[.ca] The User Manual Manual: How to Research, Write, Test, ... (ISBN 0966994914)

If you're going to write users' manuals, read this first.:
I got this book last year just before I was called for an interview for the position I hold as Senior Technical Writer for a small software firm. I read it twice through, and paid close attention to the examples. With the help of what I learned I got the job, and have been successfully writing all our documentation since. With the help of this book I was able to capitalize on my writing skills and education, and make the transition smoothly into technical writing. It gave me a step-by-step guide with examples to planning and creating the type of publications I would be expected to produce, and outlined all the processes thoroughly. I have reccommended this book to several of my colleagues.

Great for the novice, fair for the experienced:
I had this book on my wish list for at least a year and received it at Christmas. I have been writing user's manuals for a few years now and I was expecting to get fresh ideas from this book. I read it all the way through to only say to myself, "well that was interesting but how much did I get out of it?" I realized that I already knew most of what is in the book. So, am I disappointed? No. Bremer has done a great job of explaining the process of writing good user manuals. It is well organized and gives good examples. It reminded me of what is important in a good manual. The one exception that I have though is, Bremer often writes about the technical writer who writes the text and then turns the project over to a designer to format the manual. These days, it is the writer who often does the writing and formatting. I do not know too many writers who does otherwise. This book is a must for anyone who has not written a software manual. For the people who have written successful manuals, they will not get a lot out of it.

Great for the novice, fair for the experienced:
I had this book on my wish list for at least a year and received it at Christmas. I have been writing user's manuals for a few years now and I was expecting to get fresh ideas from this book. I read it all the way through to only say to myself, "well that was interesting but how much did I get out of it?" I realized that I already knew most of what is in the book. So, am I disappointed? No. Bremer has done a great job of explaining the process of writing good user manuals. It is well organized and gives good examples. It reminded me of what is important in a good manual. The one exception that I have though is, Bremer often writes about the technical writer who writes the text and then turns the project over to a designer to format the manual. These days, it is the writer who often does the writing and formatting. I do not know too many writers who does otherwise. This book is a must for anyone who has not written a software manual. For the people who have written successful manuals, they will not get a lot out of it.

A Must for Project Managers:
Whether you are in the technical field or not, this book is a MUST for all Project Managers. This book was not only helpful as a Project Manager, but helped me in general. This book is great for beginners (which is what I am), but I think even an expert can pick up a tip or two from this book. Excellent!!

A Beginners Best:
I am new to the world of technical writing, and an overall experience of just over a month, but this book purchased from Amazon, for myself has been truly worthwhile in reading and applying the knowledge that I learnt to an online user manual for my company, in particular I liked the way that Bremer always relates each topic covered throughout the book in our (as technical writers) perspective, and gives opportunities for exploration in other fields.