Acknowledgments

It takes a ton of people, beyond the author, to put a book together. The people at Manning played a huge role in getting this book from a mere proposal to what you’re reading right now. Brace yourself, because this section is brimming with gratitude.

I’ll start by thanking the first person from Manning I talked to, an acquisitions editor named Frank Pohlmann. The proposal phase of this book took quite some time, and Frank coached me on what to do and what not to do, and most importantly, let me know exactly what I was getting into. Thank you, Frank, for guiding me in the early part of this process.

As this is my first book, I’d like to extend my gratitude to Manning’s publisher Marjan Bace, who saw fit to grant me this opportunity. Green-lighting any book proposal is a risk, and that’s especially true when the proposal comes from someone who hasn’t made a name for himself prior to that point, so it took some courage to take that risk. Thank you, Marjan.

Behind every author is an editor pushing them to write the best manuscript they can. Susanna Kline was the development editor for this book, and here I offer my sincerest thanks and gratitude for her hard work and indispensable guidance on this project. Susanna not only played the role of an editor, she was also a great coach who understood the vulnerability I felt in this vast and new undertaking, especially when there was so much uncertainty in the early stages of development. Her guidance in this project was essential to its success. Thank you, Susanna, for all your help.

Every technical book, of course, needs a technical editor. Nick Watts did a superb job in this role. His informed perspective, valuable input, and willingness to challenge my assertions and points of view certainly contributed positively to the quality of the final text. Thank you, Nick.

This book was also reviewed by many people at various stages in its development, including Alexey Galiullin, Amit Lamba, Birnou Sebarte, Daniel Vasquez, John Huffman, Justin Calleja, Kevin Liao, Matt Harting, Michael Martinsson, Michael Sperber, Narayanan Jayaratchagan, Noreen Dertinger, Omer Faruk Celebi, Simone Cafiero, and William Ross. Their feedback gave valuable insight into what public perception of the book could be. I would like to thank them for their input and suggestions, which made this book better than what I could have achieved on my own.

The final polish of a book is also very important. I’d like to thank David Fombella Pombal for his thorough and excellent technical proofing of the manuscript, which identified issues I would have otherwise missed. Sharon Wilkey meticulously combed through and copyedited the final manuscript, which further refined it, for which I’m grateful. Elizabeth Martin filed off the rough edges and reined in some of my excesses with keen precision. On top of all this, Kevin Sullivan did a great job of coordinating the preproduction and production phases. Thank you so much, guys. You did great work in that last, critical mile of the project.

I also wish to extend my gratitude to Ethan Marcotte, a person whose work has irrevocably changed how we all develop for the web. When I contacted Ethan to see if he would be interested in writing the foreword to Web Performance in Action, I was pleasantly surprised that he had time to reply, let alone read the manuscript. A foreword is not a matter to be taken lightly. It’s an endorsement of a book’s quality. To know that Ethan endorses the material in this book is one of the proudest moments of my professional career. Thank you, Ethan.

I’d like to thank my father Luke and my mother Georgia for supporting me in all that I’ve done and attempted to do, even the harebrained stuff. I’d also like to thank my brother Lucas who has always been an incredible example to me, and led the way in showing what’s possible if you’re willing to work hard for something. Thank you so much.

Lastly, I owe gratitude and thanks to my wife Alexandria. Her unwavering support and selflessness has been a source of strength for me throughout this endeavor. Her gentle encouragement and belief in my potential has helped more than she knows.

To anyone else I may have overlooked, know that you were a part of making this book what it is. For that, I thank you.