RE: Guess what: we suck! (take II)

["Lauren" <lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu>]

Is there a Technical Writing for Dummies book?  I think that we might be
able to get together and generate some beer and pizza money just by
compiling the archives.

Lauren
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com 
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On 
> Behalf Of Geoff Hart
> Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2007 5:02 PM
> To: TECHWR-L; Eric Dunn
> Subject: Guess what: we suck! (take II)
> 
> Eric Dunn noted: <<But here's the catch, nobody is likely to 
> pay 20-30 
> $ more for the software with the good manual while they will 
> hunt for  
> cheaper software, grumble about the manuals, and happily put down  
> 20-30$ for an after market manual and recommend the same to 
> all their  
> friends.>>
> 
> That's no catch -- really! Does it take any longer to write 
> 500 pages  
> of "for Dummies" book than it takes to write 500 pages of "by  
> Dummies" book? <g> Nope! Does it cost any more to print it? Nope...  
> it should cost less, because we're producing more copies (one per  
> copy of the software), thus the cost per book is lower. Does it take  
> longer? Presumably not, since these books come out about as fast as  
> the software, and the authors don't even have the same lead time or  
> access to the SMEs that we have.
> 
> _That's_ my point: If they can do it, why can't we? Many reasons,  
> actually, and each of them is something we should be working on with  
> our own clients.
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------
> -- Geoff Hart
> ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
> www.geoff-hart.com
> --------------------------------------------------
> ***Now available***  _Effective onscreen editing_
> (http://www.geoff-hart.com/home/onscreen-book.htm)
> 
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