Why We Wrote the Book-Part 2

And then I procrastinated. I wandered around, thinking about what I tentatively called "Geeks vs. Bean-Counters." I told friends about it when they asked about future book ideas. But when it came to actually writing a book proposal...well, I didn't.

Eventually, I begged my agent to have lunch with me so I could talk over some book ideas with her and maybe get myself going on something. She kindly agreed, and when I started talking about this idea, not only did she really get it, she came up with the Geek Gap title, which I instantly loved. So much that I called home and asked Bill to snag the domain name forthwith.

When I got home I wrote out a chapter outline and gave it to Bill to see what he thought. His response: "I want in on this project!" He said afterward I needed his point of view, and--he was right. The fact that we look at the business/technology disconnect from opposite sides of the fence is exactly the point.

We've had heated arguments when his company made a move that I thought might help them create a profit and he thought misused the technology. Those arguments segued into similar discussions while we were actually writing the book.

In the end, the book represents both points of view, the geek and the suit, even when the two are in conflict. And, like everything else in the work world today, neither of us could have done it without the other.