Advanced & Performance Driving - The Book!
Discussion
I've been posting on here for over 8 years now, on and off and a few years ago, someone suggested that I should collate all my previous posts and edit them together into a book.
It sounded like a good idea, but like many things which sound like a good idea, I put it off for ages.
But then I discovered how easy it is to self-publish an ebook, so I thought I'd give it a go.
After a few weeks of editing in my spare time and a lot of prevaricating about what order I should put the posts (chapters) in, it's finally finished.
A few things to bear in mind. Firstly, I'm not an author, so this is very much an amateur attempt and should be read as such. Neither am I a professional editor, publisher or proof reader, so please do not expect fabulous graphics and rich text.
Secondly, if you've been around these forums as long as I have, you'll have read it all before, although I have rewritten the posts to make them relevant to the book, and to include information which I had subsequently posted as answers to questions.
I have not produced the book in an attempt to make my fortune and the price is deliberately low in an attempt to appeal to as many readers as possible.
Anyway, in Kindle ebook format, here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/kx7cjby
If you got an Amazon voucher for Christmas, there are worse things to fritter £2.99 on!
Oh, and Mods - I did contact the site admin before posting this thread.
It sounded like a good idea, but like many things which sound like a good idea, I put it off for ages.
But then I discovered how easy it is to self-publish an ebook, so I thought I'd give it a go.
After a few weeks of editing in my spare time and a lot of prevaricating about what order I should put the posts (chapters) in, it's finally finished.
A few things to bear in mind. Firstly, I'm not an author, so this is very much an amateur attempt and should be read as such. Neither am I a professional editor, publisher or proof reader, so please do not expect fabulous graphics and rich text.
Secondly, if you've been around these forums as long as I have, you'll have read it all before, although I have rewritten the posts to make them relevant to the book, and to include information which I had subsequently posted as answers to questions.
I have not produced the book in an attempt to make my fortune and the price is deliberately low in an attempt to appeal to as many readers as possible.
Anyway, in Kindle ebook format, here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/kx7cjby
If you got an Amazon voucher for Christmas, there are worse things to fritter £2.99 on!
Oh, and Mods - I did contact the site admin before posting this thread.
Excellent news! 
As one of the many who've been asking for this, thanks for taking the time to collate it all. I've bought my copy, though still trying to figure out how I can download it rather than have to view it on the blasted browser only (as I run Linux PCs). Don't spend it all at once! haha
As one of the many who've been asking for this, thanks for taking the time to collate it all. I've bought my copy, though still trying to figure out how I can download it rather than have to view it on the blasted browser only (as I run Linux PCs). Don't spend it all at once! haha
Many thanks to everyone who has bought a copy. It's now the 12th bestseller in the "Automotive" section of the Kindle bookstore!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-...
I'll be giving it a little refresh in a week or two, updating it with my track day posts and addressing a couple of formatting issues. I'll make sure that the updates are available to anyone who has already bought it, so no-one will miss out.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-...
I'll be giving it a little refresh in a week or two, updating it with my track day posts and addressing a couple of formatting issues. I'll make sure that the updates are available to anyone who has already bought it, so no-one will miss out.
R_U_LOCAL said:
Many thanks to everyone who has bought a copy. It's now the 12th bestseller in the "Automotive" section of the Kindle bookstore!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-...
I'll be giving it a little refresh in a week or two, updating it with my track day posts and addressing a couple of formatting issues. I'll make sure that the updates are available to anyone who has already bought it, so no-one will miss out.
Haha you're currently in at #4... outselling Roadcraft by one place. That raised a certain wry smirk. To be fair, having recently re-read Roadcraft, your book reads like the 'Here's what they actually meant to say' version and is much more readable, engaging and understandable. It's also much less dry. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-...
I'll be giving it a little refresh in a week or two, updating it with my track day posts and addressing a couple of formatting issues. I'll make sure that the updates are available to anyone who has already bought it, so no-one will miss out.
Beyond all my expectations, the book is currently the number 1 bestseller in the Kindle automotive section. Ahead of Jeremy Clarkson, the Stig, the Highway Code and Roadcraft!
Who'd have thunk it?!
http://tinyurl.com/kx7cjby
Who'd have thunk it?!
http://tinyurl.com/kx7cjby
waremark said:
That's absolutely amazing Reg, well done - and well deserved. How many sales does it take to become no 1 (does your followership here and now on ADUK get you that far?)? Are you going to make real money from it?
Well, I won't be giving up my day job yet, that's for sure!Sales are in the low 100s at the moment - it is the number one seller, but in the "automotive" section of the Kindle store, so we're not talking massive sales, but far, far in excess of my expectations - I though t I'd shift half-a-dozen or so in the first month, So I'm really very pleased. The majority of sales have, I think, followed the announcement on PH, but I'm tweeting now as well, and sales seem to respond to my tweets, so maybe that helps.
If sales continue as they are, I might just be able to take Mrs Local away for a few days later in the year on the profits.
I have some further plans - the book will be updated and "tidied up" in a few weeks with a few extra chapters and some loose ends tied up (don't worry if you've bought it - the updates will be available free of charge for those who have already bought the book). There is also an opportunity for Amazon to produce a print version of the book with no outlay on my part, but it will need a comprehensive re-edit and the price will be significantly higher, but hopefully no more than a tenner.
Thanks to everyone who has bought a copy!
R8VXF said:
So read this on last night and this mornings commute. A very good read and has made me think a lot about my own driving, to the extent that I went out for about an hour and a half last night to try a few things out. I definitely need to relearn changing gears though...
Are you sure you're an advanced driver? 
I'd appreciate people's suggestions for further chapters.
When I update the book, I'm going to include a final chapter on cornering (I never really felt I'd finished cornering so I'll cover lines through corners and balancing steering & throttle) and a final chapter on motorways - if you read all the motorway stuff you'll realise I never covered motorway exits and I'm worried there may be people endlessley circling the M60 with no idea how to leave!
I'm also writing a section which describes police driving courses in detail, finishing the trackday chapters, giving my version of how to apply the Roadcraft system of car control and a piece I've been thinking about for a while covering how different roads have different "rythms".
As with everything else in the book, I'll be posting each chapter in this forum over the next few months so everyone will get a chance to read it for free eventually. If you've already bought the ebook, you'll get all the new chapters for free as soon as I've released them, and if you'd prefer a real, live, paper and print book, that'll be available too
But have I missed anything? Is there anything else you'd like me to cover? Anything you've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask?
Let me know. I'm laid up with flu at the moment so it'll give me something to do in between bouts of dying.
When I update the book, I'm going to include a final chapter on cornering (I never really felt I'd finished cornering so I'll cover lines through corners and balancing steering & throttle) and a final chapter on motorways - if you read all the motorway stuff you'll realise I never covered motorway exits and I'm worried there may be people endlessley circling the M60 with no idea how to leave!
I'm also writing a section which describes police driving courses in detail, finishing the trackday chapters, giving my version of how to apply the Roadcraft system of car control and a piece I've been thinking about for a while covering how different roads have different "rythms".
As with everything else in the book, I'll be posting each chapter in this forum over the next few months so everyone will get a chance to read it for free eventually. If you've already bought the ebook, you'll get all the new chapters for free as soon as I've released them, and if you'd prefer a real, live, paper and print book, that'll be available too
But have I missed anything? Is there anything else you'd like me to cover? Anything you've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask?
Let me know. I'm laid up with flu at the moment so it'll give me something to do in between bouts of dying.
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