The Raspberry Pi User Guide

Raspberry Pi User Guide, Preliminary CoverThe magazine work has been, you may have noticed, slow of late. There’s a very good reason for this: I’ve been working on a semi-secret project which can now be officially unveiled. That project is the Raspberry Pi User Guide. (That’s a rough draft cover, by the way.)

Written in collaboration with Eben Upton, co-founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation and inventor of the device itself, it’s a 240-page manual which aims to gently introduce the user into the world of the Raspberry Pi. No real technical knowledge is assumed – although by the time you get to to the sections on the GPIO port, it probably helps – and it aims to allow those without Linux experience to get up and running quickly on the remarkably sub-$35 single-board computer.

Subjects covered in the book include a quick introduction to Linux including system administration and maintenance, flashing the SD card, programming the Pi in Scratch and Python, making use of the 26-pin GPIO port, using the Pi as a home theatre system or general-purpose PC, and even a beginner’s guide to soldering.

The book is being published by Wiley & Sons in the UK and US in dead-tree and eBook formats, alongside an eBook-only introductory guide called Meet the Raspberry Pi. This slimmed-down version includes the first six chapters of the full-size book – which cover getting started and practical uses for the Pi – along with an extract from the ‘Hardware Hacking’ chapter. For those who just want to get started, it’s a cut-price alternative to the dead-tree release.

The book is undergoing final review and production now, with a view to getting Meet the Raspberry Pi out in the coming weeks and the Raspberry Pi User Guide whenever the printing presses can churn copies out fast enough. The electronic versions will be available in ePub, Kindle and PDF formats.

The dead-tree release can be pre-ordered on Amazon now, if you feel so inclined. Alternatively, the ePub can be pre-ordered from Wiley.

UPDATE: Wow, the book’s proving a little bit popular, then… (Click for full-size.)

Amazon Sales Rank #30, Raspberry Pi User Guide

21 thoughts on “The Raspberry Pi User Guide

    • Gareth says:

      It’s certainly compatible with the Apple Book Store, but I’ll have to check with the publisher if it’s going to be sold through that channel. If not, it’ll still be possible to buy the ePub or PDF version and read it on an iPad or iPhone.

  1. Simon says:

    A Kindle version would also be very useful, as this can also be read on an iPad/iPhone/PC etc. with the corresponding Kindle app.

    • Gareth says:

      The current plan is to release Meet the Raspberry Pi first as an eBook – in a matter of weeks, in fact – and then follow up with the Raspberry Pi User Guide. The October date on Amazon is a placeholder: both the full eBook and the dead-tree release will, hopefully, come sooner.

    • Gareth says:

      As far as I’m aware, Meet the Raspberry Pi will cost £3.99/$6.99 – but don’t quote me on that. I don’t know how much the eBook version of the Raspberry Pi User Guide will cost yet, I’m afraid.

    • Gareth says:

      I don’t set the pricing, I’m afraid – but given the effort that’s gone into it, and the sheer volume of content, I think £3.99 is more than reasonable!

        • Gareth says:

          I’m not saying I disagree – because I don’t – but remember you’re comparing self-published titles with a professionally published title. There are a dozen or so people involved in the production of this book, and they all need paying – not just me. The big reason for a self-published author to drop his or her price is publicity – but this book has the weight of the Wiley marketing department behind it for that.

          Plus, if you price it high you can always come down – but if you start low, you’ll never know whether it would have sold just as well at double or triple the price..

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