I wrote “My New iPad 2,” published by No Starch Press, because the moment I heard about the iPad, I knew it would revolutionize the computer industry because it was the exact type of portable, lightweight computer that I always wanted but could never get in a netbook or a laptop. Before Apple even introduced the iPad, I could already imagine all the diverse uses for the device and how it would make people think differently about how a computer should work (read my essay, “The End of an Era”). I rarely take my laptop computers with me anymore because they’re too heavy and bulky, and do almost nothing that my iPad can’t do easier and better.
The first time I got my hands on a beta copy of Microsoft’s then new Vista operating system, I knew that I had to switch to a Macintosh. I couldn’t believe how slow, clumsy, and annoying Vista could be until I actually tried using it for more than five seconds at a time. That’s when I knew that the future of computing would no longer be Windows but the Macintosh, so that’s why I wrote “My New Mac,” published by No Starch Press, to help other ex-Windows users switch over and get comfortable using the Macintosh. I switched completely to the Macintosh (using a Mac mini so I could reuse my old PC keyboard, monitor, and mouse) in 2007 as soon as Vista appeared because I was willing to do anything to avoid using Vista. Back in 2007, I told people that Vista would sink Microsoft and Windows, and that the macintosh was the future of computing. Of course, many people scoffed and ridiculed me, but look at the trend of today and guess which people can’t find a reason to laugh any more?
”Microsoft Office 2010 For Dummies,” published by Wiley, is one of the few remaining Windows-related books I’m still writing. Despite the odd appearance of the Microsoft Office Ribbon, Microsoft Office is still a powerful program that has numerous features buried just out of reach from most people. That’s why I wrote this book to help all those long-suffering Microsoft Office users understand and use the various programs so they can get something done instead of wondering how to use the program.
”Steal This Computer Book,” published by No Starch Press, started off as a fun project that I had no idea would actually sell. I had gotten tired of writing the usual computer books so I wanted to do something fun, exciting, and interesting, and nothing says fun better than hackers, viruses, spyware, Trojan Horses, and computer worms. This book has tended to polarize a lot of people who either understand the message about freedom and independent thinking, or don’t understand the book’s message at all so they get all offended, huffy, angry, and defensive as they criticize the book using lies, slander, and misinformation — which pretty much personifies exactly what the book is speaking out against. To this day, I’m still amazed that this book sold as well as it did.
This book, “Mac Programming for Absolute Beginners,” is my first Macintosh programming book. I wrote it because I had read three other Macintosh programming books and they all simply overwhelmed me with pages of code, lots of technical jargon, and advanced Macintosh programming concepts that made no sense to me at all as a complete novice. So I resolved to write a Macintosh programming book that really assumed that readers were programming novices, provided short and simple code examples for maximum clarity and minimal errors, and didn’t try to teach everything at once but just enough to make the reader feel confident enough to tackle those other Macintosh programming books.
This book, “Beginning Programming All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies,” published by Wiley, is one of my favorite books because it was so much fun to research and write about various algorithms used by programmers. Programming is really an intellectual challenge and if you can understand that concept, then you can ignore the details of learning a particular programming language and just enjoy the task of programming for fun.
”Breaking Into Acting For Dummies,” published by Wiley, was one of those oddball books that I did for fun, based on my own experience in doing stand-up comedy and appearing in TV commercials and movies in Hollywood. I wrote it with a Hollywood producer, Larry Garrison, and together we combined our stories and experience in book to help aspiring actors understand the business side of acting so they can focus on the performance part of acting.
I wrote this humorous book about caring for a cat when I got my first cat back in 1992. After reading a basic cat care book and finding the advice offered had no basis in reality with dealing with a real cat, I wrote this parody and submitted it to Smashwords, a site that lets authors post their works for free.
These are just a handful of my most recent books. I’ve written other books on obscure topics like Turbo Pascal programming and WordPerfect, but those books have long gone out of print. Although I’m still writing books, I’m looking at the future. The printed book is as good as gone as everything goes digital. As much as I like the physical feel of a printed book, there are just too many advantages of e-books and too many costs associated with printing, distributing, and storing printed books that it’s inevitable that printed books will fade away sooner rather than later.
The future of authors will no longer be just about writing but about information delivery. If all you can do is just write, then you’re obsolete. Tomorrow’s authors better know how to present information visually and digitally as well, and that’s what I’m focusing on for the future.