The newsletter of Scriptorium Publishing

Volume 11, Issue 1
January 2008

In this issue:

WritersUA, March 16–19

Seeking a Technical Consultant

Publishing Fundamentals: FrameMaker 8 Update

Our Training Policies Have Changed

STC Associate Fellow

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Writers UA, March 16–19

Just as Sarah, Alan, and Matt have recovered from the traumas of holiday travel and the jet-lagged memories of last conference season, it's time to start again.

WritersUA is this March 16–19 in Portland, Oregon. Sarah will be presenting on the consequences of wikis, forums, RSS feeds, and the like. You can read more on the topic here:

Friend or Foe? The Role of Web 2.0 in User Assistance

Alan and Matt will be at the Scriptorium booth in the exhibit hall, eager to hand out chocolate and to discuss new technologies, existing tools, and the kinds of solutions Scriptorium Publishing can provide.

Seeking a Technical Consultant

Scriptorium is looking for a contract technical consultant to meet the needs of our growing business. The technical consultant will design and implement publishing solutions for a variety of customers in high-tech, defense, government, and other content-heavy industries. Knowledge of XML, DITA, XSL, DITA-OT, and other standards-based publishing tools and technologies is a must.

Click here for a full description of the position and contact information.

Publishing Fundamentals: FrameMaker 8 Update

We are still at work on the updates to Publishing Fundamentals: Unstructured FrameMaker 8 and Publishing Fundamentals: Structured FrameMaker 8. The book on unstructured FrameMaker will be available later this winter, and the book on structured FrameMaker will be out this spring.

Because we've had so many requests for online versions of the books, we have decided to release the books in printed and PDF formats simultaneously. As with our Publishing Fundamentals: FrameMaker 7 book, you will be able to download the PDF versions instantly from our shopping cart. Those who purchase the printed versions will get the downloaded PDF versions at no extra charge.

The books will be priced as follows:

• Publishing Fundamentals: Unstructured FrameMaker 8
  $49.99 for the printed version and PDF version; $29.99 for just the PDF version.
  
• Publishing Fundamentals: Structured FrameMaker 8
  $39.99 for the printed version and PDF version; $24.99 for just the PDF version.

Email us at books@scriptorium.com if you are interested in the updated books. In the next few weeks, we will send you a coupon code for preordering at a 15-percent discount.

Our Training Policies Have Changed

Our training options and policies have changed for the better. All of Scriptorium's public training has moved from the classroom to the web, and our cancellation policies have changed.

Scriptorium will never cancel a class due to low enrollment. Even if only one student registers, the class will be offered. Web-based classes run for two hours a day; schedule depends on students' time zones. We generally try to keep the schedule reasonable for all attendees. One common time block is 11 a.m.– 1 p.m. Eastern time.

Upcoming classes this January and February are:

• January 28–31
  FM102WEB: Template Design (Unstructured FrameMaker 7) Web-Based Training
• February 4–7
  XML101WEB: XML and Structured Authoring Web-Based Training
• February 11–15
  XSL101WEB: XSL in Publishing Web-Based Training
• February 19–22
  DITA101WEB: Introduction to DITA and XMetaL Web-Based Training

We have posted this year's class schedule through June. For information about what is available, check out our online calendar.

For information about private and web-based training, see our training options page. If you have any questions, contact training@scriptorium.com.

STC Associate Fellow

Of the 15,000 or so members in the Society for Technical Communication, approximately 200 bear the rank of associate fellow. Each year, only a dozen senior STC members are nominated for their distinctive contributions to the field of technical communication and honored with this rank.

We are happy to announce that two of those new associate fellows have come from the Carolina STC chapter: Ann-Marie Grissino of Key Point Consultants and our very own Sarah O'Keefe of Scriptorium Publishing.

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