Tag: book

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Expression Web My Book

In rewrite mode: New version of my book on the way!

Since Amazon.com was kind enough to list my book months before it’s done and I’ve been Tweeting about it for weeks there really is no reason to pretend it’s a secret any more: I am currently in the process of revising my book Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web in 24 Hours 3 for the upcoming release of Expression Web 3 which is slated for some time later this summer.

Needless to say writing a book about software that not only is not out yet but is not even finished yet is a bit of a challenge. And like last year (when I wrote the first version of the book) I will probably spend the next couple of months in constant revision mode making new screen grabs, changing tutorials to fit a not-yet-completed user interface and so on. But hey, I’m not complaining: Writing these books means I have to learn and understand every minute detail about the software. And knowing your tools inside out makes for a faster and more productive work routine.

The new book is more than just an update to fit the new user interface: Over the past year I’ve received countless emails from readers with questions and comments about everything from how to save files in Expression Web to how I got a book deal and I’ve taken all these comments, suggestions and criticisms along with my own experiences and thoughts to rewrite many of the chapters and add new and exciting content. And yes, my sentences are just as long in the book!

New features in the book

The new version of the book will, amongst other things, include:

  • a completely new project that the reader will build from the ground up. The new project has a better design, more flexibility and new choices for the designer to make the site her own. The idea behind the new project is that once the site is completed by the end of Hour 24, the reader can simply replace the content from the book with her own content and launch the site.
  • New menu tutorials showcasing vertical and horizontal CSS based menus as well as a CSS based drop-down menu.
  • A CSS layout tutorial explaining how you can use CSS to create multiple different layouts within one site without having to make separate style sheets.
  • An entire chapter on cross-browser testing using SuperPreview and the other accessibility and reporting tools built into Expression Web 3.

I am currently rewriting Hour 18 and, having skipped some chapters, still have about 10 to go (plus a couple of apendixes and a bonus chapter) so if you have comments, questions, concerns or anything else you want to say before I wrap this baby up, please feel free to put it in the comments below or send me an email. The book is written to help you so if you need help, speak up!

That said, go to Amazon.com and buy the book now. That way you know you’ll have it the minute it comes out!

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My Book News

My book is featured in the Canadian User Experience Blog

One of the people responsible for my company switching to Microsoft Expression as our main web publishing platform is Qixing Zheng – a UX (User Experience) Advisor for Microsoft Canada. Qixing and her colleague Paul Laberge have been instrumental in both our transition to this new platform and also in getting me to the point where I was able to publish a book about Expression Web 2.

Today Qixing published a short article on the Canadian User Experience Blog about the book as well as my recent article in the Expression Newsletter. So here is a link back to the blog, a great place to get info, tips and tutorials on Microsoft and their products, customized for Canucks, “straight from the source” so to speak.

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Expression Web My Book News

My book is finally here!

So I’m sitting in my couch tweaking the new web site I’ve created to supplment my upcoming book when the phone rings. FedEx is downstairs with something for me. When I get down to the lobby the guy is standing there with two huge boxes complaining about how heavy they are. It took me a few seconds to connect the dots but the Pearson Publishing sticker on the side made it all clear: The two boxes contained the 25 complimentary copies of my upcoming book Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 2 in 24 Hours. I was under the impression that the boxes wouldn’t arrive until after the book had hit shelves but it’s quite obvious now I was wrong.

Above are some nice cheezy photos of me and the book. And since Kenny the Squeeze Toy is heavily featured in the book itself I figured it would be appropriate to show that he is actually real.

So I guess there’s no doubt any more: The book is real and feels nice and solid. And since I have so many I’ll probably give some away so stay tuned!

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My Book News

My Book Is Finished (first draft at least)!

After two months of grueling work and a lot of brain twisting the final chapter of my 24 chapter masterpiece Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 2 in 24 Hours was submitted to the publisher this afternoon.

From here the next step is author review where my tech editor as well as language specialists, format editors and other people far more versed in the art of book publishing than myself get to pick at every minute detail and tell me that (big shock and surprise) my English is somewhat archaic and I have more spelling errors than a 5 year old on caffeine (actually I’ve already gone over the reviews of the first 6 chapters and they really weren’t that bad).

When author review is done, there is yet another review stage before they finally start cutting down trees to push my carefully crafted words out on the shelves for the tutorial starved public to devour.

If you want a peek behind the curtain, Safari Books have actually published the unedited rough draft of the book on their website.

Now that the worst is over I’ll be gettnig back to writing tutorials and projects for this blog so if everything goes according to plan there should be something up by next week. During the writing of the book I encountered many a strange situation that required some study and eventually a solution and I’ll be sharing the ones that for one reason or another didn’t fit into the book here on the blog.

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Expression Web My Book News

The Cat’s Out of the Bag: I’m Writing a Book!

I guess it’s time to announce the worst kept secret of the century: I’m writing a book about Expression Web 2. More specifically it’s called Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Expression Web 2 in 24 Hours and it is scheduled for release in October this year.

The book is already listed for pre-order on Amazon.com so if you are real eager to get your hands on this literary masterpiece you can put your money in now and set up your lawn chair and tent by the mailbox. Bring food though… October is still some months away.

In writing the book I’ve tried to show not only all the great functionalities of Expression Web 2 but also how you can develop a good work routine that produces consistent results every time. It is bursting with tutorials and demos of how you can achieve the same results with different techniques and it is my sincere hope that it will help budding as well as fully blooming web designers bring some extra panache to their designs.

So if you are wondering why I have pretty much fallen off the face of the earth, now you have the answer: I’m up to my neck in easy-to-understand-but-hard-to-come-up-with tutorials that will give people the skills and know-how to get the most out of this powerful piece of software.