3 ms·

This essay left me unfulfilled, and I'm not sure why. I was leery of taking so much time reading it. Most times when people write essays about "How I failed" t

This essay left me unfulfilled, and I'm not sure why. I was leery of taking so much time reading it. Most times when people write essays about "How I failed" they're full of self-promotional bullshit, the end of which is usually something like "I was just too awesome", or "We tried too hard" or some other pointless throwaway. Here there's a fair bit of patting himself on the back, but Tim is honestly trying to get somewhere. Where, I don't know. In parts it reads like he's finally figured out that he was way too loosey-goosey with feel-good ideas that he wasn't ready to fight for. In other parts it feels like he's compelled to make lists of people or groups he should have treated with more attention. In short, it needs an editor. I'm plowing through 3000 words where a better structure could probably cut that in half. Is there a thesis? Or is this just a mashup? I'm betting on the latter, but I'm still not sure. I love the ideas Tim espouses but not because they make me feel all warm and fuzzy. I get the feeling this is his criteria. I love the ideas because they work, they have functional and financial value. Not sticking with them would be like not paying the electric bill because it was inconvenient. I liked the essay and voted it up on HN. But I can't recommend it. It's rambling, it's honest, and it's missing the kind of structural and cognitive analysis that could have turned a thoughtful recollection into something more consumable and immediately usable. Sorry to be so negative. It just hit a weird spot with me where I know there's something really good in there, but I don't believe the author hasn't done the work of teasing it out for himself, much less the rest of us.

mjn 13y ago
> In short, it needs an editor. I'm plowing through 3000 words where a better structure could probably cut that in half. Ah yes, like an O'Reilly book...
- knxvil 13y ago
  Good luck with that. I worked in the editorial department and most of the copy edits were outsourced. There's a house style guide that's loosely followed at best, and other than that, this is what potential authors get for direction: http://oreilly.com/oreilly/author/intro.csp http://oreilly.com/oreilly/author/intro.csp That page hasn't changed or really been updated in a few years. Sigh. Moved on to greener pastures...
  - yuhong 13y ago
    I wonder what happened inside. Did Tim know?
    - knxvil 13y ago
      I met him once in person, but never heard him talk about the editorial process. We went through an office reno in my time there that eliminated cubicles and most offices and created a one-room "collaborative" workspace--for people who all worked with headphones on. I see what was intended, but without more editorial structure (i.e., distinct acquisition, development, and production levels with accompanying procedures and staff), the book-producing process--and accountability for missteps--was a blur. A distinct contrast was O'Reilly's contract with Microsoft Press: Those books received special handling as opposed to O'Reilly-branded titles, and MS provided massive amounts of documentation for editors to use, as opposed to the O'Reilly mantra of "preserve the author's voice." It was, at best, a confusing place to work for someone with a background in traditional book publishing.

mjn 13y ago

> In short, it needs an editor. I'm plowing through 3000 words where a better structure could probably cut that in half. Ah yes, like an O'Reilly book...

knxvil 13y ago
Good luck with that. I worked in the editorial department and most of the copy edits were outsourced. There's a house style guide that's loosely followed at best, and other than that, this is what potential authors get for direction: http://oreilly.com/oreilly/author/intro.csp http://oreilly.com/oreilly/author/intro.csp That page hasn't changed or really been updated in a few years. Sigh. Moved on to greener pastures...
- yuhong 13y ago
  I wonder what happened inside. Did Tim know?
  - knxvil 13y ago
    I met him once in person, but never heard him talk about the editorial process. We went through an office reno in my time there that eliminated cubicles and most offices and created a one-room "collaborative" workspace--for people who all worked with headphones on. I see what was intended, but without more editorial structure (i.e., distinct acquisition, development, and production levels with accompanying procedures and staff), the book-producing process--and accountability for missteps--was a blur. A distinct contrast was O'Reilly's contract with Microsoft Press: Those books received special handling as opposed to O'Reilly-branded titles, and MS provided massive amounts of documentation for editors to use, as opposed to the O'Reilly mantra of "preserve the author's voice." It was, at best, a confusing place to work for someone with a background in traditional book publishing.