Tag: E-mail

Errors in Writing

This is an update of a post that originally appeared on March 18, 2011.

I get upwards of 65 e-mails about my books on most days. Some of the conversations I have with readers are amazing and many readers have continued to write me for years. It’s gratifying to know that my books are helping people—it’s the reason I continue writing. Although I make a living from writing, I could easily make more money doing just about anything else. The thought that I might help someone do something special is why I stay in this business. When I actually hear about some bit of information that has really helped someone, it makes my day. I just can’t get the smile off my face afterward.

Of course, I’m constantly striving to improve my writing and I do everything I can to help the editors that work with me do a better job too. Good editors are the author’s friend and keep the author from looking like an idiot to the reading public. In fact, it’s the search for better ways to accomplish tasks that led me to create the beta reader program so many years ago. Essentially, a beta reader is someone who reads my books as I write them and provides feedback. The extra pair of eyes can make a big difference. Beta readers receive my thanks in the book’s Acknowledgments. Sometimes I provide other perks, such as a free copy of the book, depending on the level of beta reader input. (If you’d like to be a beta reader, please contact me at [email protected] for additional details.)

A typical book has five beta readers, but sometimes there are more or less of them. They provide all sorts of input that ranges from finding grammatical, spelling, and technical errors, to providing advice on how to approach a particular topic for readers from other nations or those with disabilities. Some of my beta readers are critical thinkers and play devil’s advocate, others are great at pointing out inconsistencies, especially in my artwork. So, there is no typical beta reader; they have a very wide range of experiences and provide me with a wide range of insights.

You’d think that with all the pairs of eyes looking at my books, they’d come out error free. After all, it isn’t just me looking at the book, but several editors and the beta readers as well. Unfortunate as it might seem, my books still come out with an error or two in them. The more technical the topic, the greater the opportunity for errors to creep in. Naturally, the errors are amazingly easy for just about everyone else to pick up! (I must admit to asking myself how I could have missed something so utterly obvious.) When there is an error found in the book, I’ll provide the information to the publisher so it’s fixed in the next printing. The error will also appear on the book’s errata page on the publisher’s site. If the error is significant enough, I’ll blog about it as well. In short, I want you to have a good reading experience so I’ll do everything I can to hunt the errors down and correct them.

However, not every seeming error is actually an error. There are times where an apparent error is simply a difference of opinion or possibly a configuration difference between my system and the reader’s system. I’ll still try to figure these errors out, but I can’t always guarantee that I’ll fix things in your favor. After all, another reader has probably found still other results or has yet another opinion on how I should present material in the book.

The long and short of things is that despite my best efforts, you’ll probably encounter an error or two in my books and I apologize for them in advance. We’ll also continue have differences of opinion and that’s usually the source for new ideas and new ways of viewing things. I’m honest enough to admit that I do need your help in creating better books, so I’ll always listen to you and think about what you have to say. I hope that you’ll continue to read my books and do amazing things with the information you find therein. The results of your researches are truly the reason I remain in this business and I realize that we’re in this together. Thanks for your continued support!

Techniques for Choosing a Technical Book

This is an update of a post that originally appeared on April 13, 2011.

I often get e-mails from potential readers asking whether a book I’ve written is the right choice for them. I try my best to ask about their needs and provide an unbiased answer. It’s in my best interest to provide the best answer I can, rather than make a quick sale and have to deal with a discontented reader later. However, in all honesty, it’s hard for me to be completely unbiased because I know my books better than any other book out there. I’ve spent many hours carefully crafting my books and know them quite well. Even when I read a work written by someone else, which I do regularly, I’m less familiar with it. Still, I do try my best to provide a good answer.

Getting a potential reader to make a good selection is still the best scenario in my mind. A number of readers have asked that I provide them with some specific technique for doing this, but all I can offer is a partial solution. The technical content of a book is only part of the solution for any reader. A reader must also consider the author’s method of presenting material and writing style. The use of teaching aids is also important. You must ask whether you want a book that contains questions or activities at the end of each chapter—many readers learn more by doing, than by reading. Communication, even in books, is a two-way process. The author often communicates ideas in subtle ways that help some readers and offend others. When a reader writes to an author, the author picks up subtle hints on how to improve the next book. It’s an ongoing process.

Everyone begins looking for a book by viewing the cover. Something about the title tells you that this could be a helpful book. The cover design and text tell you something about the book’s content from a marketer’s perspective. If you stop here, however, be prepared for disappointment. I’ve had more than a few covers that just didn’t do justice to the content of my book and a few that ended up misleading some part of the reader population. Believe me when I say that it’s never my goal to mislead anyone—I want my readers fully informed before making the purchase and happy with the book they receive. Covers are incredibly hard to get right because there is so little space on them to convey information that’s truly useful to everyone.

When I select a book, I normally begin by reading the Introduction. This important bit of reading is only seven or eight pages long in most cases, but usually characterizes the author’s attempt to convey everything the book contains as an overview. Reading the Introduction tells you about the author’s writing style and informs you about skills required to use the book successfully. You also discover special equipment and software that you need to use the book. If you find yourself disagreeing with the Introduction, you can be certain that you won’t like the rest of the book either.

Most people purchase their books online today. Gone are the days of browsing for books in bookstores, which is a shame because I found many unexpected treasures that way. I still go to a bookstore when I can, but most of the time I have to make do with a site like Amazon.com. With this in mind, make sure you avail yourself of the Look Inside feature and take the time to read things like the table of contents, introduction, and a writing sample. Some publishers hide the content of their books and don’t provide a Look Inside feature. I generally don’t buy these books because it’s not possible to know what I’ll get.

Next, I look at the Table of Contents to determine whether the topic I need is covered in sufficient detail to warrant a purchase. A book’s title and cover material is often deceiving. The Table of Contents tells me more about the book content from the author’s perspective. I go through the entire Table of Contents just to see what sorts of interesting information the author has decided to include. I may also thumb through the index to determine more about topics covered in the book. It’s important to note that the index is normally created by a professional indexer and not the author, so the index may not tell you everything you need to know, but it’s a great place to see the sorts of topics the author has chosen to discuss.

Finally, I go to the specific chapters that I feel provide the information that I want from the book. (When I can’t see the specific chapter I want online, then I at least try to read through the sample chapters that the publisher does provide.) I’ll eventually read most of the book, but these chapters are my main reason for buying the book today, so that’s where I look. I probably won’t read the entire chapter in the store (or online using Amazon’s Look Inside feature), but I’ll scan it and pay attention to particulars such as the code provided in examples or figures used for explanation. I’ll read segments of the discussion to see how much information the author provides and how the information is conveyed.

I know that many people consider my approach too time consuming. It is a time consuming approach, but I find that I make fewer bad purchases using this technique. I’ve had more than a few people write to me to ask why I didn’t cover a particular topic in my book and I have to wonder why they didn’t realize that the material was missing when they made the purchase. A few readers have literally written that they ran into the store during lunchtime (or checked it out on Amazon), looked at the cover and decided the book must include what they need, put down their hard earned money to buy the book, ran back to work, and only then bothered to look inside. If you truly are pressed for time, please do write before buying one of my books. I’ll provide you with the least biased answer I can. However, the best way to buy a book is to make your own decision using the techniques found in this post. Let me know your ideas about buying books at [email protected].

Is Email Dead?

This is an update of a post that originally appeared on March 4, 2011.

When I originally wrote this post, everyone was proclaiming the death of email, yet here we are 12 years later and I’m still using email to conduct almost all of my business. The original ComputerWorld that I cited describes a company that is moving from email to social media as an exclusive option. However, many current articles like Is email dying as a business communication channel? talk about the demise of email being premature. Currently, I don’t use any of the options mentioned in the ComputerWorld article and don’t have time (or the inclination) to start using them. Don’t get me wrong, social media probably solves problems for some part of the population, it just hasn’t worked out well for me. I can’t see myself outputting tweets about my daily activities and some of the articles I read about Facebook are just plain scary. The company that thinks your right to privacy is irrelevant is facing all sorts of legal problems these days, but it’s entrenched enough that I doubt we’ll see it go away anytime soon.

My main problem with most modern communication solutions is that they’re overly intrusive. I was in the bathroom the other day and a guy was engaging in business while sitting on the commode; he just couldn’t be bothered to turn his cellphone off to take care of personal matters. That’s just one of many scenarios I’d prefer to avoid. There is strong evidence to conclude that our society has become preoccupied with communication, to the detriment of all. Just how many people died last year from texting accidents? According to the The Zebra, texting causes 1.6 billion accidents per year (and the other statistics on the site are even scarier). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) logged 3,142 texting-related deaths in 2020. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to talk with someone that badly.

All this said, I did have my first Zoom meeting this year. Except for being able to see the people I was talking with, I just don’t see any reason to use it. Actually, I don’t care what the people I talk to look like as long as they can “lift their end of the log.” Products like Zoom perpetuate bias by promoting impressions based on personal appearance—I consider them dangerous. There is even an issue with the stress and fatigue that using products like Zoom cause as described in On the stress potential of videoconferencing: definition and root causes of Zoom fatigue. All this would be bad enough, but email eliminates issues like people’s accents (given that I’m hard of hearing, accents cause me no end of woe in understanding someone’s conversation). It also provides a paper trail I don’t get with Zoom. So, unless someone is having a serious tantrum, I plan not to revisit Zoom.

I have to admit that in the past 12 years that social media has proven to provide some benefit to business, as described in 22 Benefits of Social Media for Business. As with anything, the disadvantages could outweigh the benefits, as described in 10 disadvantages of social media for business. Here are my personal reasons for choosing email over social media or other options like Zoom:

  • Social media assumes a level of connectivity that I’m simply not willing to allow.
  • Email works better because someone can send me a message and I can handle it later; at my convenience.
  • More importantly, I can handle the email at a time when I’m not distracted by something else.
  • I can provide a thoughtful answer; one that I’ve researched and thought through carefully.
  • Email also provides me with a permanent written record that I can reference later when I have questions about the discussion.
  • Most important to me is that email makes it possible for me to deal with other people without any bias—I don’t care what they look like, what they’re wearing as they type their response to me, where they live, whether they have an accent, or any of a number of other issues that seem to have the world in an uproar today. All I care about is whether they can do the required work.

Personally, I don’t see e-mail as a dead communication technology. If anything, it’s becoming more important to me as I age and my memory becomes less dependable. As far as I’m concerned, the always connected nature of most social media today simply isn’t a good solution if you want to be productive. So, what’s your take on social media? Let me know at [email protected].

Sending Comments on My Books

This is an update of a post that originally appeared on February 23, 2012.

I regularly receive a stack of e-mail about my books. Readers question everything and it makes me happy to see that they’re reviewing my books so closely. It means that I’m accomplishing my principle goal, helping you understand computers in every possible way so that you can be more productive and accomplish tasks with less effort. When I make something easier for someone and they tell me about it, the grin extends from one side of my face to another. It really makes my day.

Some readers are still asking me if it’s OK to send me comments. I definitely want to see any constructive comment that you have. Anything that helps me understand your needs better makes it possible for me to write better books. I really do want to hear from you. The main element that I need to obtain a usable comment is that it’s constructive. A comment that lacks details isn’t helpful because I’ve written so many books. Emotional comments without any substance are especially hard to deal with because they leave me wondering what you need from me. Here are some of the things you can do to create a constructive comment:

  • What is the title of the book you’re reading (be sure to include the edition number, which is usually right on the cover unless it’s a first edition)?
  • Are you using the downloadable source code if this is a programming book?
  • Did you install the recommended version of any required software using the instructions found in the book?
  • Which page contains the error (if you’re using Kindle or other electronic media, please provide a chapter number and section title as a minimum)?
  • What do you view as an error on that page?
  • How would you fix the error?
  • What sort of system are you running?
  • When did you encounter the problem?

The more information you provide, the easier it is for me to understand the issue and provide you with feedback. In many cases, I’ll upload the fix to my blog so that everyone can benefit from the response (so be sure you keep an eye on my blog for new entries). I work hard to ensure that my books are as error free as possible, but everyone makes mistakes. Also remember that sometimes mitigating factors, such as differences in software versions or anticipated hardware, make it appear that there is an error in the book when you’re really looking at a different in environment. Help me provide you with better books—send me comments!

There are a few things that I won’t do for you. I won’t help you pass an exam at school. Your learning experience is important to me, which means that I want you to continue your education by working through the instruction on your own. I also don’t provide free consulting. This means I won’t check the code that you created on your own for errors. In addition, if you don’t use the downloadable source, be sure to read Verifying Your Hand Typed Code for restrictions on the level of support that I provide. I’ll help you with any book-specific question, but I draw the line at that point. Let me know if you have any input or insights on my books at [email protected].

Getting the Fastest Question Response

I always want to be sure that you get fast, courteous responses to your book-specific questions. Even though I don’t check my e-mail every day, I do check it most days of the week, so that’s the fastest way to contact me regarding issues that you have with my books. Of course, you can make the response even faster by doing a few simple things when sending your email:

  • Be sure to include the name of the book and the book edition in the message subject line.
  • Tell me which page, figure, or listing number to look at in the book.
  • Document the steps you took.
  • Provide me with the exact error message you’re seeing.
  • Tell me about your platform (operating system, the version of any software you’re using, and so on).

If you provide these basic pieces of information, I can usually answer your questions much faster—often without asking for additional information. E-mail communication can be difficult at times because it lacks that in person body language element and you can’t show me what you’re seeing on your machine. Remote diagnostics are harder than you might think.

It’s also important that you understand that I focus on book-specific questions. I’ve discussed this issue before in Sending Comments on My Books and Sending Comments and Asking Questions. The bottom line is that I want you to be happy with your book experience, but I also don’t have time to provide free consulting. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about contacting me at [email protected].

 

Selecting a Computer Book

Readers contact me on a regular basis about selecting a computer book. I often think they want a precise recommendation from me (and some do ask me to provide a specific recommendation). However, I can’t choose a book for you or any other reader for a number of reasons. Most important of all, I don’t know how you learn. There are other issues too. For example, I can’t always guess from the e-mail precisely how you intend to use the book or what sort of information you need from it. In short, my best guess probably won’t be good enough.

Originally, I tried to handle the situation by providing a blog post entitled, “Techniques for Choosing a Technical Book.” The blog post worked well for a while, but it still doesn’t really answer reader needs. For example, readers would often act oddly if I didn’t recommend one of my own books, even though I knew from the reader query that my book would only solve part of their need and there was a better option out there. (Part of creating a book proposal is to look at the competition in depth and determine how your book will fill a niche that the competition doesn’t. I try to be honest with readers in this regard so that when they do buy a book, they’re happy with the purchase.) With this in mind, I wrote a series of three articles that examines the whole question of selecting a computer book in significantly more detail:

The goal of these three articles is to provide you with the best possible information about selecting and using a computer book. The thing I’ve noticed most often when I receive complaint e-mails is that even when a reader does select a truly usable computer book, sometimes they don’t get the most out of it. A purchase is only as good as the value you receive from it. These articles are designed to increase your satisfaction by helping you use the books more effectively.

Choosing and then using a computer book effectively will help you gain new marketable skills and insights into the computer industry. Overall, it’s my goal to help you earn more money or live a better life when I write a computer book. In other words, my goal is to help you gain something of value—something that you can later say improved your life in some way. Of course, I’m always refining my skills and choosing new techniques based on reader needs at any given time. That’s why I always want to hear from you at [email protected].

 

Sending e-Mail My Way

The e-mail was emphatic and I felt bad that I had missed the original missive, but the original had no subject line and I’m leery of opening e-mail without a subject line—it could contain anything. When you send me e-mail, please be sure that it contains a subject. I need to know at the outset that you have a question about one of my books—that the e-mail is legitimate. Otherwise, it ends up in my Junk Mail folder and won’t ever see the light of day. Adding a subject doesn’t take much time and helps me organize my responses to readers. I still receive upwards of 65 e-mails every day and I answer each of them. Having a subject helps me work more efficiently and also makes it possible for me to provide you with better responses.

While we’re on the topic of e-mail, I do encourage you to write me about any book-specific issue that you encounter. It’s always my goal to provide you with the best possible reading experience. I’ll always take your e-mail seriously, answer it as fully as is possible, and provide the fastest response that I can. All this said, I won’t answer e-mails that are outside the boundaries of good social communication. For example, I won’t answer these sorts of e-mails:

  • Please don’t ask me for free consulting. I do provide paid consulting services and will provide you with a bid for consulting services should you require them.
  • Keep any e-mail you send book- or blog-specific. Yes, I’ve had some interesting off-topic conversations, but for the most part, I much prefer to provide a service to people who have purchased my books or read posts in this blog.
  • No, I won’t do your homework for you. Your homework is for your benefit, not mine.
  • I’ll ignore any e-mail that calls my parentage into question or uses inappropriate language. Yes, I understand that you’re essentially anonymous, but courtesy is for everyone, even people online.
  • I don’t perform free code reviews. If you need a code review and would like to hire me, we can discuss my rates.

I truly do try to provide a valuable service through my books, my e-mail correspondence, and this blog. All that I’m asking is that you treat these resources with the respect they deserve. Please contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

 

Sending Comments and Asking Questions

Anyone who reads my blog for very long understands that supporting my books is a big deal for me. I actively work with my readers because I realize that you have the choice of using books written by other authors. Let’s just say that my support system is one of the reasons you really do want to buy my books. My blog not only answers common questions you have, but also adds examples and other information to the information you already receive through my books, so make sure you keep you eyes peeled for additional information here as well.

The last time I discussed this topic was in 2011 in my Contact Me, Please! post. The same things apply now as they did then. I’ll answer your book-specific questions as soon as I possibly can and in as much detail as I can. However, I won’t write your school term paper for you, accept a marriage proposal, or provide free consulting (amongst other things readers have asked me to do in the past). If you’re having problems with an example or can’t find the book’s source code, please be sure to ask because I want your experience with my books to be nothing less than phenomenal.

I also encourage you to be a beta reader. You can see the posts I’ve made for several recent books. The biggest reason for me to ask readers to participate in the book building process is to ensure you get the book you want. I also want to avoid Errors in Writing. As far as I know, I’m the only technical author on the planet that invites reader comment during the writing process, but I truly feel your input is essential, so I request it in every way I can. As I get new book contracts, you’ll continue to see requests for beta readers posted on my blog.

You can always contact me at [email protected] with any comments and questions you have. This includes both books and blog posts. Let me know about any concerns you might have and I’ll do my best to solve them. In the meantime, happy reading !