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Lynn Beighley

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lynnbeighley

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Fiction, Business, Humor and Comedy

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June 2008

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Lynn Beighley is the author of dozens of tech books and even more articles. She's had lots of her short stories published in lots of places. She's an editor for Manning Publications and she's currently writing a YA novel that she hopes will encourage girls to try a bit of computer programming. She got an MFA a few years back. She's on twitter as @lynnbeighley and would enjoy hearing from you.
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Can you share a bit about your experience with the "Head First" books you wrote for O'Reilly? Would you recommend it? Did it pay well? I love the format and am pitching a book to them currently.

Lynn Beighley Hi Tim. The Head First books are the most difficult books I've ever written. They are also the most rewarding, both in terms of money and satisfaction…moreHi Tim. The Head First books are the most difficult books I've ever written. They are also the most rewarding, both in terms of money and satisfaction. Things that make writing HF style tricky:

Attention to detail. Not just making certain that the books are technically accurate, but making sure there are no gaps between concepts.

Slowing down when needed. Pacing is a really important part of HF. Taking the time to explain tricky concepts in multiple ways.

Using concrete examples that anyone can understand, not just programmers.

Explaining a concept multiple ways. Through annotated graphics. Through text. Through annotated code. Through exercises. Even through headers on the pages.

Being really careful with humor. (Not that I had trouble with this. See, I'm funny, and I'm pretty good at writing funny. But other HF authors aren't as funny as I am. They confuse cute with funny. Or through in a lot of puns. Or through in clip art for the sake of a joke. Okay, I've done that, too.)

If you can get them to sign you, it'll be hard work, but well worth it. Good luck. (less)

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Lynn Beighley’s books

Average rating: 4.03 · 1,190 ratings · 98 reviews · 41 distinct works • Similar authors

	Head First SQL 4.01 avg rating — 558 ratings — published 2007 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Head First PHP & MySQL: A Brain-Friendly Guide by Lynn Beighley (Goodreads Author), Michael Morrison 4.13 avg rating — 424 ratings — published 2008 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Drupal For Dummies 3.41 avg rating — 74 ratings — published 2009	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	jQuery For Dummies 3.98 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 2010 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oh Sandy: An Anthology of Humor for a Serious Purpose by Lynn Beighley (Goodreads Author) (Editor), A.J. Fader (Editor), Andrea Donio (Editor) 4.40 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	You Tell Me: A Novella and Assorted Curiosities 4.46 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Make: Geek Girl's Guide to Geek Women 3.45 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2017	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	iPhone 5: Visual Quickstart Guide really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	OS X Mountain Lion (Peachpit Learning) 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2012 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	OS X Mavericks: Peachpit Learning Series 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Lynn Beighley is currently reading

The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure

by Jack Handey

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Jul 26, 2013 10:25AM

Lynn’s Quotes

“Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it.
Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.”
― William Faulkner

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