Writing Books for "Dummies" Is Not Easy Task by Kristina Tedeschi ...................................................................................................

People think, "Oh, a Dummies book, how easy." "No. It is very, very hard job."

Book series intended to be user-friendly guides for consumers were launched in 1991 by John Wily & Sons, with "DOS for Dummes," which explained the computer operating system known as DOS. The book was published, according to the Web site dummies.com, in response to the growth of computer technology that was often difficult to understand. "Most people who read our books read them because they're looking for information that in some way is going to improve their lives. They don't need or want information that is on an academic level. People who are highly knowledgeable about a subject often forget what it feels to have no level of knowledge on the subject."

Authors are advised to write in the first person and use conversational tone. Chapters must address a specific topic and be broken up by charts, bulleted lists and tables. The guidelines also suggest that sophisticated humor be injected into the language. But "don't be sarcastic, condescending, critical, insulting, or controversial", the site warns.

Guidelines for the Dummies series are similar, says Alexander Hiam, who runs a freelance marketing company from his Amherst office. He was asked to write "Marketing For Dummies" in 2006 by an editor with Wiley Publishing who contacted him through his agent. The author, who earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University, then went on to earn a master's in markerting and planning from Berkeley University in California, said writing the reference book helped hone his skilled.

"I actually thought that it improved my nonfiction writing," says Hiam, who has written about a dozen books. "One of the editorial requests is to be able to open the book anywhere, and right away, be able to understand it and have it useful. It can't be like a textbook. Everything has to stand on its own two feet."