Tim reads Naked…

January 15, 2006 By

Naked Conversations, that is. Heheh. Thanks to Tim Bray of Sun Microsystems for the nice review. He’s the co-inventor of XML and I admire him a lot. His speech last year at Northern Voice was wonderful (can’t wait to see what he says this year).

He’s the first person to pick up on the tone of the writing. He could tell it wasn’t in my voice. Very astute. I did write quite a bit, but then Shel would take what I wrote and rewrote it in his own voice. This bothered me at the beginning, but I realized that a book would need a common voice throughout otherwise it’d be weird. Second, he always improved my writing so who was I to argue? Third, I didn’t have enough time to write the book in my own style.

I’m taking the rest of the day off to hang out with Maryam and Patrick. Hope your weekend is going well!

Filed Under: Brendan Eich, NASDAQ
  • http://jeremiahthewebprophet.blogspot.com/ Jeremiah Owyang

    I noticed the same, and I also thought about your busy busy schedule. but you know what? I doesn’t matter to me that it’s not your voice, it’s the content that counts.

    Jeremiah

  • http://jeremiahthewebprophet.blogspot.com Jeremiah Owyang

    I noticed the same, and I also thought about your busy busy schedule. but you know what? I doesn’t matter to me that it’s not your voice, it’s the content that counts.

    Jeremiah

  • Christopher Coulter

    Got a gander. Hahaha, looks like whomever you finally picked to tame Shel’s prose, wasn’t able to cut through that thicket. It’s concrete grape-nuts with a monotone cadence, I know it well. I would have stuck around, but well piss poor pay (cheat the little guys, that do all the work, eh?) and after Marc pulled out it was a nightmare on Wiley’s side, and I could see that Shel was dictator overlord here, my minor suggestions were but shot down. Looks like he found a ‘yes man’ Editor. Thanks for the offer however, nice gesture even so.

    I do find it ironic, a book about conversations, yet not at all in your own voice, making you just a dancing ventriloquist doll. Content that counts? Sure, but it’s also who says what content, when and for what purpose. As such this is a conversation you were but only an observer. Ironic. ;)

    I am sure the fanboy reviews will pour in, and you will start to have richie dreams, but if you decide to do a next book, write it in your own voice and get a decent Editor. That thing is a horrible read, and I question the content nearly every other page (or maybe sentence). But like Cluetrain, it’s not so much the book, as such becomes the speaking platform.

  • Christopher Coulter

    Got a gander. Hahaha, looks like whomever you finally picked to tame Shel’s prose, wasn’t able to cut through that thicket. It’s concrete grape-nuts with a monotone cadence, I know it well. I would have stuck around, but well piss poor pay (cheat the little guys, that do all the work, eh?) and after Marc pulled out it was a nightmare on Wiley’s side, and I could see that Shel was dictator overlord here, my minor suggestions were but shot down. Looks like he found a ‘yes man’ Editor. Thanks for the offer however, nice gesture even so.

    I do find it ironic, a book about conversations, yet not at all in your own voice, making you just a dancing ventriloquist doll. Content that counts? Sure, but it’s also who says what content, when and for what purpose. As such this is a conversation you were but only an observer. Ironic. ;)

    I am sure the fanboy reviews will pour in, and you will start to have richie dreams, but if you decide to do a next book, write it in your own voice and get a decent Editor. That thing is a horrible read, and I question the content nearly every other page (or maybe sentence). But like Cluetrain, it’s not so much the book, as such becomes the speaking platform.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ scobleizer

    Christopher: I totally disagree, but that seems to be a common theme between me and you lately.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ scobleizer

    Christopher: I totally disagree, but that seems to be a common theme between me and you lately.

  • http://web-tones.typepad.com/ Carlos Leyva

    Yeah, I agree with Tim that blogging’s impact is far greater than business, but perhaps that is just fodder for another book. Manuel Castells are you listening?

    Sorry guys, I would love to plug “Naked Conversations” but that will have to wait until I clear the “books in progress.”

  • http://web-tones.typepad.com Carlos Leyva

    Yeah, I agree with Tim that blogging’s impact is far greater than business, but perhaps that is just fodder for another book. Manuel Castells are you listening?

    Sorry guys, I would love to plug “Naked Conversations” but that will have to wait until I clear the “books in progress.”

  • Christopher Coulter

    write it in your own voice and get a decent Editor

    So you disagree with that part too? Ghostwrite it out, and get a crappy Editor then? Oh, I see, you did that. ;)

  • Christopher Coulter

    write it in your own voice and get a decent Editor

    So you disagree with that part too? Ghostwrite it out, and get a crappy Editor then? Oh, I see, you did that. ;)