I just celebrated my 5th anniversary of starting to run. I would have said that I just celebrated my 5th anniversary of being a runner, but I’m not sure I qualify as a “runner,” yet. I do run and I participate in a few races here and there, mostly for the t-shirts. But, it’s still hard.

My latest issue of Runners World just arrived, and I immediately flipped to my favorite article. It appears in every issue on the very last page—“I am a Runner.” The series of articles features celebrities of some kind or another who are also runners. They talk about how they got started, how they stay motivated, where they like to run, how they fit running into their lives, what’s hard about it, their usual running routine, their goals, etc. By day, they may be newscasters or race car drivers or politicians. (Sarah Palin was featured one month!) But in their off hours, they run for the fun of it or for the challenge or for the stress relief or because they can. These articles are so inspirational! If those people, with their busy lives and challenges, can run, then so can I.

This article also reminds me of all of the SAS Press authors who are writers in their off hours. By day, they are consultants or professors or analysts or programmers or researchers. In their off hours, they are writers. They develop countless examples and find just the right way to explain concepts. How SAS Press authors accomplish the work or stay focused or are motivated to take on a project varies. But one thing they have in common is that they are sharing knowledge that will help other SAS and JMP users answer questions, solve problems, and learn to use the software more effectively. And very few SAS Press authors are professionally trained to be writers. They just have the experience and determination to share.

How about you? Are you an aspiring SAS or JMP author? Do you have SAS or JMP experience you’d like to share? Send us an email and let us help you reach that goal of getting published.