“Going to print”
Three little words, but to me, they mean so much. In a matter of weeks, I’ll be a published author. The book is titled “iPad Secrets,” a guide to everything possible on your iPad that you may not have ever known was actually possible. It’ll ship to a slew of e-tailers (including Amazon outlets around the globe), and a bunch of well-known brick-and-mortar outlets as well. The publisher is John Wiley & Sons, also known as the company that publishes the famed ‘For Dummies’ line (including a pair of spectacular reads from a dear friend of mine, Chris Ziegler).
The book itself has been a monumental labor of love, and it has been an amazing learning experience. I was tasked with assembling a guide that would touch on all three of Apple’s iPad units to date: the original, the iPad 2 and the new iPad. Within the covers, you’ll find nifty shortcuts, tips and outright trickeration that relates to all three, and I’ve spent untold nights making revisions to ensure that the latest and greatest information is in here.
I highly doubt I’ll ever forget how this came to be: I was sitting in Denmark, just days after speaking at one of the most exciting and pulsing conferences I’ve ever been to (Next 2011, put on by Innovation Lab). I received a note from an acquisitions editor at Wiley asking me if I was interested in a book project. I knew that I didn’t have time. I made time. I knew that writing a book would be tough and relentless, but I couldn’t say no. After 20,000+ posts (and counting!) at Engadget, this felt like a beautiful way to extend what has become my career and touch the lives of a different sect of people who use consumer electronics.
Writing a book is exactly like you would imagine it to be, and nothing at all like you’d imagine it to be. Throughout the process, I have to say — Wiley was amazing to work with. I’ve heard some horror stories when it comes to publishing (even a sad tale from my main man Tim Stevens), but I’ve no regrets about diving into this.
It was easily the most challenging single project I’ve ever undertaken, but also one of the most rewarding. Now I understand the look authors give people when they say they’re about to write a book. Unless you’ve done it, you have no idea how long and winding the road is. That said, it’s really a grand feeling to see something of yours in print. As a boy who grew up penning his tales on a screen, there’s still something amazing about the printed word. I’d bother listing out the many, many people I owe thanks for, but all of that is within the front matter of the book.
If you (or someone you know) is interested in taking their iPad relationship to a new level, check out iPad Secrets. Hopefully you’ll find it infinitely useful and enlightening. It’ll ship on April 3rd for those that order online, and it should hit B&M stores a week after. Happy iPading!
P.S. - If you want to pre-order the book, you can do so at these fine e-tailers:
(If you’re looking for it elsewhere, the ISBN is 9781118247365)
