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I mentioned in my previous post that we were considering changing the title of this book. We have landed on Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman. It was tough for me to let go of "Apprentice to Journeyman" because that very much describes the transition this book is focused on, but we believe this title is more distinctive and descriptive of the content.
We will soon be doing a new release of the content of this site and the new title will be reflected at that point.
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PragDave posted a criticism of this book's title 9 days ago. I'm not going to go into details, but I will say he took the post down a day later and posted a public aplogy two days after that. I will also say that it was quite an ordeal for me and that Dave's apology was unexpected and actually unecessary at that point since we had basically resolved things privately (no small feat via email). So it was an incredible blessing to read the apology, and freeing. I generally don't have any problem with hearing feedback about the title of this book, but the tone of Dave's criticism and my reaction to it took the whole conversation off-topic and completely closed my mind to critiquing the title myself.
Once Dave apologized I felt free to reconsider the title. I wish I could have had the wherewithall to objectively look at the title before the apology, but I had taken the whole thing very personally and I was very much in you-can-pry-this-title-from-my-cold-dead-hands mode. Thankfully my co-author Adewale was more objective and has been ruminating and suggesting better alternatives. At the same time, I received a supportive email from my faraway friend Alan Francis who prompted me to consider changing the title. I also spent some time with my team in Obtiva's Craftsmanship Studio brainstorming a new title. And so Mary, our editor, and Adewale and I are considering a title change. More information will be coming shortly. I will say for now that the main title is most likely going to remain unchanged.
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Michael Hunger said
When I first heard your title I instantly thought of the other books that share parts of it. But when thinking further about the title, I think that's a quite good title. I puts the book into a category and gives a scope of where it is applicable as well as a goal (journeyman).
With other topics you also have several books that form ecosystems. Be it Design Patterns, Refactoring, Language books, Head First etc. So why not having an ecosystem of Software Craftsmanship books.
Thinking of another title was actually not that easy. On the one hand you want to distinguish your book from the others (not being confused with them, or being referred to as "the other book"). On the other hand you want your readers (and potential buyers) identify your book as part of the topic they are looking for. So a too fancy title (like "My Job went to India") is not helpful either. You also don't want to be confused with those tons of recipies for life improvement books (so be careful about the wording).
Changes I could imagine would be:
Software Craftsmanship: The Apprentice Years. (missing the goal)
Software Craftsmanship: The Long Road. (negative tone)
Craft your journeyman's piece: yourself.
Although I'd rather keep it, I also offer you my personal title:
Creating Passionate Developers: The beginning. / How to spark excitement.
Hope it helps
Michael
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Kelly Robinson said
I first of all noticed this group (and joined it) because I was intrigued by the title.
After the title hooked me, I began to read through the excerpts. I quickly realized that the book is speaking to my exact station as a software developer. I'm a fresh bit of young talent in California, working in my first real career role as a software developer. I have a lot of energy and new ideas, as well as a lot to learn. "Wearing the White Belt" and "Perpetual Learning" both seemed to be speaking directly to my personal situation. I have developed strong skills in one language, and have been tasked with learning another, etc..
Needless to say, I've been very excited about the book. I've been following along each week, although until now, I haven't contributed any sort of feedback. This is mostly because I feel that (at this point) I have more to learn from the book than to contribute to it. The question over the title of the book seems to be one where my input is more relevant, because I'm definitely the target audience, and I'll definitely be enjoying a personal copy.
So for what it's worth, I think the title is great. It caught my attention immediately. I love the idea of Software Craftsmanship. One of my favorite books, however recent, is "Beautiful Code." I look up to the authors of that title as masters of the craft, and they represent what I'm working to become. I've only been developing professionally for a few years, but I have already seen that there is a great need within the industry for people to understand software development more in terms of old world craftsmanship, just as you've labeled it. I'd rather think of myself as a journeyman than as an engineer, and I'm thankful to be in a position at work where my manager and co-workers share the values that the title expresses. I think that's too often not the case.
I do understand the concern. I'm an avid reader and collector of software development titles, and though I'm familiar with Pete McBreen's book, I honestly didn't think twice about the similarity in the titles. I simply thought: "here's a new book." From my perspective, the titles don't clash, and the similarity in the name might only speak to a common thread, and an idea which needs to promoted in the industry. If anything, the titles could mutually reinforce one another, and I think that would only be a good thing both for those ideas and for the books themselves.
Whatever the title, I've enjoyed reading along so far, and look forward to more developments. But I think the title speaks volumes, and I encourage you to keep it.
Best,
-kpr
Ps. I also took to the cover, and I think it's a wonderful concept. ..so more kudos!
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Dave Hoover said
