books do sell
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tuxchick May 25, 2007 9:25 AM EDT |
I'm curious what prompted this article, since Tom and Bill's book was released a mere two months ago. Why the despair already? My own book, the Linux Cookbook (which you should buy along with Michael Stutz's Linux Cookbook, because both are excellent and cover different topics, and both Michael and I want more money) sold well, enough to make it worth all the work that went into it. O'Reilly is a first-rate publisher- they know how to sell books. I predict the second edition will sell even better, because in addition to updating it, that's my chance to go back and do it the way I wanted to in the first place. The first edition is maybe 70% of what I wanted. To get people to buy a Linux book, it has to contain answers to their questions, and make it easy to zero in on what they're looking for. I loathe computer books that gloss over the details of implementation. For example, it's all too common to read something like "to set up an IMAP server, install IMAP! Then go visit other sources to learn how to run it!" A useless waste. Almost as bad are detailed but poorly-organized howtos that blab on endlessly about theory and every possible option, and then skimp on examples. People learn by doing. Doing comes first, then understanding. I like a simple, working example first that demonstrates important fundamentals followed by explanations, then a more complex example + explanations, then lots of nice juicy real-world examples for different situations. Another thing that sucks is too narrow a focus. 'This is how to run Foo server, but we won't tell you how to connect clients, integrate other Other Important Feh Server, troubleshoot, or useful real-world tips, tricks, and traps.' This is especially useless in the Unix world, where you usually have to stitch together several specialized programs to do a job. I haven't read 'Linux System Administration'. I'll wager it's a good book and is going to make nice monies for the authors. Don't despair yet! |
| bigg May 25, 2007 9:32 AM EDT |
> People learn by doing. Doing comes first, then understanding. I like a simple, working example first that demonstrates important fundamentals followed by explanations, then a more complex example + explanations, then lots of nice juicy real-world examples for different situations. Amen. Now I know why I like your writings so much. One thing that always crosses my mind when I see so much of the crap out there is "If the author can't even figure out how to apply what I'm reading, how am I supposed to figure it out?" I'd like to see someone fly an airplane after reading a "tutorial" that explains the theory of flight. The first thing I look for when picking up any computer book is the examples. |
| kozmcrae May 25, 2007 9:38 AM EDT |
You just put into words what has been simmering under the surface in my mind for some time. I always new when I liked a book (technical that is), I just didn't know why. Now I do and I'll spend less time choosing one too. |
| dinotrac May 25, 2007 9:45 AM EDT |
TC - That can't be right. After extensive research into the subject, the strong consensus is that two approaches work best: 1. A man page with no examples, a list of options, and explanatory text that makes sense only to people who already know how to use the command in question. 2. A how-to with one example of one approach and no explanation of how that approach was arrived at, what things might go wrong, or when and why you might try a different approach. Certainly not alternative examples. As we know, consensus is the most important value in every field of endeavor. BTW -- is it getting globally warm in here? |
| tuxchick May 25, 2007 10:29 AM EDT |
dino, indeed, consensus is everything. With a bit of luck, the process of arriving at a consensus will take so long no one will ever have to make an actual decision, or take any actual actions, or anything! |
| Steven_Rosenber May 25, 2007 10:35 AM EDT |
Hey, Tuxchick, I have your "Cookbook" AND Michael's, too, and while they share the same title, they are actually quite different, and I think every Linux user needs both of them. I've seen the new "Linux System Administration," and while I'm no sysadmin, it, too, is a useful book for users of every level, and I will probably bite the bullet and get it, too. I've blogged about this recently -- about 95 percent of the Linux books coming out these days are either "Dummies" or "Experts" guides to SUSE/SLED, Ubuntu and RHEL/Fedora. And I'm not exaggerating. The remaining 5 percent cover as much of everything else as they can. That's why a publisher like O'Reilly is so important. I'm glad to see that you're revising the "Cookbook" -- I don't know what the economics are, but every two years seems like a good interval. There are a lot of O'Reilly books that really, really need an update: "Desktop Linux Guide" is one. I love that book, it has a lot of good information and tips in such a small size, but the desktop scene has changed so rapidly in the past two years that it's really showing its age. Your "Cookbook" is holding up a little better than Michael's, but his needs an update, too -- he's got a lot of GUI stuff in there that needs freshening. In your book, (I've only had it a week), I've already gotten some good tips on managing apt (clearing out the cache? I didn't even know there WAS a cache), and all the material on setting up the various kinds of servers is very clear -- and you're not assuming that your audience is made up only of seasoned sysadmins. By the way, I've noticed that "Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks" is getting an update for 7.04 -- those books pretty much need to be freshened every year, especially if they're big sellers, and I hope that O'Reilly (which owns No Starch Press, I think) starts shortening the cycles on its other Linux books as well. And before I go ... while a good book on Linux is worth $30 or $40, I think the publishers would make it up in volume if they could turn out books that cost $20. The "small" O'Reilly books go for $10, but the bigger ones are now over $40 -- that's pricey. |
| rijelkentaurus May 25, 2007 1:32 PM EDT |
Quoting: both Michael and I want more money I'm gonna buy a copy of yours just because you're honest. :) |
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