Michael W. Lucas's Blog, page 47

AF3e Status, 17 July 2017

For those who are watching me write the third edition of “Absolute FreeBSD,” here’s where things stand.

It’s at 77,400 words. 7 of 24 chapters exist [edit: oops, typo, not “chapter sexist,” spellcheckers are useless] as first drafts. Three more chapters are partially finished.

The current outline looks like this. Chapter titles subject to change. For reference, the ideal chapter length of a No Starch book is about 5000 words.

0 – Introduction (7500 words, d1 done)
1 – Getting More Help
2 – Pr...

Get My Books Cheap

A novel and a story, at least.

I was recently invited into two different book bundles, where you can get a whole bunch of books by different authors at a cheap price. A bundle is pretty much a sampler pack of similar stuff.

If you’ve read my fiction and liked it, here’s your chance to discover a bunch of new authors in my genres.

If you haven’t read my fiction, here’s a chance to inexpensively try it and a bunch of other stuff.

First up is the Sci-Fi July bundle.

It’s eleven novels, includin...

“Absolute FreeBSD 3rd Edition” update

I’d like to have the third edition of Absolute FreeBSD in print by May 2018, for BSDCan. After discussions with No Starch Press, to make that happen I must complete the first draft before November 2017.

That’s four months.

To complicate things further, in those four months I have four weeks of traveling: BSDCam, EuroBSDCon, and a writing business workshop.

So, three months.

My best guess is that I have to write about 15,000 words a week to make that happen. Call it 3,000 words a working day....

BSDCan 2017 Auction Swag

BSDCan ends each year with a charity auction. This year is no exception.

I’ll be bringing some unique items for the auction. First, a few things made by my wife. We’ll have a Relayd & Httpd Mastery keychain.

A FreeBSD church key. Yes, she made all the beads. They’re real glass. This is probably decorative use only.

A Puffy wine stopper. Again, all the beads are hand-made. Puffy is real glass.

SemiBUG is donating a Detroit sampler pack. By SemiBUG, of course, I mean me. Because my missus ha...

“Relayd and Httpd Mastery,” both the good and the bad

I finally have my grubby mitts on a print copy of Relayd and Httpd Mastery.

The cover is nice, but the inside has a couple problems. Specifically the TLS chapter.

I wrote this book on -current. Shortly after I finished writing about TLS, though, the -b flag for automatic backup was removed.

Someone pointed this out to me before I went to print. In my daftness, though, I misunderstood. (“Yes, yes, I know about the -b flag, what’s the problem?”)

There’s also a couple of other minor things–they...

“Relayd and Httpd Mastery” is out!

I’m pleased to say that Relayd and Httpd Mastery is now available in print and ebook.

Sponsors should be able to log into their accounts and download the updated book.

I don’t have a print copy of the book in my hands yet, but they’re on the way. Unless something goes wrong, I’ll a) have copies mailed to all the print sponsors before I leave for BSDCan, and b) have a few copies for BSDCan.

Now to put in some quantity time for the third edition of Absolute FreeBSD before BSDCan…

Conferences and Traveling

If you want to ask me to come talk at your con, event, or show, that’s cool. I like to meet my readers. Here are things I consider when you ask me to show up and talk. This stuff only applies if you ask me to come as a speaker: if I decide to come to your event, that’s on me.

Everything is political, and everything is financial. I don’t consider either more important than the other. But let’s talk money first.

For me to speak at your event, I need you to cover my expenses: notably, travel, lo...

Self-Imposed Split Personality

Pardon the long post, but this might both save me some time and help other authors in a similar position. (I’m not aware of any others in my position, but I’m sure they exist.) Also, I try to make data-driven decisions rather than jumping on the Latest Bandwagon, which is notoriously difficult in a business like publishing that provides very little data.

I’ve been writing under the name Michael W Lucas for decades now. I used that name on the very first book that I published. For my first tec...

Web Presence Redesign

Sometimes success is a problem. I should be glad I’ve hit this point. Instead, I’m annoyed at having to take time off from productive work to shuffle web sites. I only want to do this once, so I’m presenting my plan here. My readers are perhaps the most highly qualified people in the world to punch holes it. Also, writing it down will help me figure out the details.

I need to redesign my “web presence.” (Ugh. Hate that term.)

As an author, I present two faces to the world: nonfiction author M...

Experimental Price Cuts

I spent last weekend at Penguicon, doing a whole bunch of panels and presentations as well as talking with readers and hobnobbing with my fellow ink-stained wretches authors. As a result of those discussions, I’m trying something new (to me). I’m slashing my fiction prices.

Novels are down to $2.99. Yes, even the brand new git commit murder. Immortal Clay is down to $0.99, because it’s the first in a series.

Novellas are down to $1.99.

Short stories are all 99 cents.

US Kindle users can chec...