Whats the Problem with Computer Books, Anyway?
The computer book industry has gone through tumultuous change in the last few years. The combination of publishing for “Dummies” and “Idiots,” along with an explosion of Internet-related titles and the general downturn in the market since 9/11, has caused a dearth in quality books on applications software. No where is this dearth more evident in good books on intermediate- and advanced-level topics for Microsoft Word. The situation is even worse for WordPerfect. (The situation isn’t as bad for books on Excel and Access, both of which enjoy a fairly large selection.) Book selling is a matter of shelf space. Bookstores want to see each linear foot of their shelves generate a certain amount of money per month. Though they sold relatively slowly, more high-level applications books were available in the “good old days” because bookstores kept them on the shelf months at a time. Now, computer books are routinely returned to the publisher if they aren’t sold within 45-60 days. Given the “cost
