How did you become a computer book author?
First of all, I don't think of myself as an author. I am, more accurately, a designer who, periodically, squeezes a few words through the eye of the publishing needle. The fact is, if my high school English teacher, Mr. Kryston, had known I'd be writing for public consumption, I'm guessing he'd gladly have thrown himself on his sword for the better good.

I came to writing through a misunderstanding -- on my part. I misunderstood what it took to produce a decent book. I submitted the proposal for The Desktop Publisher's Idea Book to Bantam Books/Random House in 1992 and to my abject horror, they accepted it. "How," I asked myself, "am I ever going to produce 300 coherent pages?"

The answer came to me in the midst of the panic-filled days that followed. I wrote it out on a three by five index card and taped it to the shelf above my monitor -- "If you can write one page, you can write 300 pages -- one at a time." They may kick and scream their little word heads off, but ultimately, as Bob Newhart put it -- "If you put an infinite number of monkeys in front of an infinite number of typewriters, eventually, they will type all the great books."

What advice would you give to other writers?
Dale Carnegie said "Speak about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study." The same holds true with writing. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of good books written by folks who know little or nothing about their subject before they begin -- they do their research and create good stuff. But if you have experience with, and passion for a subject, you have the potential to create something extraordinary.

And be sure to include yourself in your books. There are plenty of formula books that consolidate a bunch of good information into an accessible format -- Zzzzzzzzzzz. I'm more interested in how you do things than how you think they should be done. I want your opinion and recommendations. More and more how-to books are losing the identity of the people who create them and that makes it easier for someone to publish your next book without you. I have also learned that you have to do some selling. I was shy about this in the beginning, now I am to publishing what Jed Clampett was to Beverly Hills. I pull my books off bookstore shelves and put them face-front at eye level. I talk my stuff up to potential reviewers. I create promotional flyers, marketing gizmos and call radio stations. Lots of writers sell an idea, write a book, and wait for something to happen. You can do that, but you risk accepting a decent return versus creating a bestseller.

Finally, get to know other writers and ask them lots of dumb questions. I have really perfected this. I can't tell you how much I've learned over the last few years from writers such as Daniel Will-Harris, Jay Levinson, Seth Godin, and Roger C. Parker. They believe in abundance versus scarcity -- they have an enormous talent and are willing to share it.

How has being a computer book author helped you in other areas?
Anyone who has written a book will tell you writing a book for a major publisher opens doors. It does. Not doors that couldn't be unlocked any other way, but doors that open faster and wider. The simple fact that you got something published in such a highly competitive market proves, if nothing else, that you are tenacious.

One tangible result is other writing assignments -- my books have lead to regular contributions to Before & After — a magazine of design and page layout for desktop publishers, Dynamic Graphics Magazine — a publication that provides ideas and how-to instruction for Mac and PC desktop publishers, and a monthly gig with Home Office Computing Magazine writing the Design Doctor column. I use the columns to promote books and the books to get more writing assignments.

It also led to being invited to be one of six inaugural members of the Microsoft Small Business Council and has paved the way to design projects too numerous to mention.

How do you come up with ideas for books?
When you travel a road over and over it develops a rut -- a well-worn path of least resistance. Such is true with writing. Once you've found a successful way of doing things it's easy to fall into the rut of simply repeating a formula -- yours or someone else's. I use, what I call "jolt thinking" to examine the basic premise -- the what, why, and how of doing something. What is the purpose of doing it? Why is it done the way it's done? And how can I do it more effectively? Answering these basic questions gets me outside a subject far enough to see the big picture and shift my angle -- to see what I and others are missing.

How have readers reacted to your work?
This is what keeps me pumped. I have been overwhelmed by the kindness people who read my stuff. I get letters and e-mail all the time from readers who recount how some tidbit helped them or how they got inspired by a design. Since I opened ideabook.com I have had the privilege of meeting folks from all over the planet. They come and visit, give me terrific feedback, send me answers and questions, buy a book or two, and from time to time, we strike up a friendship.

One morning I got a call from a preacher who was down from Pennsylvania with his wife and wanted to know if he could stop by. He did and we spent half a day talking about computers, desktop publishing and God. I think he did me a lot more good than I did him.

©Chuck Green, All rights reserved.