So You Want to Be an Author

Here at OnCallDBA, I like to help people write. So I work as an editor, cheerleader, task master, brow beater, publisher, webmistress, Photo Shop maven, and, as often as not, pack mule, to help potential authors do just that. I edit articles for newsletters, websites and blogs. I project manage collaborative book efforts. I nit pick. If I find something that doesn't look right, I Google. So if you're looking for someone to collaborate with you on a project, whether it's a book, a newsletter, a website, a blog, a conference paper, or even a college paper, then give me a call.

For books, I've chosen to use Lulu for publishing. I've looked at other publishers, and they seem fine, but I like to have more control over my work than is possible with other publishing organizations. I like to be able to finish a book on a Friday, and start selling it on a Saturday. This works very well for technical books, since they tend to be niche-oriented. I don't think using this model with "the great American novel" would be a good way to go.

The one trade-off with using Lulu is that it is nearly impossible to time making your books land at a conference location when the conference people want it to arrive. So when I attend the Collaborate conference every year, most of my luggage consists of books for the OAUG Bookstore.

So, if you're in the market for a small, doting publisher, look me up. I can help as much - or as little - as you can stand. I'm handy with creating indexes, I know how to make everything land on the right page with the right header and footer, and I can even make book covers.

I can assure you that neither you nor I will become rich from this collaboration, but we might become famous (in a geeky "Oh, you're the one who wrote the Cat Herding Book" sort of way).