I'm an author again....

[tcpip]

It's been quite a few years since I published something book length, but today I've re-established myself in the print world.



OK, so it's a computer manual, hardly something that's going to set the literary world on fire. But still, 75,000 words of manual (about 160 pages of text, some 20-40 pages of inserts, graphics etc to be added) that will be used by government of an entire nation-state (and probably some non-government organizations) is quite a pleasing achievement. Especially considering that I wrote the entire thing in two and a half months.

Final editing and translation into two other languages (Portuguese and Bahasa) to be done as well, as well as getting an ISBN, so it will be a while before I see it as a final product, but that's just par for the course. Having it printed by the United Nations Development Programme sounds pretty good too.

I'm quite happy with the end result. Unlike other introductory computer manuals it doesn't treat the reader like an idiot and doesn't concentrate entirely the rather marginal and time-dependent area of applications. Rather there is a balance between hardware and software concepts, communications and networking, operating systems, applications, programming and systems administration. It will be useful for at least several years after publication.

So, the first major publication of the year. I have a couple more planned as well ;-)

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Heh. That's probably because you weren't even given the opportunity to learn the basics.

The Apple II (I go on about don't I?) users manual had on the first page "Lift off the lid". And then it pointed out all the bits and pieces and how they worked. With that background knowledge, everything else was mere elaboration.

Re:

[angel80.livejournal.com]

I think that if you have a good, thorough index and make sure that everytime you introduce a new technical term the reader can easily find an explanation of it, that's basically what's needed. I find that's what's lacking in most manuals. As you rightly point out, most of us have to teach ourselves and the manual is the only thing we have as a guide.