Acknowledgments

There are a bunch of people to thank for this book, including Nancy Davis and Ellie C. Bru at Pearson. Also, many people behind the scenes who do the copy editing, layouts, graphics, and even the physical printing. Also, the audio engineers who assisted with the audio version of this book.

I also want to thank Thomas Erl, a major tech author and friend, who was instrumental in getting me back in touch with Pearson, after 13 years since my last book, and myself swearing off book authoring in favor of blogs and podcasts. I’m back as a book author. Let’s see how this goes.

Of course, the book would not be as readable were it not for Linda Crippes, my editor and writing advisor, who has taken many paragraphs to something that’s enjoyable to read. We’ve worked together for so long that, at this point, I’m not sure when we started. Just glad to have somebody to assist in that department since my brain works better in speaking mode than when I write.

I also want to thank the reviewers, including Jo Peterson, who provided some great feedback on this “very different type of book.” She provided many of the better ideas as we break new ground here. It’s always good to have a team of smart people who make sure your ideas are not too crazy.

Keep in mind that my opinions here, which is most of the book, are mine and mine alone and not necessarily that of my current, past, or future employer. That said, this book was carefully written as not to create conflicts of interest, or cause concerns with any independence issues.

Finally, I want to thank my wonderful clients, who provided me with the experiences required to write a book like this. I’m in business to make them successful, and I feel privileged to say their successes reflect my own.