I have been considering the possibility of writing a book for some time now after numerous conversations with various publishers, but to be frank I have always been hesitant about the undertaking.
I am under no illusions that writing a book is a lot of work. My father is an author, and I have spoken to many other web designers who have written books. Everyone has warned me that this will suck up a lot of my time and can be a demoralizing process.
However, lets be honest, writing a book is kind of cool. Sure, I can blog and yes I have a podcast which seems to be popular, but nothing beats seeing your name in print. Like so many before I have been suckered by the “glamour” of it all.
I have to admit I find the prospect terrifying. When I look at my peers who have written books I feel way out of my league, but it has been my choice of publisher that has encouraged me to take the leap.
Most web design books are either published by Sitepoint, O’Reilly, New Rider or Friends of Ed but I have chosen to go with a smaller publishing house called Manning Publications. My decision to do that is because they have a much more open and collaborative approach to publishing than I have seen elsewhere. They expose the entire book to the public before it is sent to press, make extracts available on a regular basis and encourage authors to blog about the process of writing a book.
My intention is to be as open about the process of writing as possible. I want to show you chapters at various stages, as well as encourage you to feedback your thoughts and additions. My hope is that the boagworld community can be real contributor to the book, so that it is becomes more than my thoughts alone, but the collective knowledge of the community.
Speaking of openness I suppose I should tell you what the book is about! Basically, it is very much inline with the mission of this website…
This site/podcast exists to help you poor sods who have been lumbered with the job of managing the company’s website. This responsibility is on top of your normal work and has been given to you despite the fact that you know little or nothing about the internet and building websites. It is for you that boagworld.com exists.
The book will be aimed at website owners and tell them what they need to know in order to run a successful website.
If you are a web designer, hold back your cries of anguish, because this book will have lots in it for you too. It will help you better handle your working relationship with clients. It will show you how to communicate with them and hopefully deal with the more complex parts of the process such as sign off of design.
Obviously it is still early stages at this point but expect a lot more from me on this subject in the future.
