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Novelists are less likely to be technically inclined than people writing books on programming languages. I was careful to make this distinction in order to avoi

Novelists are less likely to be technically inclined than people writing books on programming languages. I was careful to make this distinction in order to avoid this pedantry when I specified the class of novelist that still writes out manuscripts on a mechanical typewriter. Technically competent novelists may well be in the same predicament as O'Reillys' authors. I didn't say all novelists were technically incompetent. Please curb your outrage.

vacri 14y ago
My dual point was that you look down on novelists as being archaic typewriter-users, and that there is a lot more to publishing than the technical aspects of layout or ebook formats. Please curb your prejudice.
- cookiecaper 14y ago
  Please read more carefully. Your "dual point" is meaningless noise. I didn't say all novelists were archaic typewriter users. The class of novelists that are not "helpless ... typewriter [users]" are not included in my statement which was specifically restricted to "helpless ... typewriter [users]". Novelists, however, are definitely more likely to be helpless typewriter users than the authorship of O'Reilly's publications, however. Please curb your outrage. It's trite pedantry.
  - vacri 14y ago
    You are still missing my main point: publishing is more than ebook conversion or maybe a bit of layout. Significantly more - and your painting of 'typewriter users' as being technically helpless, even if correct, does not bleed through to the other aspects of publishing. Please curb your prejudice. Novelists, however, are definitely more likely to be helpless typewriter users than the authorship of O'Reilly's publications, however. Yes, I agree - 0.1% is more likely than 0.0%, given that pretty much no-one uses typewriters these days, except perhaps the archaic stereotypical 'novelist' in your head. Take your accusations of pedantry elsewhere if you're going to make an argument based on an effectively non-existent demographic. Edit: a significant part of what a publisher does, which you may not realise, it editing. Technical authors aren't better than any others when it comes to writing well (and the stereotype is that they're worse). Good editing has turned many a pig's ear into a silk purse.

vacri 14y ago

My dual point was that you look down on novelists as being archaic typewriter-users, and that there is a lot more to publishing than the technical aspects of layout or ebook formats. Please curb your prejudice.

cookiecaper 14y ago
Please read more carefully. Your "dual point" is meaningless noise. I didn't say all novelists were archaic typewriter users. The class of novelists that are not "helpless ... typewriter [users]" are not included in my statement which was specifically restricted to "helpless ... typewriter [users]". Novelists, however, are definitely more likely to be helpless typewriter users than the authorship of O'Reilly's publications, however. Please curb your outrage. It's trite pedantry.
- vacri 14y ago
  You are still missing my main point: publishing is more than ebook conversion or maybe a bit of layout. Significantly more - and your painting of 'typewriter users' as being technically helpless, even if correct, does not bleed through to the other aspects of publishing. Please curb your prejudice. Novelists, however, are definitely more likely to be helpless typewriter users than the authorship of O'Reilly's publications, however. Yes, I agree - 0.1% is more likely than 0.0%, given that pretty much no-one uses typewriters these days, except perhaps the archaic stereotypical 'novelist' in your head. Take your accusations of pedantry elsewhere if you're going to make an argument based on an effectively non-existent demographic. Edit: a significant part of what a publisher does, which you may not realise, it editing. Technical authors aren't better than any others when it comes to writing well (and the stereotype is that they're worse). Good editing has turned many a pig's ear into a silk purse.