"Machines are the easy part" now a free download
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 06:47PM 
I suppose we could call this an Earth Day tribute. My son's and my little book, Machines are the easy part; people are the hard part is now available as a free (paperless, non-polluting, environmentally friendly) download from Lulu.
You can also buy a print copy, but I haven't seen it yet, so no guarantees. Watch the shipping charges - the default setting is very expensive.
The book was a joint project for Brady and me during his senior year of high school four years ago. It was a genuine labor of love. I don't always understand my shy, talented son, but I appreciate him.
I've sold or given away about 1,000 copies since the book came out. Being the astute businessman that I am, I sold the book that cost me $14 a copy to publish for $12. So I figured every time I gave one away, I was saving $2.
Brady was smart - getting paid for his art work up front.
A few notes about publishing on Lulu:
- The text was easy to format and submit to Lulu. I still can't quite figure out how to do a cover I like. Creating a cover just seems harder than it needs to be.
- Lulu allows you to place a Creative Commons license on the work. The site says "Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0". It's really 3.0.
- I've already spotted a few typos in the Lulu edition that weren't there in the earlier print version. Yes, folks, I do know when to use "its" and when to use "it's." I just can't seem to see the mistakes in my own work. What is up with that? (Now I am still confused about "lie" and "lay" and substitute other words whenever possible.)
- I really like how you can set your own price, give electronic copies away, and revise the work as needed. No cost for publishing either.
Anyway, Brady and I hope you enjoy our effort. I think we need to start another book once he graduates from college this summer!
Happy Earth Day.
Books 
Reader Comments (9)
I've enjoyed taking a look at the book via free download from Lulu.com. There is something nice about being able to hold a book, though. I'll enjoy reading through it over time. Your son did a great job on the images. I'll be looking to create a book on Lulu with my class once they finishes their project with a couple of other schools. It is so nice to have the free download option.
Doug -- Is there a way to sample it without printing out the whole thing? Like Amazon's "Look inside the book"? It's a big resource commitment to print out all of that, but I'd love to browse it a bit. Seems like this is one consideration for this sort of project.
Hi Jane,
The book downloads as a pdf that you can read on screen without printing. Just right click (Option click on a Mac) on the link that reads DOWNLOAD NOW and choose DOWNLOAD LINKED FILE NOW.
Let me know if this works for you.
Good luck,
Doug
Thanks for sharing your book and the Lulu link. It's clear that you understand how those of us who are a little afraid of technology think. So many explanations at teacher inservices flew over my head, and I frequently called on a tech savvy sixth grader for help.
Thanks, Betty.
I this English major can understand a technology concept, ANYBODY can!
Doug
Re: (Now I am still confused about "lie" and "lay" and substitute other words whenever possible.)
My mother, ever the English teacher, taught me "Chickens lay eggs, I lie down."
Joyce,
But don't chickens lie down too? And what do coat makers so - lie down or lay down? And don't get me started on the past tense of these!
All the best,
Doug
Doug,
I just downloaded the book. It was a difficult read. I kept falling out of my chair. It's seldom that I sit at the keyboard and laugh out loud. My son is 37 and his name is Doug. I didn't name him after you, but if I ever have another son, I'll consider it, but that might lead to some confusion. I know. I'll name him Blue. No, that's no good... he'd end up being a country singer and writing a song about a Boy Named Blue...
I guess it's back to the drawing board...
Thanks for the book!
Art
Hi Art,
Coming from someone who has written some pretty funny stuff himself, this is high praise. Thanks!
If I ever have another son I'll be so busy running from the hit man my wife puts on me that I won't have time to worry about names.
All the best!
Doug