So.
I'm writing a book.
Yes, really.
This has all happened very suddenly, and I didn't want to spill the beans until things were absolutely official. They are official now, and I can finally tell you the scoop.
Wiley Publishing produces the best-selling Dummies books--you've probably seen them around your bookstore or library. They've actually made quite a name for themselves in the technical category, publishing titles such as WordPress for Dummies and Google Blogger for Dummies. Wiley contacted Melanie and me a few weeks ago to ask if we'd be interested in writing TypePad for Dummies (TypePad, if you're a blogging newbie, is the name of the blogging platform I use to write and manage my blog). I'm not a technical writer by trade, but I have a long history (in blog years) with TypePad, not to mention a deep, possibly fanatical affection for their service.
(A funny aside: When I taught a beginning blogging class at SheSpeaks last year, I frequently referred to my fondness for TypePad. There was a lot of "TypePad this," and "TypePad that", etc. Finally someone raised her hand and asked, "What is this Top Hat you keep talking about?" The moral of the story is that the word TypePad, while an excellent blogging platform, may not translate well to an Arkansas accent. Thankfully, this isn't an audio book.)
But back to the story: Between my freakish TypePad love and Melanie's expert technical writing skills, we were really excited to take on this project. We've already started, in fact, and it's going great.
Here's the kicker.
By the time Wiley hired us, the TypePad book already had the green light from their editorial people. Unlike many book projects, which can sometimes take months to get rolling, this one is already barreling down the tracks. It's a tight deadline--(roughly) 14 weeks to write (roughly) 18 chapters. I only bring that up to explain why things may be a little sparse around here for the next couple of months--posting may be even lighter than normal, and you may see a few re-runs from the archives. Now if I can just figure out a way to serve old blog posts to my family for dinner, we'll be all set.
More updates to follow...
