Updates For Working With OmniFocus
It's been about nine months since I released Working With OmniFocus. A lot has happened in that time and my systems around OmniFocus have morphed quite a bit. Throw in a pile of learning accrued from other projects and I have decided to make some significant changes to the book.
Video
Easily the most prominent change will be the medium through which the content is delivered. Words on page work well, but when software is involved video can be a better route to follow. The ability to visually demonstrate a concept and how it works can dramatically increased the comprehension level of the viewer. So in the near future Working With OmniFocus will no longer be a book, but a repository of over 60 screencasts explaining and visualizing the idea at hand.
Location
I originally built a custom Ruby and Rails application to host the sales page and associated mechanisms for the book. That works well but gets to be a lot of maintenance that I'd rather not have. So Working With OmniFocus is moving to a new home on the web: workingwithomnifocus.com. Obviously, this is currently under development and will continue to change over the next few weeks.
Dynamic
One of the major difficulties in writing a book about software is the static nature of a book compared to the continual development of the software. It makes it difficult to keep the book up to date. By moving to web-based video and breaking the content into smaller pieces, it allows me to tweak the content as the program changes.
Pricing
I hate pricing. Throw in discounts, launch promotions, and levels of access and it's a nightmare to me. I have avoided much of this by sticking with a single price and I'm not leaving that mindset. In this case, the content will be more advanced and have more depth so I know the price will need to increase over the price of the book. I don't currently have an answer on what it will cost, but I do know that those who have purchased the book (and those who purchase it before the relaunch) will receive $20 off the videos.
Affiliates
The current affiliate program for the book has been a big success for me and I plan to continue to run one for the videos. But since I'm rebuilding the site, the mechanism will be different and will require you to sign up again for the new program. I know this is inconvenient but it will be better for all of us in the long run.
Book?
I'm not planning to update the book itself and the ability to purchase it by itself will go away. I will, however, make it available to those who purchase the video series with the caveat that my processes mentioned in the book are out of date.
Overall
I'm really excited about these changes. I will be able to explain the mindsets and demonstrate the app mechanisms in much more detail than was ever possible through the book. I'm devoting most of my current working time to these edits and plan to deliver it in mid to late August.
