Many colleagues and customers at SAS Global Forum ask me, why I write books beside having a full-time job as SAS consultant and being lecturer at universities. Valid question.
- SUSTAINABILITY. I have been working in so many analysis projects in different domains and industries. Some of them were longer, others were shorter engagements, and I found out that I wanted to create and produce something that lasts for a long period of time and that is connected with my name. A book is definitely a good idea for this.
- YOU EDUCATE YOURSELF! Yes, the content of both of my books was known to me before I started writing. They are a collection of experiences from interacting with SAS Users in the field of analytics over many years. But a book forces you to structure the content, divide your ideas into chapters, formulate your experiences and ideas in an explicit way. After completing each book I felt more knowledgeable. And even more important: I was able to formulate my ideas, my knowledge and solutions more explicitly. And I often benefit of this experiences in customer meetings, presentations and discussions.
- YOU GET FEEDBACK. There are many rewarding moments when being a SAS Author: You are part of the community of SAS authors, you work together with the team of SAS Press and most important you get feedback from your readers. I receive emails from all over the world from readers who let me know how they used the ideas presented in my books. You are always happy to hear that readers like and use your work. You are also happy to hear if they suggest improvements as this shows that they really got involved with your work.
And the most rewarding moment for an author is to see customers holding his books in their hands.
