One of the fascinating things about web history is the rise of certain… practitioner brands? Publishers and imprints and web sites that have left their mark because of how important they are to the people that make the web.
On the “pure development” side of things, @OReillyMedia and its animal books are iconic (and were even before the rise of the web). @RosenfeldMedia has become the standard-bearer for “definitive works” on UX. And @abookapart rules the world of “You’re the X who needs to learn Y.”
That last one is tricky to articulate but I think anyone who’s picked up an ABA book understands the idea. For a generation of web folks, being “The Person Who Knows X, And Is Asked To Do Y” was just the nature of the work, and ABA books were invaluable.
No 600-page reference manuals, just slim, read-it-in-a-day-and-chew-on-it material by deeply knowledgable experts explaining the underlying ideas of some critical part of web design, ux, content strategy, etc.
One challenge, though: many of those experts were “minted” at a time when the field was less complicated, barriers for entry were fewer, and everyone was figuring stuff out from scratch. It’s easy for that to morph into a “prestige divide” that locks out a new generation.
Things like “blogging and tweeting about what you’re doing and learning” are low-barrier, but things like “speaking at well-known conferences” and “pitching a book” can feel inaccessible.
Recently I’ve enjoyed watching @abookapart (and @alistapart) work to bridge that gap. @lara_hogan’s Demystifying Public Speaking (https://abookapart.com/products/demystifying-public-speaking) isn’t just about the performative parts of Doing A Talk; it dives into how to identify an audience and pitch them, too.
And — this is what I’m excited about — the just-released “You Should Write A Book,” by @theledu and @redsesame, is a fantastically accessible guide to recognizing (and trusting) your perspective, turning it into a work that clicks with an audience, and working with publishers.
I’ve been digging through an early-reader copy and it is absolutely invaluable; great advice from people who’ve been through the process as readers, writers, editors, and publishers. It’s friendly. It’s encouraging. And I think it’s important. https://abookapart.com/products/you-should-write-a-book
Obviously two books aren’t The Solution™ but they represent a really encouraging shift towards cultivating and encouraging a broader, more diverse community of practice. It’s cool stuff.