Book Editing By Dummies

Something happened back in November of 2008.  Apparently I lost my mind and agreed to write a book alongside an established author of SQL Server technical books, Louis Davidson (@DrSQL on Twitter.)  I’m not sure if it was the drinks and the Zig Zag, or perhaps the strong Seattle coffee and fresh Pacific Northwest air.

Being an Author (capital “A” in this case) had been a longtime dream of mine.  I grew up being a voracious reader, and like many hardcore readers I had that yearning to jump to the other side of the pen.  One day I wanted to be like Stephen King.  In a manner of being, it did happen.  I feel like I was walking along a rural road and just got clipped by a poorly-driven late model panel van.  I came to this karmic realization tonight as I was reviewing Louis’ chapter on DMVs for Query Plans. 

In 6 years I’ve gone from simply reading Microsoft SQL Server books to reading and writing and editing them.  I used to think it was always hard to read them without falling asleep.  What I never realized was how hard the Writers and Editors have it.  I have a deep appreciation for all those who’ve come before me; and those to come after.  If any of you out there reading this (and I know who all 4 of you are) then may I suggest starting out as a forum author.  Search out those who need help on the various forums and pick a few each day that you feel comfortable answering, then do it.  From there perhaps submit articles to sqlservercentral.com, mssqltips.com, sqlserverpedia.com, sqlteam.com, or sql-server-performance.com.  These sites are all run by stellar individuals who clammor for writing talent.  After that, who knows?  Perhaps you’ll be pulling your hair out on a Saturday night writing about transactions, spids, and query handles.