So I just discovered that if you wanted to, you could now read Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms for FREE at Amazon. They just added the “Search This Book” feature to the page, and even though you only get to see three pages per search, if you keep searching for a word at the bottom of the third page, you get the next two pages and the next two pages etc. Some work, but it can be done. At the very least, the cool thing is you can now search it.
Even though the book has been doing really well (second printing was done just six weeks after release and it looks like a third is on the way) I’ve started telling people at workshops that they really don’t need to buy it to figure this stuff out. (Brilliant marketing strategy, I know.) All I’ve done is put it in a neat package. But there are other folks who are starting to do this with wikis. And while there is a part of me that struggles with this whole idea (especially since I actually went ahead and wrote the book) I say more power to them. If I could turn my book into a wiki, I would. But I can’t under the contract I signed with the publisher.
The interesting news is that I’ve been offered another contract for a book about writing and reading in hypertext environments. I’ve asked to have discussions about other forms of the book being made available and giving it away online to those who might want it that way, but I haven’t had any response yet. So I haven’t signed the contract. And I’m starting to wonder if I will. I’m starting to think it might be more fun to write it in a wiki and ask other people to contribute to it in the process and then leave it up there for folks to read if they want. And to offer it up as a print text for those that want it, publisher or not.
We’ll see…
Will, you’re a marketing genius 😉
This is a great, open attitude to knowledge sharing. Even if the knowledge is out there, someone, somewhere has to bring it together and make it coherent, accessible and readable.
I really appreciate the underlying idea that the more you give the more you gain. Knowledge and learning really is like that. Those that hold on to what they know – believing ‘knowledge is power’ – lose one of the most enjoyable aspects of having that knowledge, which is to pass it on and see what others do with it.
I’m sure this will bring a lot more readers to your book. Best of luck with the next.
I gave this a try on amazon.com (although I did actually buy your book!) and after searching enough times I got a message that said I couldn’t see any more pages of the book due to copyright, etc. I cleared my cookies and tried to get back in, but the site made me log back in and it remembered that I had already viewed too many pages in the book! I was really excited for a minute there… they could have saved me a TON of money… 😉 I love the book by the way!
Brandon,
I swear that didn’t happen this morning, but I got the same message just now. I really thought that’s the way it should work, so I was really surprised when I was able to work through about 15 pages without being kicked out. Interesting…
I purchased 10 copies of your book for distribution on staffroom coffee tables. Teachers are finding the book an easy read… BUT I would not have been able to get most of those who are now reading it to checkout a wiki or other online resource… so for me the printed book helped to reach a particular audience… Cheers.