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Interview with Eric Sarrion

Eric Sarrion is the author of JavaScript from Frontend to Backend, we got the chance to sit down and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.

Q: What are your specialist tech areas?

Eric: I am a specialist in web technologies using JavaScript, and frameworks such as React or Vue.js.

Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?

Eric: Packt is a large computer book publisher. It is a reference to be published with them. This book “JavaScript from Frontend to Backend” comes from the fact that we use the JavaScript language both to make user interfaces and to program the server that will send the pages to the browser. I said to myself: “Why not make a book that explains everything useful for programming both on the client side and on the server side?”. I chose to use Vue.js to create the user interfaces, but certainly, the same type of book with React or Angular instead of Vue.js would be very useful to help IT, developers. It will be an idea for another book with Packt.

Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?

Eric: I have already written books on Node.js, Express, MongoDB and Vue.js. But these books are over 1000 pages together! Who has time to read 1000 pages? Nobody! So I decided to ask myself the crucial question: what are the important things about using Node.js and Vue.js? So I decided to focus my mind on only the main things to know. The goal is not to explain everything on these topics, but only the most useful things! It’s not easy to say everything in 300 pages, images included! But I think the reader of this book will easily understand that what is written is important for him, to understand very quickly how to build client and server applications entirely in JavaScript.

Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?

Eric: Of course the technical side of the book and the choice of examples is important. We always wonder how to explain a concept that seems important to us, without overflowing on other subjects. The goal is for the book to read easily, like a novel, with suspense inside! Each subject treated must be the consequence of what has been said previously. I hate these books where we talk about something but we wonder why we talk about it now!

Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?

Eric: JavaScript is certainly the most widely used language today. I don’t think I’ll be off-topic for several years! But I think it would be good to deal with React and Angular technologies in other books because they are also widely used today. I chose to start with Vue.js because I had to start with one of them! The fact of discussing with an editor like Packt allowed me to understand that it was not good to want to talk about everything in the same book, which I think would have harmed the understanding of the book.

Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?

Eric: A technical book, with really useful and functional programs, which explains JavaScript client side and server side in 300 pages is almost mission impossible! Of course, this book does not explain all JavaScript but focuses only on what is useful. My more than 30 years of experience in computer development allow me to know how to sort out what is essential and what is not. I say to people who hesitate to read this book: “You will have in a few hours of reading as much experience as those who have developed for years!”. I am also proud that Packt wrote about this book “By the end of this book, you will have the skills and confidence to successfully implement JavaScript concepts in your projects and begin your career as a JavaScript developer.”. JavaScript developers are in high demand right now!

Q: What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?

Eric: I want them to have a global vision of how a project is developed in JavaScript. I think you can read this book even if you are only interested in the client part with Vue.js or only in the server part with Node.js. And obviously, if you use JavaScript for the client side and the server side, this book is the right tool!

Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?

Eric: I think you need to know a minimum of HTML and it would be a plus to have already used programming languages. Of course, the basics of JavaScript are explained in the first two chapters, but if you have already programmed even in other languages, it can be useful to read the book. However, the reminders made in the first two chapters of the book are those that readers will use throughout the rest of the book.

Q. How would you describe your author’s journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?

Eric: I’ve written many other books with other publishers, but Packt has shown me the most professionalism. The two proofreaders Kailash and Gabriel were professional and wanted everything to be explained well. As for the editors at Packt (I’m thinking of Mark and Debolina) they aim to help you make the most professional book. I had to improve many things in the book, to make it easier to understand and use. And I’m also thinking of Shubham who tested all the programs one by one to check, once again, that they were working properly! And I’m not talking yet about Anamika and Marylou who have the heavy task of making this book known, because it’s not enough to write a good book, you also have to have readers!

Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?

Eric: The hardest part of writing a book is cutting the book into sections that fit together. We always wonder if this notion that we are explaining now is understandable for the reader with the elements previously explained. If this is not the case, it is necessary to review what has been written in the previous pages!

Q. What is the one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?

Eric: I tell them to put themselves in the shoes of their readers and to ask themselves if what we write is interesting and understandable for them.

You can find Eric’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here

JavaScript from Frontend to Backend is Available on Amazon.com