Tell HN: The Pragmatic Bookshelf is having a 40% off sale | Hacker News Reader

Tell HN: The Pragmatic Bookshelf is having a 40% off sale

52 pointsacangiano27 comments

Today only, you can use the coupon code TURKEY at http://pragprog.com/titles to purchase anything at a 40% discount. I thought this may interest some fellow programmers here.

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When I first saw the prices for ebooks (~$22) I was initially shocked (but the 40% makes it a better deal). However, then I noticed the value-add that PragProg provided their customers. I think they should advertise these features more prominently:

1. You get all 3 formats

2. You get constant updates to the book (errata and such) [edit: not new editions.]

3. You can connect your PragProg account to your Dropbox so that your books are delivered there automatically.

#3 is a new addition, but it's killer for me. I get all formats uploaded instantly to Dropbox, so they're available on all my devices. And when I buy a Beta book it gets updated automatically without me having to remember to login and redownload.

In addition:

1. DRM-free formats

2. A support forum where you can ask questions and interact directly with the author

2. You get constant updates to the book (errata and such)

New editions?

On a related note: I know this is ridiculous but I wish I could purchase book diffs upon the release of a new edition. I already read the second edition of CLRS and paid $60 for it. Now I just want the new bits of the 3rd edition at a reasonable price.

#3 is great, but I don't see anything about Dropbox in my Pragmatic account. Looked under FAQs couldn't find it there either. I'll keep looking but in the meantime I'll just download and then upload to Dropbox.

Update: It's under 'edit profile' right before the last listing about Kindle settings.

My Account --> Edit Profile. Scroll down to "Dropbox Settings".

I'm particularly interested in these two books. My buying decision (vs. a book about how to grok a library I really want to grok) is that these books cover topics that I can't simply learn by downloading the documentation for a code project. For better or worse, they will be dogmatic and not purely technical, so they won't age as quickly as a book about a new technology.

Designed for Use: Create Usable Interfaces for Applications and the Web http://pragprog.com/book/lmuse/designed-for-use

Lukas's blog posts (http://ignorethecode.net/blog/) have appeared on HN many times, and I have made a mental note to buy his design book.

Technical Blogging: Turn Your Expertise into a Remarkable Online Presence http://pragprog.com/book/actb/technical-blogging

Antonio has also posted on HN. I've been on the fence about this book, not sure if I need it, and I decided to pull the trigger and buy it.

So I am now the proud owner of these two books.

[edit: I think I might also get SQL Antipatterns http://pragprog.com/book/bksqla/sql-antipatterns after recognizing one in my own code. And Web Development Recipes http://pragprog.com/book/wbdev/web-development-recipes. Am I done buying yet? Great deal.]

Direct link: http://pragprog.com/titles

Disclaimer: I'm an author for the prag prog.

which one?

never mind, just saw your profile

Technical Blogging: http://pragprog.com/book/actb/technical-blogging

Interesting topic and quite relevant to me especially since I'm a recent CS graduate just starting my career. Why is the book in beta?

Thanks for your interest. It's in beta because I finished writing the last chapter a week ago, so it's not available in print yet.

Hey, I bought that earlier today along with some other books. Really excited to dig into it!

Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions.

Picked up the Clojure book, although in beta I'll receive the finished book as paperback - thanks for the heads up!

Too bad they do not publish the actual Pragmatic Programmer book.

What happens to authors' commissions with a sale like this? It says on the site that authors get 50%. Do they continue getting 50%, just of a smaller pie? Or do they receive the same amount per book sold and PragProg eats the discount? If the former, do you have to get permission from the authors to do the discount or is it baked into the contract when they sign with you? I have no idea how the publishing industry works and I'm just curious. And thanks for the discount!

I can't speak for the publisher, but my understanding is that you get 50% of a smaller pie, and the publisher is free to run any promotion without having to ask for permission.

PITA to order. The member confirmation was so slow I completed the order as guest before it arrived. But I appreciate getting the Clojure ebook for $13.20!

How do I buy a book from this site? I don't see "Buy Now" or "Store" buttons anywhere. Terrible design.

There is an "Add to cart" button below a "Buy Now" section: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0AujcdQL--E/TtAXH9xNwXI/A...

Indeed. The original "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master" book has no such section. Even if they don't publish it themselves, they should have some sort of link, even if it's to Amazon or something.

They do have a link, but it's a bit hidden in the Purchase section.

Great! Snapped up a few books. Thanks for the heads up.

can i get some recommendations on what book to buy ? other then the official the pragmatic programmer...

What are you interested in?

I went ahead and bought new programmer's survival manual, and the developer's code. Having browsed through them already - both books seem pretty good.

I picked up two tech management books by Johanna Rothman. They had her on a podcast episode [1] a while back and she was extremely impressive. Halfway through one of the books and it's excellent. I've admired her blog [2] for years as well.

[1] http://pragprog.com/podcasts/show/34

[2] http://www.jrothman.com/blog/mpd/

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