"Java Programming for Raspberry Pi: A Hands-On Guide to Electronics and IoT Projects" is now available as a softcover and hardcover paper book through Amazon, on top of the Kindle ebook and the pay-as-you-wish version on Leanpub. If you prefer holding a physical book while you're wiring up LEDs and sensors on your Raspberry Pi, that's now possible again.
How it got there
The first version of my book, got published as paper book by Elektor in 2020. At that time, they basically took the Leanpub manuscript, did some minor changes, and printed 1000 copies. As a writer, you get only a few percent of the sales price, so although those 1000 copies sold out, you can still considere it a pet project ;-) After that, Elektor returned me the publishing right for a paper version.
I'm happy to announce, new paper editions are now available! I exported a non-branded version of the manuscript straight from Leanpub and pushed it through Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) as a print-on-demand title. I won't pretend it was a smooth ride: reformatting a Leanpub export into something KDP accepts for interior layout and cover specs took several rounds of trial and error. But it is still the shortest and easiest path I found to get a self-published book into a paper form without signing up for a subscription with a print service. You upload once, and Amazon handles printing, shipping, and returns per order.
Amazon runs price reductions on both the softcover and hardcover fairly often, so it's worth keeping an eye on the listing if the current price is higher than you want to pay. Also, make sure to check your local Amazon website to avoid extra import or shipping costs!
Keeping it in sync with Leanpub
The Leanpub version is the one I keep actively updating, and I'll try to push those updates through to the Amazon paper editions too. Re-exporting and republishing through KDP is more manual than a Leanpub update, so the paper book will always trail a bit behind.
That said, the timing works out well. End of 2025 and start of 2026 I did a big rewrite to bring everything up to Java 25 and Pi4J V4. That means this print edition is already current with the state of the ecosystem today, and I don't expect Java, Pi4J, or the Raspberry Pi hardware line to go through equally massive changes again any time soon. So even without frequent paper reprints, this version will stay a solid, up-to-date reference for the next few years, especially if you're someone who just prefers reading from paper instead of a screen.
Where to get it
| Where | Link |
|---|---|
| Softcover (Amazon) | amazon.com |
| Hardcover (Amazon) | amazon.com |
| Kindle ebook (Amazon) | amazon.com |
| Ebook, pay-as-you-wish | leanpub.com |
The books page on my website has links for more Amazon regions (UK, DE, JP, CA, BE, NL, ...) and stays the up-to-date overview if these change. The full sources, extra links, and documentation remain free on GitHub.
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