Writing Computer Books and Bill C-61

A writer at the Writers' Circle of Durham Region once told me that writing was one of the most misunderstood occupations. Since everybody learns how to write when they are young, many people assume that who are good with writing should work for free. This kind of attitude, perhaps coupled with the strange combination of low self-esteem and a frantic need to pound feelings into print shared by many writers, have made writing an occupation of the poor...or, at least, the independently wealthy. Nonetheless, writers--like everybody else--have to pay their rent.

The big news this month is Bill-C61, a proposal to bring the basic principles of the widely-discredited U.S. DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) to Canada. The bill is being pushed by the Ministers of Industry and Heritage, and is considered by many to be an attempt by large corporations to change Canadian copyright law for their benefit. Although the people driving the law talk about protecting creative works, I believe this law will actually weaken the rights of individuals such as writers. This is a bill about money, not rights. The vast majority of computer professionals that I know of are against C-61.

I've written about the misunderstandings of the DMCA in a previous Lone Coder entry. However, last week, someone asked me whether, as a writer, I would ever endorse the free copying of a book over the Internet.

I will respond to this question by first describing what it is like to be a Linux author. I know or have worked with a number of published computer authors, including Chris Browne, Jordan Chilcott and Warren W. Gay.

There are an endless stream of technical people who are interested in writing books. There are people who want to write a book to prove their technical skills. There are people who want to write a book because they think they will make a lot of money if their books is popular. There are people who want to write a book because they think it will earn them respect.

Wrong. If you write a book to prove your skills, you'll see human resource people shove your book aside at job interviews. If you are writing for money, you'll soon learn that even successful authors can't earn enough from book royalties to pay their rent. And if you think that people will respect you, there will be many who will say, once your book is published, that they could have done it better. The only legitimate reason to write a book is if you want to improve the situation of others through writing and are compelled to do it.

When creating a book, you always have to be aware of your audience. And your audience is, unfortunately, not Linux enthusiasts. Your audience is the book publisher, the ones who will put up the money to get your work into print. Based on my experience, the publishing industry consists of a few mega-publishers hiding behind the names of smaller companies they've bought out. To maximize profits, these corporations slash their editorial and marketing staff. Many book companies are not looking for writers, but researchers: people willing to dump their knowledge on paper for cheap, then have a team of editors--who know nothing of the subject--try to rearrange the information into some kind of coherent form and then send it to the presses. In this environment, publishers simply don't care if you are the best, or if you are a good communicator. They don't care about promoting useful new technologies or the completeness of their coverage or even the accuracy of the material. They want topics that they think will sell--not that will sell, only that they think will sell. So the author, who wants to speak up on important information that will benefit others, is at direct odds with business goals of many publishers.

Because of the reality of the publishing business, you'll understand that Bill C-61 is about money, not rights. Publishers don't care about rights and will sell them in a heartbeat if they thought it would maximize their profit. It wasn't always like that, and not every publisher is like that, but generally, Linux writing is a cut-throat business today.

Authors often try to please the publisher with gimmicks, trendy topics, programming tricks while trying to sneak really useful information between the lines, hoping that someone will pick up on it. Many authors advise taking out as large an advance as possible from the publisher so that, if the book flops, you'll have maximized your earnings on it. Obviously, if you want to write a second book, the "take the money and run" strategy doesn't work since you'll have to pay off your first advance before the publisher will give you royalties from a second one. For "Linux Shell Scripting with Bash", I took the smallest advance that I could because, for some crazy reason, I like to write.

Even if you do get picked up by a respectable publisher and have an editor who is not so overworked that he can answer your emails is less than a month, you'll have to deal with the fallout from your book. I once heard a saying that if you write a book, everyone will be supportive of you. When your book is published, everyone will tell you they could do it better.

In "How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort", Janet Asimov explains how critics have said of her husband, Isaac, "I don't know that you're exactly a writer, but you're a great storyteller." Isaac took this as a compliment: anybody can write words but few people can tell a story. The genius of Asimov's style was that he didn't let the words get in the way of what he was trying to say. He didn't fill his story with big words and long-winded descriptions. The words served the story, not the other way around.

In the same way, I recently read a review of my book, "Linux Shell Scripting with Bash". The reviewer, in what seemed like a condescending way, announced the book was excellent for beginners. Like Isaac Asimov, I took that as a compliment. It is an accomplishment to write a book that is so clear and easy to read that even a beginner can understand it. Most computer texts are filled with "allows you to" or "it is illegal to" or stuffy uses of the passive voice. In my book, I avoided every cliched computer expression and tried to keep language simple and direct: "use this feature to accomplish that goal". I didn't let the words get in the way of what I was trying to say.

Do you every wonder why so many authors are "one-hit wonders", writing one or two books and not being seen again. Is is because they don't have other topics to write about? In my experience, it's because they become disillusioned by the whole prospect of writing.

So back to the question: will C-61 make my life as a Linux author better by allowing me to hire a lawyer for $3000 to sue some Linux underpaid enthusiast over a $50 book they copied off the Internet because they couldn't afford to buy it anyway?

Probably not. When anyone punishes the market share interested in their product, that's not a good way to stay in business.

(Of course, I don't speak for my book publisher so I don't endorse the copying of my book online.)

Write because you have something to say. Write like you mean to change the world. Everything else is chance. If someone would hire me because I wrote a good book and they know there's more where that came from, that's worth more to me than the information dark age offered by Bill C-61.

Oh, wait! A smart company already did.

September 28, 2008