rf@wu1.UUCP (01/30/85)
Brad Templeton (watmath!looking!brad) writes:
Software is not like books either. Good books are written as a labour of
love for the most part. Good software isn't. Sure interesting software
is developed as a labour of love, but the effort to turn that into a
polished product that is well-documented, bug-free, nicely packaged and
SUPPORTED is a lot of hard work. People aren't going to do it unless
they are paid and paid well.
In the article Brad Templeton contrasts the publishing industry with the
software industry. His picture of publishing is very different from mine
and he draws a number of conclusions based on that picture. Since I
personally know editors and publishers, I think my picture is clearer and
I'd like to set the matter straight.
"Good books are written as a labour of love for the most part". I'm not
sure what books Brad is referring to. Books are written only for the love
of it only when the writer does not get paid. Do you really believe that
*textbooks*, even very good textbooks, are labors of love?
"Sure interesting software is developed as a labour of love, but the effort
to turn that into a polished product that is well-documented, bug-free,
nicely packaged and SUPPORTED is a lot of hard work." In the book business,
the process is called publishing and is subdivided into book design and
editing. Very few manuscripts are published exactly as submitted to the
publisher. In some cases editors will ask for major rewrites. There is
even an analog of support: most books are slightly revised in later
editions. Text books in active fields and financial references are often
massively updated. Book design ("packaging" -- which has another meaning in
publishing) requires similar attention. In mass-marketed books, it is
packaging, especially cover design, which get the buyer to pick up the book
and leaf through it.
"People aren't going to do it [edit software] unless they are paid and paid
well." Professional writers won't substantially revise a book unless they
are first given a contract.
". . . , the book industry IS controlled (essentially) by a small group of
major publishers." "Can John Doe without many $M start a car company?" John
Doe Editor, however, can start a publishing company. In science fiction
publishing, Tor (Jim Baen), Bluejay (Jim Frenkel), and Baen Books (Jim Baen
again) were all started by editors who lost their jobs with the "major
publishers". These companies publish a vast amount of well-marketed science
fiction. They are (so far) successes because their editors know their
markets, can publish what they'd like, and have control of their cover art
(a major factor in book marketing). Most of the big publishers prefer
costume romances and "bestsellers" to science fiction; both pay better.
There are markets not covered by the major publishers. These are served by
university presses and small publishing houses, publishing rather expensive
(usually $20-$200) volumes. It's possible to make a fair living working for
or owning one of these; you won't get rich, but you can get by.
I doubt that the rise of cheap software (already well underway) will destroy
the markets for the more expensive products. There will perhaps be fewer
fortunes made in the business, but, if software publishing turns out like
book publishing, there will still be room for the software company that
started in a garage.
"The price of freedom
is self-discipline." Randolph Fritz
UUCPnet: {ihnp4,decvax}!philabs!wu1!rfjsoc@lasspvax.UUCP (John Socha) (02/04/85)
I agree with R. Fritz. Most people who write computer books aren't writing
out of love for writing -- they want to make money. I've written two
computer books so far (one for Robert J. Brady, Co. and one for Microsoft
Press) and I, for one, wouldn't be writing at all if I couldn't earn
money from my ventures. I'm the first to admit that I'm trying to become
filthy rich.
That's not to say that I don't love writing. I love to write, and I want
to teach people about all the wonderful and fun things computers can do.
This is a matter of love, for I'm terribly in love with computers.
Someone else, who's name escapes me, commented that writing books is quite
different from writing software because a software author has to pollish
and bullet-proof their program before they publish it, and that people
won't put in this effort unless their paid well. That's no different
from writing a book. I really enjoy writing the first draft. But then
I have to work on all the details, like rewriting and rewriting sections
until they make sense, creating the index (double yuk!) and on it goes.
I spend more time finishing all the details than I do writing the book
in the first place, and I've known many other authors who also spend
a long time polishing their book. Novelists, for example, might write
their novel in 3 months, then spend the next 1-1/2 years polishing the
book before they send it to their publisher.
John Socha
Columnist for Softalk while they still existed
{...}uw-beaver!microsoft!johnso
*** Note *** Send reply mail to the address above, not to the uucp
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Cornell, so I won't be here more than 2 more days.jmsellens@watmath.UUCP (John M Sellens) (02/07/85)
In this months' (February) Byte, Jerry Pournelle bemoans the fact that there are zillions of "computer" books and most of them are junk. He suggests that, when you find a good book, or series of books, you make a point of bringing it to the attention of the store manager. The same works for bad books or publishers. It's all based in the profit motive and the store manager's and distributor's inability to distinguish good books from bad (what do they know about computers, right?). Of course, many people are aware that these suggestions apply very well to many aspects of life. John