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Geekness in the first degree

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by ed woychowsky

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I am guilty of geekness in the first degree.

It all started a little over a year ago when Eric Garulay of Prentice Hall contacted me. Eric was interested in me doing a review on a book on the .Net Framework, at the time AJAX was the latest and greatest buzzword so I made a suggestion for a new book. One thing lead to another and, well, let?s just say that there is going to be an AJAX book (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0132272679/002-0542802-9339260?v=glance&n=283155) for the Bruce Perens Open Source Series.

With the exception of feeling slightly scorched around the edges writing a book isn?t really very different from writing a couple of dozen articles. Although now I do really feel like more of a geek than any of the articles ever made me feel. On the plus side, my typing has improved!

17 replies

by tig2

I strongly admire anyone who has the focus to not only write well enough to be published but write well enough to speak to the subject matter and engage their audience.

Don't know about you, but I am proud to be a geek. (Gee, and she looked so normal...)

Congratulations on a fine achievement!

by shellbot

nice one Ed!
Thats a fantastic acheivement. You must be very proud, I know i would be.

Embrace your inner Geek..it is we who make the world go round!

by ed woychowsky

TiggerTwo,
Most of the time it's fun to be a geek! The only exception is when relatives get creative with their computers.

By the way; you're still a good person.

by tig2

I think I need to send you a tee-shirt. I have one too. I think EVERY geek needs one.

It says, "No, I will not fix your computer"

It helps some...

You DO realise that I will make you autograph my copy???

by j.lupo

writing a book - shoot writing anything - is very difficult. I am sure you are going to do well with it and be asked to speak and write and write and write and write. Now look at the can of worms you opened.

Seriously though. Congradulations. It is a huge accomplishment.

by j.lupo

that is one of the drawbacks to a successful book. Everyone now will want you to come speak to them. :)

by ed woychowsky

Alas, I've already wasted the up-front on things like the mortgage. But if it sells, I'm thinking a new laptop and a three-pound Lobster...

by shellbot

the dreams of a self confessed Geek..

a new puter and lobster :)

life don't get much better my friend..

by onbliss

...it helped you, right?

Looks like there are more intangible pleasures (benefits) than $$$ in writing.

Hey, maybe you could write another book on how to write a tech book. How does that sound?

I wanted to write books for little kids.... oh well so many desires in life :-)

by jamesrl

A long time ago, in a land far far away.

When I was an independent, I would do almost anything computer related for a buck. I did desktop publishing, training, ran network cable - whatever it takes. One of the more interesting areas I got into was writing.

I wrote a few articles for "Computing Canada". I disocvered that in terms of time spent/versus income earned, it didn't pay that well, but it did add to my resume and helped build a reputation. I considered it advertising.

If I google my name today, I find that someone with my name is the author of an enterpise architecture book. I wish him all the success too.

Of course, now you have to write another book to prove the first wasn't a fluke.

James

by vanessaj

Today you COULD write a children's book on how to write a tech book. I, myself, know at least a couple of kids who would read it - and then write their own tech manuals. It would be a new niche - all your own. Talk about $$$ !

by onbliss

...somebody has to teach me to write :-) Having a desire is one thing, having the abilities to fulfill the desire is another.

by ed woychowsky

You could always do what I did, come up with an article idea and offer it to TechRepublic and Builder.com. Of course I'm glossing over the part about panicking when an editor says yes and being presented with a writing contract. Thankfully I was able to turn to the late Jack Chalker and ask for help with the contract.

The more that you write the easier it becomes.

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