POD ) is a technology, not a type of publisher. Vanity presses use both POD and offset printing - just like the legitimate publishers. Basically, write because you want to, and you have something to say - not because you want to become wealthy. Most wealthy authors got that way because they had another job. ;-) - Rich

> -----Original Message----- > From: RemoveMEpiclist-bouncesTakeThisOuTmit.edu [piclist-bouncesEraseME.....mit.edu]On Behalf > Of Jack Smith > Sent: Wednesday, 6 April 2005 10:49 AM > To: 'Microcontroller discussion list - Public.' > Subject: RE: [AD] Ideas for books on PIC > > > I wrote 1200 manuscript pages in Microsoft Word, using a dozen or so > formatting tags. > > The publisher wants the graphics as separate files, not with you embedding > them into the manuscript. Too right, because it's bloody hard to get them back out. Just link them, makes your file smaller & crash less too. I asked someone for a bunch (hundreds) of icons once. They sent them inside a PowerPoint file. I found that if I cut & pasted them to a graphics program, the resolution changed. (Experiments with Word & Excel did the same.) I tried VBA, while in theory you could get at them, I gave up after running out of time. I sent the project back with "here - put you own damn icons in there". Hmmm, maybe save as RTF... If anyone's done this, send me the code! > My publisher contracts out the layout work, and the layout person I'm > working with uses Mac platform with Adobe software. That, I believe, is > pretty typical software/hardware in that business. > > They import the manuscript, and do the layout, insert the illustrations, > size them, arrange for text to flow around, provide running > chapter headers, > etc. Quark is better at layout (especially with graphics) than Word. Word is better at creating the document in the first place. > The more you do to make your MS look like a book, the more they have to > un-do. What they want is for you to use style sheets and styles, so the > composition person doesn't have to do manual text tagging. And, you are > supposed to highlight the words/terms that are to go into the index using > Microsoft Word's "highlight" function. No professional indexer? That sucks. Indexing is much harder than it looks. > For example, I defined a style for program code, Courier New, 9 pt, Bold, > and named that style "PgmCode" and for text in tables, I defined > Aerial, 10 > pt as "Table Text," etc. Normal text got the "Normal" tag to cover Times > Roman, 11 pt double spaced. Close, but not quite. Use MACRO for program code, that's what it's for. No such style as Normal, use Body Text instead. Normal means you haven't gotten around to that bit yet, so it 'floats' and Word will format it however it pleases (depends on version & PC setup). Still, congratulations on using styles. You're about 1 in 1000. BTW, there's a 'replace style' function, so changing PgmCode to Macro is a few mouse clicks. And if you haven't, use Strong & Emphasis, not bold & italic. {Quote hidden}> This way, the layout person can import the file and re-purpose > all text with the Normal tag as, for example, Times Roman 9 > pt, justified, single spaced, without having to go through and > manually tag every paragraph. > > However, looking at the PDF files of the book layout, I see that all my > tables and "text illustrations" are used pretty much as I did them. > > And, even though I submitted electronic copies of everything, my contract > said two paper copies of the manuscript and all illustrations. It came to > about 1800 pages each copy, with one illustration per page plus the text > pages. > > > Jack I've never found a 'Professional Word', book, so I've decided to write my own, mainly to give to people I've been teaching. "Chapter 1 - Styles". One day I might finish it. Tony

On Tue, 5 Apr 2005, William Chops Westfield wrote: > On Apr 5, 2005, at 4:44 PM, D. Jay Newman wrote: > >> However, if you want to write, then *write*. I've learned more about >> robotics and embedded systems by writing about them than I did before. > > In that light, a publisher willing to hand-hold you through a book or > two and show you the ropes (even if it's THEIR ropes) might be worthwhile > even if the profits turn out "low." > > So what do all you authors use for (non-fiction writing) software? I was > contemplating doing some writing, and found microsoft word (which I > assumed did everything) to be terribly lacking in things like including > source code examples and such. Short of $$$ packages like Framemaker, > I wound up back at LaTeX, which seems a bit ridiculous even if it does > have 'wrappers' that make it easier to use than in the old days... Did you try LyX ? LyX is a 'wrapper' around LaTeX with a gui. Its output can be tweaked by hand for best effect (it outputs LaTeX among other formats) Peter