Grokking Simplicity Launch

My new book, Grokking Simplicity, all about functional programming, is now available in early access. The first three chapters are ready to read. Go to https://lispcast.com/gs, add the book to the cart, and use discount code MLNORMAND for 50% off.

Transcript

Eric Normand: Hello. My book is launched. You can get the book by going to lispcast.com/gs. There's a 50 percent discount when you check out. Just add the discount code MLNORMAND, M-L-N-O-R-M-A-N-D. I wanted to get that message out of the way before I explain more.

I started this podcast back in the beginning of 2018, I can't remember. Was it February, March? It was to practice to explore the ideas of functional programming that I wanted to turn into a book. I've been publishing two per week. Since then, I've missed a couple of those scheduled spots. In general, I've been publishing two of these episodes every week.

My audience, that's you, you've been a huge help in really exploring these ideas. I get emails, I get tweets, I even get LinkedIn messages asking about the concepts, asking for clarification, going deeper, really great questions. All of these have really helped, come up with better ways of explaining. Of realizing that it can go deeper and putting that into the book.

I signed the book contract in June. After I started my — there's a little history — podcast, I was contacted by Manning. They wanted to do a book. They, I guess, saw that I was talking about writing a book.

I hadn't done much yet, I just put together some ideas, and some notes and things. I had been doing the podcast. They wanted to do a book with me. We talked it over. After a few meetings, they sent me a contract. I signed the contract and I got started.

That was over a year ago. I went through many drafts, many revisions of the first chapters. Then I have meetings every week with my editor, to try to get the material to something learnable. Something important, something profound.

It wasn't until January, that I finally figured out a format that will work. It's not just text, that's how I started out was just typing text. There were so many ideas, they would all come out at once in my text. I actually had 60, 75 pages of text that went out for review. Is the first three chapters, it went out for review in November.

I didn't like it, my editor and like, it is getting mixed reviews. Then there with this new format, it just clicked. Like, "I get what I need to do now, understand the format." Let me talk about the format. It's a much more visual book. I was trying to do something visual, but I just wasn't hitting it. It was too much text.

Now it is super visual. Things are explained really well using real-world scenarios. We go right into solving real problems using functional concepts. Who this book is for? It's for people who know functional programming, who want to recommend a book to someone who doesn't know anything, in functional programming.

So many people are like they're known amongst their friends, the one who's into functional programming. If you're into functional programming, you probably are past the first half of the book at least. You probably don't need the book, right, or you get bored in the first half. Then when you want to point someone to a book to get them started.

There's nothing there while now there is, it's called "Grokking Simplicity."

It is all about applying functional programming in the real world. It starts with actions, calculations and data. I don't want to go into everything, I've talked about in the year and a half since I started this podcast. You can binge it if you want. Actions, calculations and data are the entry way into functional programming.

The next entryway is higher order functions. Then the next entryway is algebraic thinking. It's available in MEAP right now. MEAP is M-E-A-P, Manning Early Access Program. The way that works is, you can buy an eBook version today and you will get updates as they come out.

The schedule I have with my project manager, is a chapter a month. You can get what's available now, it just released and in a month, you'll get the next chapter. There are three chapters in the MEAP right now. Today is August 21st 2019. Just to give some context, if you're listening a little later.

There are two formats you can buy on manning.com. It's only available on manning.com right now. When it's published, it'll be everywhere. Right now, it's manning.com. There's two formats. One is the eBook only and that has PDF...Right now it just has PDF. Eventually it'll have Kindle and ePub and all the others and an HTML version you can read on the Web.

Then there's the eBookPLUS what they call pBook, which is a clever way of saying print book. You will get all the eBook formats and when it finally publishes, you get a print one in the mail. It's only a little bit more expensive to buy the print book. If you like print books, I recommend doing that.

You still get the ebook updates as they come out. Then one day, you will also get the pBook in the mail when it's finally done. The schedule for the book, they're estimating early 2019. I think, April, let me double check that. I have not been thinking of it. No, spring 2020 is what they said. I said 2019. But I said 2020.

There's no guarantee, it's just an estimate. There's three chapters now, podcast only exclusive. There are three other chapters that are in the can. Those are waiting to go out, so I have a little buffer, in case I'm late one month with a chapter.

There's already six written and there's two more that are really close. I'm just chugging away on them right now. Just stay tuned on the podcast. I'll keep you up to date on the news. I'll probably give another one of these nonfunctional programming, but more book-oriented updates when the next chapter becomes available.

LIspcast.com/gs is the short link. It'll take you right to the Manning page. You'll be able to buy it. The discount code 50 percent off. The discount code is MLNORMAND, like my last name, and it will expire on August 31st 2019 so use it now.

If you're listening in your podcast player. Pull over if you're in the car, or pop open a browser tab and go there now and buy it because this 50 percent discount won't last. I don't get to issue new discount codes. This is the marketing team at Manning gave me this one. I don't know when the next discount will be, so act now.

Thank you so much. I've been obsessing about the stats and watching. Watching sales come in. It's very exciting. I just need to get back to work on the book and get more chapters done. Awesome. Thank you and rock on.