Writing a Tech Book
Exploring the Challenges and Rewards
This article was inspired by a discussion I had with my fellow Pragmatic Bookshelf authors during last summer’s Medium Day. You can check out that conversation here.
Before I began writing books over a decade ago for The Pragmatic Bookshelf, I wrote reviews for theirs and many other tech publisher books. It wasn’t until a colleague mentioned their intention to write a book that I considered the opportunity myself. Years of writing technology articles and reviews provided me with a writer’s toolkit and a colloquial style and technique that aligns with the Pragmatic voice established by the company’s founders, Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt. I admired their candor, wit, and most of all, their practical approach to problem solving.
Is this a book I would want to read?
With that background, I submitted my first book proposal following the guidelines that PragProg detailed on their website. I made sure to include all the necessary requirements, taking several days to craft the best submission I could. With each milestone, I would ask myself as a tech reviewer, “Is this a book I would want to…
