Today we have guest author Victor Ashiedu. Victor is the author of Hands-On Study Guide For Exam 70-411: Administering Windows Server 2012 R2. His book is available on Amazon and can found here.
Stacie: Hi Victor. Thank you for being here today.
Victor: Thank you Stacie. I am delighted to be here. I am excited that you guys chose my book!
Stacie: Let’s start with a little information about you, including how your background and experience qualified you to write Hands-On Study Guide For Exam 70-411.
Victor: I am a Windows Systems Engineer with over 13 years’ experience designing, deploying and managing Microsoft Server Infrastructures, including Active Directory, DNS, DNCP and Powershell.
Stacie: What made you decide to write the book?
Victor: I saw a gap in the market. I was preparing for the same exam and struggled to find a suitable hands-on study guide. I decided that there will be 100s and 1000s of people out there that will be having the same experience. It motivated me to start writing.
Stacie: As a consumer, I love coming across books of this type. When I need great information on a highly specialized topic, these kinds of books can be incredibly valuable. What advice can you give someone considering writing informational books?
Victor: Research every topic in detail. Focus on the quality of information you are delivering to your readers. Confirm and reconfirm any information before you write it down. Make it very hands-on. By this I mean let your readers be able to practice what they read.
Stacie: That’s great advice.
Hands-On Study Guide For Exam 70-411 contains a lot of structured information. What kind of process do you use to organize your thoughts and material as you write?
Victor: Planning is the key word. I planned the chapter structure before I commenced writing. I then followed the plan as I wrote every chapter. I also had to be disciplined to follow my plan through.
Stacie: What was is like to write the book and do you have anything planned for the future?
Victor: Challenging but rewarding! The thought that a number of people are benefiting from this work gives a fulfillment that you cannot imagine. Think about the effect: Somebody reads my book and improves their knowledge; then the reader is empowered to deliver more quality service on the job; this translates to more profit to the business and most times more pay for the employee. Exciting! Very Exciting!!
My next book is on Windows PowerShell. I have developed the layout and expanding it gradually.
Stacie: That’s fantastic. As I said before, I really appreciate when people with expertise such as yours decide to share the knowledge to help other people.
What was biggest challenge you faced writing Hands-On Study Guide For Exam 70-411? And how did you deal with it?
Victor: Ensuring that I delivered quality; making sure that I delivered a unique book that is different from other books of its kind in the market and time management. Writing the book was very time-consuming. I stayed focused and disciplined. I remember several Saturdays I had to write for 4 consecutive hours sitting on a chair. This was particular difficult because I wrote part-time – I still have my 8-5!
Stacie: I know the feeling. I like to call that “butt in chair time”. It can be quite intense.
Is there anything else you’d like to say about your book, your writing or self-publishing?
Victor: It is truly hands-on. It will help you pass the exam but most importantly, gain real-life knowledge on every objective covered. Self-publishing is the best thing that happened to authors and potential authors. Authors are no longer limited!
Stacie: Where can we find out more about Hands-On Study Guide For Exam 70-411?
Victor: My website www.iTechguides.com, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk or simply search Victor Ashiedu on Google.
Stacie: Thanks for your time today and for sharing your experience.
Victor: Thanks for having me.