01 Feb 2026 #experiments #bookwriting
I’m writing a book backwards.
Technically, it’s a mini-book. I’m turning a hit post into a book.
In the spirit of doing 10,000 experiments and to keep running content experiments, here’s what I’m doing this month:
#1. Repurpose a hit post. I’m turning one of my most read and liked posts into a short book. Over 100 people liked that post. Proof that the idea works. I’m even naming the book after the post.
That’s what the authors of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck and The Psychology of Money did.
#2. Find inspiration from comments. My hit post got a decent amount of discussion. I’m using those comments to find keywords, taglines, and objections.
#3. Expand it. The source post is a 7-point listicle. I’m turning it into a 10-chapter concise book, like Steal Like an Artist. Each point expands into one or two pages with stories and past posts.
#4. Write it backwards. Instead of jumping to the introduction, I’m:
- Choosing a title
- Writing a one-line summary
- Outlining the content
- Finding Amazon keywords and categories
- Sketching a sales page
I’m even stealing cover ideas before writing a word.
#5. Make it short. The other day, I found a one-page book, so why not write 10 or 15 pages and call it a book? One or two pages per point plus the front and back matter.
#6. Price it incrementally. I’m following the “$0.99 is the new free” idea. If it gains traction, I’ll raise the price by $1 every other month until it hits $5.
#7. Hit one reader milestone. Just like I set it for Street-Smart Coding, if even one reader beyond my circle buys it, the experiment is a success.
31 Jan 2026 #misc
Yesterday I found a LinkedIn post asking if a crap post was better than no post at all. I didn’t want to bury my answer on the comments section. So I’m expanding it a bit here.
A crap post is better than silence.
Well, 90% of everything is crap. Most of what we create won’t be great. And that’s ok.
But writing, coding, or any creative pursuit is like exercising. Skip the gym once, nothing happens. Skip twice, and suddenly you’re on the couch, binge-watching Netflix, wondering where the extra weight came from.
Whether it’s a post slightly longer than a Tweet, some random thoughts, a few lines of code, or quick sketches, a small, imperfect repetition is better than breaking a habit.
Your small reps won’t make you lose credibility. They prove that when life throws curveballs, your habit stays intact.
30 Jan 2026 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
This week marks three months since I launched Street-Smart Coding. It started in a notebook with a 10-idea list. Now it’s a book. Getting the first paperback copies made me feel like a New York Times bestselling author. Pinch me, please.
After that quick update, here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. For months, we’ve been hearing that AI will replace coders. But a more realistic prediction is to say that we won’t be writing code by hand in 5 years (10min). Truth is, coding was never the hard part.
#2. If you’re looking for a tech job in 2026, instead of applying and sending out CVs everywhere, make a target bet (4min). Without knowing it, that’s the strategy I followed to land my last contracting gig.
#3. With LLMs and agents, building in-house replacements for paid tools sounds tempting as a way to save some money). But writing code is just the tip of the iceberg (5min).
#4. These days, American coworkers complain about the weather, and I keep converting between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Here’s a quick mental heuristic to do it (1min).
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about a new rule for using AI without losing my skills (2min) and how to be an expert at failing (and survive to tell the story) (5min).
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding, 30 lessons to help you code like a pro. From Googling to clear communication, it covers the lessons you don’t learn in tutorials. It’s now out on Kindle and paperback on Amazon.
Until next Friday, keep coding smart
Cesar
29 Jan 2026 #misc
#1. Always have something to write on. This week, I caught up with an ex-coworker. He shared a valuable story that deserved its own post. Thank goodness I grabbed a napkin from the cafe where we met. That’s where I outlined the post.
#2. The notebook cult. Finding out about zines to reduce my phone time took me to a YouTube rabbit hole. Turns out there’s a whole cult. People with notebooks for everything. Notebooks for quotes, journaling, habit trackers, commonplace notebooks, pocket notebooks. I’m not joining the cult, I’m fine with my idea pad.
#3. Start your next creative project backwards. Before starting, imagine it’s finished, then write the sales page and announcements. That forces you to clarify your goal and message. That’s what I’m doing for my next book.
#4. A simple method to overcome burnout. A pen pal shared his burnout was appearing again. When he asked how I avoid burnout, I shared my mantra: care for your body, mind, and spirit daily. That’s one of the ideas that has changed my life.
#5. 1, 2, 3, and get up. I can’t remember what podcast I learned this from. As soon as you wake up, count up to 3 and get up. Those moments after waking up are when you become a time traveler, reliving the past and sketching possible futures.
28 Jan 2026 #bookwriting
Three months ago, I launched my first book, Street-Smart Coding. A persistence test.
It wasn’t my first, but the first I was confident enough to call a book. It challenged my persistence. I even wrote chapters in a hospital while supporting a loved one. Chapter 17 is one of those. Sometimes I avoid rereading those chapters.
Some lessons, realizations, and hard-truths
Writing a book taught me many lessons:
#1. Interior design is not that hard. Reedsy does the heavy lifting. Or you can find your way with Word and a lot of Googling.
#2. Instead of a massive launch, think of a series. That’s the best promotion strategy for your first book.
#3. Set a deadline. A task can take as much time as we give it. Writing a book isn’t the exception. It took me about 4 months to finish the first draft. Here are more lessons nobody told me about writing a book.
#4. Once your book is out, the game starts in your head. That’s the fear of finding typos or getting bad reviews. That’s refreshing your sales dashboard and comparing your book to others. Here are more realizations. Just focus on what you can control: work on the next one.
#5. There’s always something you could have done better. Once it’s out, it’s out. Your job was to write it, your audience’s job is to read it. Again, work on the next one.
I’m doing this differently
By no means, I’m an expert book writer. I only have two under my belt. But here’s what I’d do differently.
#1. Start backwards. Start with a promise, cover, sales page, and outline. That forces you to clarify your book promise and message.
#2. Come up with a one-liner. That’s to summarize the core ideas and to make promotion easier.
#3. Pre-sell it earlier. “Do good work and people will come” is a lie.
I once read an ebook called, Start Marketing the Day You Start Coding by Rob Walling. It was about building SaaS startups, but the idea works for books too.
With a clear promise, cover, and sales page (following #1), start promoting from day one.
#4. And I’d order my author copies from Amazon earlier.
Some numbers
I offer Street-Smart Coding as an eBook via Gumroad, and in Kindle and paperback formats in Amazon.
Here’s a breakdown of copies sold:
- eBook version: 51 sales. +2 in Spanish edition
- Kindle version: 1 sale.
- Paperback version: 1 sale.
- “Door-to-door” sales: 8 copies. (7 Spanish, 1 English).
For me, even one sale beyond friends and acquaintances meant success. That’s enough motivation to keep writing.