The last month has been memorable for a number of reasons; most of all, my work on a series of journal articles on data analysis using a free software.

I would have liked to provide a step-by-step tutorial for each function, but page restrictions inevitably forced me to exclude much content.

The completed articles (4 out of 5 proposed) have been submitted to a journal that adheres to a creative commons licence similar to that of this blog.

During the course of this massive undertaking (countless hours spent researching, refining, creating and editing content; nearly 75 pages of material at last count [for 4 articles]), I felt the need to continue the undertaking to its logical conclusion- a book.

In keeping with my general philosophy, and that of the journal itself, I wish to offer the proposed book as an open access text.

However, initial research indicates that open access publishing does not come cheap. Authors are charged about Rs. 200/ per page for such publications (I am looking at 100-200 pages here).

Therein lies my problem: how do I professionally publish the content as a book without the accompanying prohibitive (for me) costs?

I do understand that I can create a PDF on my own and host it here.

However, I fear that it may not be well received. I suspect that people are much more demanding nowadays, and expect a certain standard of ‘finish’.

My questions to you are:

1. Should I seek professional publication, or is it enough to provide a ‘home-made’ version?

2. Would you rather have the tutorials hosted on this site instead of book form?

3. What do you suggest?