The literary world has changed enormously since 1989. I worry that many people simply don't read. Why write a book on Rust or Hadoop when the user-base is keyed into learning from the web or video education? Then, too, a story must be compelling to draw eyes away from video games and social media.

Having said the obvious, yes I would publish in print (hey - my feet are firmly in the 20th century). Moreover, I didn't write to make money, nor to make a name for myself, and certainly not to become well known. At first, I simply wanted to teach. Computer security. After talking with Guy, I realized that I had a story to tell.

Today, if I had the liberty to choose, I probably wouldn't self-publish. Partly because there's so very much to do: I don't want to become an expert in fonts, page-layout, paper, cover-art, distribution, promotion, and press-runs, etc. These are the important things that a publisher does. More important, I need the feedback that only an editor can give me.

I see my editor as the one person who represents my audience. An editor wears many hats - most important is a quality meter: I expect my editor to say, "This chapter isn't any good. Rewrite it." or "These paragraphs confuse me" or "You've said this twice!" In short, I expect red ink all over my manuscript, just like in high school and college English classes. Yep, I may scribble STET in the margin, but I take every red mark seriously -- it's my editor speaking on behalf of my readers.

Of course, for someone writing to make money, my comments probably are of little or no use.

Warm wishes to all! -Cliff (under a starry sky in Oakland, California)