Even with friends who had already been there before warning me, even with a smaller publication under my belt, I was unprepared for the amount of work this would entail. I spent much of 2011 and 2012 writing the book and, after that, there were numerous review and revision phases in which I had to participate.
A lot of authors, at this point, say "I wouldn't recommend it." I am not one of those people. Was it hard? Sure. Does that mean I wouldn't have done it, if I knew how much work was involved? No. It was an invaluable experience and, I imagine, the next one will be easier just by knowing how much work it entails.
Furthermore, the topic is, I believe, an important one. If I really can help developers start making database design less of an impediment and more of a participant in Lean or Agile processes, then the time was well spent.
Not to mention that having a real book under my belt so early in my career can only have a positive influence on my professional life. Anyway, this was a big deal for me and I want to thank everyone involved in making it happen, from the folks at Net Objectives and Addison-Wesley who green lit the project to all my friends and colleagues who have contributed directly or indirectly to the development of the book and the ideas it contains.
