Writing a book is a wonderful, horrible, empowering, humbling, gratifying, frustrating experience. You need a huge
ego, as well as the ability to have that ego knocked down in size. You need a sense of humor, an ability to weather change, and REALLY good backup procedures.
I've written two books, and both have been very draining experiences for different reasons. My first book was written about a topic which basically I invented so I had completel control, while this second book was aimed at a target that was moving faster than you could see.
My book is up to date with version 2.1 of Eclipse, including every screen shot and every menu and every toolbar. That was quite a feat, since it required basically a complete recapture of every screen just before the book went to press, since the Eclipse team was more worried about functionality than in making my job easy
.
I guess I would suggest to anyone considering writing a book that it takes a lot of time and effort. I only made it through the process by the grace of some great editors and a loving and caring wife, and the fact that I didn't sleep much for several months
. Do NOT start a book when you're already up to your ears in stuff to do! It's a disservice to you, your loved ones and your readers. Remember, people are plunking down hard-earned cash for your book, especially in these tough economic times. It's your duty to make sure they get value for that money.
Joe
