Let's Name the Book!

Hi all,

My editor and I admitted to each other last Thursday that "Resource Kit" just wasn't doing it for us. The title, that is.

The cover is bland too so we're going to update that, as well.

Now, here's my question. What should we name the book? I've got a couple ideas but I want to elicit other thoughts. Feel free to suggest any cover design ideas, as well.

If you come up with the title that we use you get acknowledgements, of course. I'll also write a procedure that uses your picture, web site, or something else of your choice as the sample data.

The title can have a main title and a subtitle, like "OpenOffice.org 2 and the Prisoner of Microsoft: Breaking Free From Evil Wizards."

The book is 650 pages, and it doesn't cover everything. So themes like "complete reference," "bible," etc. are out.

What it covers is--well, the important and most commonly used stuff. I cover basics that everyone needs, I might skip advanced features that aren't useful or crucial, but I go to town on advanced features like styles and mail merge.

I also want to emphasize that the reader is going to kick ass with the information. If at all possible I want the title to emphasize that rather than attributes of the book.

Let me know any ideas! Humor is appreciated, as well. ;>

For those interested, here's some more information on what I'm covering.

• I cover features that are important and useful. The workhorse stuff: Writer page setup and text formatting. tables, graphics, charts. Calc formulas, referencing other cells, cell formats for currency and dates. Master pages for presentations, templates, effects. Creating drawings, exporting them to GIF and EPS, making your own colors and fills.
• I explain how things work rather than just how to do them. Not everything, but certainly styles, mail merge, etc.
• I do talk about copying and pasting, selecting text before applying the formatting, moving objects in front and in back, and other basics that--well, frankly, you don't learn about in books that concentrate on how to use an office suite.  So where do you learn them? What if you never did? They're essential so I made sure that they're in there.
• I give solid  coverage to features you should use that will be very helpful: templates, PDF, Microsoft interoperability, styles, autoformats, autotext, setup hints.
• I give somewhat short shrift to features that people rarely use. I give more weight to things like Styles than to less crucial things like the Gallery.
• I don't cover advanced Calc topics like scenarios or the Detective, though I'll mention what they are and how to get started in an appendix. Ditto with advanced Writer features like master documents; for one thing, those really haven't changed since 1.0 so my old book still applies.
• I cover a lot of information on envelopes, labels, mail merge, databases, and just a bit on queries since that's a huge help for getting the information you want. It's advanced, but it's really useful. Whereas the advanced features in Calc that I've left out like scenarios--OK, that's cool, but fewer people need to use them on a day-to-day basis. (I've never actually taught them in class.)
• I talk about good document design: aspects of design that look professional, will make you more efficient, and help with Microsoft interoperability.

Comments

[João Miguel Neves]

"OpenOffice.org 2 Essential: From fear to mastery - make it work for you."

Well, at least I tried ;). Sorry about the 3 part title, but I missed some dots... I do think it fits all the requirements.

[Solveig]

That's *exactly* what I'm trying to get at, actually--show people who are afraid that they can do it, and do it well.

"Essential" and "mastery" certainly have some potential...hmm....

[Scott Brawner]

Here's a few suggestions:

"OpenOffice.org 2.0 - The Essential Guide: Making it work better for you"

"OpenOffice.org 2.0 - The Essential Guide: Proficiency for each day's work"

"OpenOffice.org 2.0 - Mastering the every day"

[Solveig]

Ooh...!

Essential Guide, that's a pairing I hadn't done. Mastering the every day...Hmm...

I'm very glad I did this. Lots of good stuff comin' in.

Thanks!
Solveig

[Scott Brawner]

"Git-R-Done with OpenOffice 2.0!"

Larry the Cable Guy may have something to sya about that one though!

[João Miguel Neves]

"The OpenOffice.org 2 Essential Guide: The aprentice's help, the master's tool."

[Arineckaig]

"Open Up OpenOffice" - All you need to know but did not know how to ask.

[Solveig]

Oooh, I was trying to use "open" in a phrase but only came up with Wide Open which is great for prairies or dentists but less so for software. Open up...hmmm..I like that. I'll see how I can work with at.

[Solveig]

"Essential Guide" is definitely wearing well.

I'll tell you what my idea is--something along the line of a handbook, guidebook, map, roadmap, thing. Like a good guide that tells you what's cool, what to ignore, what to avoid, where to spend a week if you have the chance, etc. And a cool Route 66 retro type cover.

Thoughts? The Essential Roadmap? Essential Guidebook?

[Scott Brawner]

How's this:

"OpenOffice.org 2.0 - The Essential Guide: Plotting your course on the road to maximum productivity"

[Louis Roederer]

OpenOffice.org 2.0 Essentials
The Everyday Guide to Open Document Creation

[K. L. Estes]

Something simple that reflects it's revolutionary nature - "OpenOffice 2.0 Manifesto"

[Louis Roederer]

Here's your Route 66 title:

OpenOffice.org 2.0 Tourguide
On the Open Road to Better Documents

[Solveig]

The open road!!!!

Wow.

That's very very good.

[Scott Brawner]

Hey Louis! I didn't expect to see you here! Great suggestion by the way.

[Louis Roederer]

Hey Scott! I've been visiting here for a while getting lots of good tips. We're migrating to OOo, so I need all the help I can get.

[Todd Threadgill]

"OpenOffice.org 2.0 on $0 a Day" -- there are a lot of ohs and zeroes there for cover-art possibilities

"The Insider's Guide to OpenOffice.org 2.0"

[Benjamin Horst]

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to OpenOffice.org"

It's like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! Plus all the associations of "the road" and travel...

[Solveig]

With the appropriate "Don't Panic!" smeared across the cover? ;>

It's Open Source -- Don't Panic!

[Solveig]

>> "OpenOffice.org 2.0 on $0 a Day"

Fun! Greg, are you reading this thread? ;> That might be a good title for my next presentation, too.