Before we get to the book news, a big thanks to Dano for just an excellent post yesterday, and really inspired a lot of us, informed, and let us enjoy some very cool photography. Thanks Dano! Now, onto the book news:

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I’ve finished writing the update to my book, “The Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers” and it’s in the final stages of production now. My publisher is working to get it out in time for the holidays, so keep your fingers crossed, but we should see it next month. Besides updating it for all the new CS4 stuff (including Camera Raw, the CS4 Bridge, and all the other goodies), I also included an entirely new chapter on processing HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos, in which I included a small section on using Photomatix Pro. You can preorder the book now at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com.

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This year Amazon put together a list of 10 books that would make great holiday gifts, and I’m honored that they included my book (co-authored with the amazing Terry White), ‘The iPhone Book” in their top-10 list, as seen above. What I thought was particularly cool, the list isn’t just tech books or computer books, it’s on the top 10 list of ALL books on Amazon. Here’s the link to pick up a copy as a holiday gift.

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The next book I’m working on after the first of the year is “Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks.” This was the book that started it all for me, but the last one I released was from back at Photoshop CS (other books kept pushing it back), but this time I’ve set aside time to do it, and it is my very next Photoshop Book for sure, due for release in February. You can preorder it from Amazon.com (they’ve got it for only $29.69) or Barnes & Noble.com.

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I learned earlier this week that Amazon has released their Editor’s Choice, and Customer Choice awards for 2008, and I’m just thrilled that two of my books (and one that I edited) made their Best Books of 2008 list:

  1. My book, The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 was the #1 Customer Favorite (based on sales for books published in 2008), of all arts and photography books.
  2. Amazon’s Editors chose my book, The Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers as one of their Editors’ Picks in their Top 10 Books of 2008, taking the #3 spot.

I was also equally as thrilled to learn that Joe McNally’s The Moment it Clicks was the #2 bestselling Photography book of the year (Way to go Joe, ya mook!), and when Joe learned of the news, he did a post on his blog (here’s the link), and in his post, Joe said (in his Brooklyn-mobster sort of way), such nice things about me, that it totally displaced the thorough beating I took on Digg.com last week (however, know up front that Joe gave me more credit than is due. The reason that book became a sensation is because of the guy who wrote it, and made those amazing images; Joe McNally).

Anyway, thanks so much to my readers, for making my book #1, and to Amazon’s Editors for your gracious recognition, and to Joe for being such a Mensch. What a great way to end the year! :-)

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More news from Amazon: They are doing a special VERY Limited Edition Boxed Set of my Digital Photography Books, where you get both Volumes 1 & 2, and a hand-signed 8×10″ print (yes, I signed every one myself, and MPIX did all the printing, and did a wonderful job). This is only available through Amazon, and since it is a limited edition box set for the holidays, once its gone—that’s it. Here’s the direct link to this special limited edition package.

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Well, you knew it was coming, right? After Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks, I’m going to release, The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3. Again, this book will pick up right where Volume 2 left off, and I’ve got lots of cool new stuff to share, new tricks, and new ideas, and I’m so excited about what I have to share, that I kinda wish it was the next book I was writing (but I promised my publisher is would be Down & Dirty Tricks, and I definitely owe it to my readers who’ve been waiting far too long). I’m thinking this will be an April/May time frame, but more on it as I get closer.

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I also just finished the 5th edition of my book, The iPod Book with the help of contributing author Terry White (who co-authored The iPhone Book with me), and that should be in stores either late December or early January.

I’ve got some brand new ideas for books, including a Photoshop book that I think desperately needs to be written (based on what I’ve heard during the past year while I’ve been out teaching), but I can’t tip my hand on that one quite yet, but it will be a summertime release.

That’s it for this exhaustive book update. Thanks so all of you who support my book-writing, and to my book Publisher Peachpit Press, my Editor at Peachpit Ted Waitt, everyone at New Riders Publishing, and my in-house book production and editing team (Kim, Cindy, Jessica, Felix, Damstra and friends) who help make this all happen. 2008 was a banner year for us, and I can’t wait to show you what’s new in 2009. Stay tuned!