Hi guys,
Thank you for your feedback. I am looking forward to writing such a book, although there are a few factors that must be taken into account before making a decision.
I'll wait a month to collect the poll answers and then I will assess the situation.
There are 5200+ users registered to this forum and I suppose those are all the people potentially interested in Lazarus/FPC. Assuming that only 1-2% visit the forum on a regular basis there may be 50-100 visitors every month. Of these, I assume around 50% are at a beginner to intermediate level while the rest have more experience in Delphi/FPC/programming and would not be interested in purchasing an introductory book. Therefore, after a month there may be 25-50 votes cast in the poll; they will be "representative" for the 5200+ users of this forum.
Regarding the economics of publishing a book, the "less than $10" option is actually unrealistic but I left it there nevertheless (should probably count as a "No"). Lulu.com allow you to simulate publishing a book and, as it turns out, even when checking out the least expensive options, the cost of printing a 150 page book is almost $10. Now, if you look at how other programming books are priced at lulu.com you will notice that most of them sell for $25 or less (and that also includes lulu.com's take), which suggests that $25 is the ceiling to be considered. Last but not least, there are shipping charges and the order is to be placed online, which requires a credit card or a PayPal account.
Regarding shipping, I think lulu.com have at least one printer in Europe, which should reduce shipping costs in the EU and nearby areas, but I need to confirm that.
If at least half of the voters indicate that they are interested then I think it would be worthwhile writing and publishing the book. Once the English version is available we can discuss translation options. I can write the book in English and French but your help will be required and appreciated for the Spanish, Hebrew, and other versions. As far as I know there is already a FPC book available in German.