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    100 Words 027

    I’m getting the itch to write another book. It’s been about 2 years since I really got into the groove of writing Responsive Design with WordPress and about a year and a half since it came out.

    I’ve been kicking around a lot of ideas to coincide with other projects I’m working on, including 100 Words and TIL Podcast. Perhaps a book of short stories or something.

    I do have other ideas for tech books – specifically WordPress – but I want to seek a broader audience. I’m not sure I’m ready to write a fiction book yet, but something with more appeal, definitely.

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    A Year of Responsive Design with WordPress

    A little over a year ago, my second book (and the first one to actually be in book stores) came out. It’s called Responsive Design with WordPress and it’s all about how to leverage WordPress to create responsive themes. It’s been an incredible year and I wanted to talk about two things: what has happened since the book’s release, and what’s coming in the new year.

    Read More “A Year of Responsive Design with WordPress”

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    Upcoming News & Events

    Whoa. Almost a month has gone by and I haven’t written a thing on this blog; sorry about that! Since officially announcing my new book, Responsive Design with WordPress, I’ve been working diligently to finish up all of the writing, reviews, edits, and design approvals. I’m happy to say that Monday I will be done completely with the book. In the coming weeks, there will be a lot going on, and I wanted to give everyone a heads up!
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    About the Book

    First and foremost, the book is set to go to print on November 20th, which should put it on the shelves by December 16th. If you can’t wait that long, the ebook is currently in production and should be out before that. I will update this post (and Twitter, and Facebook, and Google+) with the official release date for that.
    In the coming weeks, I’ll probably have lots of news, links, sample readings, and even a couple of giveaways for the book so keep an eye out for that. I’ll tag everything on social media with #rwdwp.

    Upcoming Events

    I’m also going on a bit of a speaking/events tour in the next few weeks. You can see the whole schedule here, but a couple of notable ones are:

    • November 19th at 7pm: NEPA WordPress (@nepawp) @ Vintage Theater in Scranton, PA. Phil Erb will be talking about local WordPress developments. I’ll be in attendance with discounts and more. RSVP here
    • November 21st at 6pm: NEP-Tech group @ Posh in Scranton, PA. I’ll be speaking for about my book, WordPress, and RWD in general. RSVP Here
    • December 7th: Tentatively I will be doing a WordSesh talk. @WordSesh is a completely only, 24-hour WordPress conference. I’ll post more details about that as they come.

    At any of these events (and many more), those who show up will get a coupon for 35% off the price of my book, so come on by and say hi!

  • Good Books for Web Development

    I’m teaching a couple of web development classes this semester and have been receiving a lot of questions as to what books would serve as good resources. Here’s a short list, starting with the ones I’ve chosen for my classes.

    1. HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites: This is possibly the best book I’ve used for HTML and CSS. It is visual, puts things in simple terms, and it’s up-to-date. I would strongly recommend this for beginners. I am using it for my E-Commerce 251 (Intro to E-Commerce) course.
    2. Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL: This book (by O’Reilly Media) takes a good look at PHP and MySQL. It covers a range of topics from beginner PHP and an intro to Databases to a look at bigger topics, like security. I’m using it for my Media Info Tech 315 (Web Applications and Databases) course.
    3. Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with HTML5 and CSS3: This book taught me everything I know about the right want to develop websites. Dan Cederholm is a pro and a great teacher who will take you through doing things, and making them bulletproof.
    4. Web Designer’s Guide to WordPress: Plan, Theme, Build, Launch: Once you’re comfortable with HTML, CSS, and PHP, you might want to get into WordPress. This book is an excellent starting point.
    5. Implementing Responsive Design: Building sites for an anywhere, everywhere web: Responsive Design is all the rage now, and for good reason. This book will tell you the principles of RWD and how to implement it in your site.
    6. The A Book Apart Books: Honestly I would recommend all of them, but the specifically web development ones are: HTML5 for Web Designers, CSS3 for Web Designers, Responsive Web Design, and Mobile First. 

    As you probably know, I also have a book, Building WordPress Themes from Scratch. However, there have been some changes the publisher has been doing lately and I am working with them to get the book in my hands. More on that here.

    Finally, I have another book coming out in December called Responsive Design with WordPress. I think this would work really well after books 4 and 5 on the above list. Keep an eye out for it; maybe I’ll even do a giveaway or two.

    What are your must-read web development books? Let me know in the comments!