I Think This Makes Me a Professional Dummy

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...

Comments

[anne jackson]

YAY FOR YOU! And praise God I am not the only one on a crazy deadline. Praying for you if you'll pray for me...!

[Trisha]

Congrats! You can make the deadline in spades. Let me know if you need help editing. That Technical Writing degree has to be good for something!

[Antique Mommy]

Y'all are going to do a great job. TypePad is a wonderful blogging platform.

[edj]

Woo-hoo! That's awesome! Congrats!

Hey, I'm writing a book too! Except I have no publisher/agent/etc, and I'm really lazy. Will I ever finish? Time will tell. I have been working on it again lately though, after taking a several-month-long hiatus.

[Just Jiff]

Congrats!!

And did I already know you were from Arkansas? I don't think so. ME TOO!!

[Dandy]

Congratulations!

How very exciting for you!

[Kathleen]

Congratulations on your new, awesome project!! Good luck as you chase that deadline.

And as for the archived blog posts as dinner? Just throw some chocolate chips and sprinkles on them...they'll never know!

[Tsh]

Congrats, Shannon! And here's to tight deadlines (clink clink...).

[Tootie]

OH MY GOODNESS! I'm so excited that you are going to write a book! They couldn't have picked a better person.

[Kelly @ Wisdom Begun]

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

Wonderful news and I am so happy for you both.

Congratulations!

[Melanie]

I am so happy for you guys!!! How exciting. Yep- I'd say that's a tight deadline.

[Kristena]

That's really cool! Good luck!!!

[owlhaven]

Woohoo!!! You go, girl!!!!

Mary

[Lorie]

Get to writing! We'll be here when you get back.

[Erin @ $5 Dinners]

Thrilled for you! I know all about tight deadlines! You can totally do it!!!!

Congrats!

[RLR]

Congrats!

[Amy]

Wow, wow, wow! Congrats!

[Carolynn @ Willow Tree]

High Five! Really happy for you. :)

Blessings,
Carolynn

[Jo@Mylestones]

Hurray!! I'm sure you're as excited as you are stressed, right? :-) I laughed at the "Top Hat" reference. That was a question I might have asked. Perhaps for your next book, you can target folks like me for your audience--The Southern Accent for Dummies/ Yankees! :-)

[Amanda]

How exciting!! Good luck!

[Stephanie (Adventures in Babywearing)]

I can just HEAR you saying Top Hat. Too funny. You are writing a book! This is wonderful! And I need to read it because I am such a dummy when it comes to TypePad! And WordPress, too. Get on that one next?

Steph

[Lindsey]

lol If I could just serve old blog posts to my family for dinner...

Nice.

[Pam]

Congratulations to you and Melanie!

[Anne Marie @ Married to the Empire]

Congratulations!

[It Feels Like Chaos]

Congratulations on the book!

[Heather]

Congratulations! What an honor. You are a great writer and are perfect for the job! Good luck as you write!

[Megan Tietz]

This is extraordinarily exciting news! CONGRATS! And as a fellow Typepad fan, I can see how your enthusiasm would bubble over into general blogging chatter. LOVE this platform so much. I look forward to the book!

[Melissa]

Count me in as a buyer. I use typepad, too (http://wordmom.typepad.com) and I don't think I'm really "getting" it. Sort of like my parents trying to work the DVD player. Sounds perfect for me!

[Anil Dash]

Congratulations! It's really inspiring to all of us who work at Six Apart to see anybody in the TypePad community who's not just super-passionate, but also willing to share their expertise with the world. Thanks for sharing your announcement, and we can't wait to see the end result. :)

[Ginevra]

this is SO VERY AWESOME. I can't wait to read TypePad For Dummies, as I am a professional TypePad dummy.

[se7en]

How very cool is that!!! How very exciting for you!!! Congratulations on her new "Dummie" status!

[Michael Sippey]

Alright! Congratulations and I'll echo what Anil says -- it's incredibly inspiring and we're very excited for you!

[Mark Simmons]

Congratulations! Looking forward to it and lest us know if I can help. I have plenty of experience as a dummy. :)

[btrott]

[this is good]

[jeanstockdale]

How exciting. I am a Typepad user but there is so much I cannot decipher or understand and do not have time to do the research needed. I will look forward to reading more about the project and seeing the finished book. Blessings.

[Erin]

That's awesome!!!

[sondra]

Congratulations! I know I will want to get that book! If someone with an Arkansas accent wrote it ( maybe you are from there?) maybe, just maybe, I can understand it as I am from AR! Really, I just enjoy your writing.

[Denise]

I am thrilled beyond belief. Thrilled.

[melissa@afamiliarpath]

congratulations! now that's how blogging pays off.

[Miche@CoordinatedChaos]

OH fun!! Many congrats on the book-I'm off to tell my husband I "know" a published author now :)

[linda sue]

Woo hoo - signed a "book deal" - this is very cool. Maybe all your loyal following needs to bring over meals for the next few weeks? Afraid my chicken and dumplings might be a tad toxic by the time I got there from Texas - but the spirit is willing if the flesh - well you know. Impressed and excited for you -

[Donnetta]

WOW! That's so exciting!! CONGRATS!!

[Kristen]

Congrats! I have a friend who just finished writing a "Dummy" book. It was a really good deal for him but it definitely took over his life for a few months! Intense schedule.

I'm hoping you shed more light on Typepad. Should I switch from Blogger? How is Typepad the best?

(Guess I need to buy your book!)

[Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba)]

Congratulations! :)

[April]

How exciting! Check out the book Dream Dinners. It's great b/c you can feeze meals w/o having to do a lot of actual cooking. My family loved the meals. Especially the swiss chicken. Hope that helps with your meal challenge.

[Susan Gunelius]

Congrats, and welcome to the Dummies family of writers!

[Kelly @ Love Well]

I am so happy for you. What a wonderful opportunity. I've been thinking about running away from Blogger. Maybe you're book will help me make the move.

[Carolina Mama]

Congratulations! How awesome! I have been wondering about TypePad, so now it will be available to all from the experts. You are as hilarious as ever - "serving up old blog posts on a platter! ;) Do write that book when you figure it out.

[Susan]

Congratulations, Shannon! Well deserved.

[Lisa Sabin-Wilson]

Congratulations! Wiley is a great bunch of folks to work with and I'm really happy to see they've found an excellent, and passionate, author for TypePad For Dummies. Have fun with it!

[Michelle- This One's for the Girls]

That is awesome! Congratulations Shannon!

[mzzterry]

Joy! That is the best news I have had this week. (admittedly it has been a slow week!)

Congrats. May God bless you & your efforts. =)

[Dawn W]

Congratulations! That's awesome!!!

[missy @ it's almost naptime]

So exciting Shannon! And maybe this means 16 years of college will be payed for - whoo hoo!!

[Hannah]

Congrats, Shannon and Melanie! Praise God, that's totally awesome. Especially since y'all already love TypePad -- now you can make other people love it too.

[Cathy @ Chief Family Officer.com]

Wow! Congratulations Shannon (and Melanie too)! I'll miss your posts though :)

[Laura@HeavenlyHomeamakers]

I'm so excited for you!! GREAT job!! I lift my Top Hat to you (even though I use Word Press...)!!

[Fiddledeedee]

I'm just tickled for you two!!!!!

And btw, Carrabbas has EXCELLENT take-away service. :)

[Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect]

Congratulations, Shannon! That's awesome!!

[Alison]

Congratulations! That's fantastic news and I'm sure y'all will do a great job.

[Shannon]

Elizabeth, I, for one, would pay good money to read your book!  Keep at it!  ;)

[Shannon]

Grew up in Arkansas, but I'm in Oklahoma now.  (But Arkansas will always be in my blood!)

[Shannon]

Thanks, Steph.  They already have a great WordPress title, actually--check out WordPress for Dummies (2nd Edition).

[Shannon]

Thanks, Anil--we're really excited about the book project.  I feel like I'm on a learning curve myself (especially with the new version rolling out!), but I'm eager to share what I'm learning.  You guys are doing a GREAT job at Six Apart--I'm a huge fan.

Shannon

[Shannon]

Thanks, Ginevra!  ;)

[Shannon]

Thanks, Ben--we're very excited.  You guys have done (and continue to do!) such great work--

[Shannon]

We're eager to offer you whatever help we can, Jean!  ;)

[Shannon]

Aw, shucks, my friend--thank you.  ;)

[Shannon]

Thanks, Donnetta!  ;)

[Shannon]

LOVE IT.  Yes, I could totally write that book, in my SLEEP!  ;)

[Shannon]

Kelly, you would love TypePad.  LOVE it.  So user-friendly.

[Shannon]

Wellll...I'm not holding my breath.  A round or two of orthodontics would be plenty. ;)

[Shannon]

You would love TypePad.  If you want to dig into coding, you can, but if you don't (and I don't, myself), you never have to deal with the headache of it.  You can do a really polished blog without all the technical hoops to jump through--I love it!

[Musings of a Housewife]

Oh. My. WORD! That is INCREDIBLE!!!!! I'm so excited for you.

[Angie @ Just Like The Number]

I was so excited when I saw the news over at Melanie's blog! I'm a huge fan of Top Hat, er, Type Pad, as well. I've used them as my blogging platform since 2006 and they've been so helpful every step of the way. As I've gotten more comfortable with blogging, I've wanted to get a little more creative with the layout of my blog. This is the area where I've needed a little more hand-holding than the TypePad knowledge base has been able to offer, so I'm hoping a dummy book will be helpful in that area. Congratulations! Can't wait to see the finished project.

[BlueCastle]

Congratulations! Although, I have to say, I do think you could write another kind of book. I love reading your blog - it's one of the few that I still read daily.

And a random fact - it's because of you that I switched over to TypePad last year. I liked your layout and got frustrated with Blogger and so I made the switch. I'm not pro, for sure, but I do enjoy blogging with TypePad and look forward to reading your book to learn more. :)

Best Wishes!

[Stephanie]

Congrats! That is super exciting. And it sounds like they picked the right person to author the book. ;)

[Queen of the Click]

Congratulations to you and Melanie! I love hearing of great things happening to good people :)