It took me a couple of weeks to finish the first draft of the chapter, then it was reviewed for the first time. Vitaly gave some nice feedback about where I could go into a little more detail (he is always thirsty for more knowledge), so I did. After the second review, there wasn’t much to edit anymore. I went over the chapter one more time and sent it for proofreading.

We used Basecamp as the communication management app. By “we” I mean Vitaly, the Smashing team, and everyone else who worked on the book. It was my first time using Basecamp and I quite liked it — it helped keep everything organized and in perspective. Knowing where everyone was in the process of writing was also quite helpful.

When I told Vitaly I wanted to write this article to introduce the SVG chapter to you, he asked me to be as critical of the entire writing process as I wanted, and mention anything I did not like about it, or even about him! But I couldn’t come up with anything, really.

The one and only criticism I have is the delay in the release date. I’m a very punctual person and when we started working on the book it was scheduled to be released in March and to start shipping in April, but it took a few months more to do that. That said, everyone who worked on the book also had a ton of other commitments and stuff to do besides writing it, so delays like this are only natural, I guess.

Just like all of our Smashing Books, the book isn’t concerned with trends or short-lived workarounds. It’s focused on actual techniques used today in real-life projects. We’ve designed the book to be as practical and hands-on as possible. No fluff, just the techniques that have actually worked or failed, and why.

Every chapter stands for itself. It delivers the value you expect, but it should exceed your expectations by far, too. We designed it to stand the test of time, too; to be more than just a manual or a guide. It’s really about the bigger picture you need to make smart decisions, faster. Hardcover, 584 pages. eBook contains 2 bonus chapters. Free worldwide shipping — obviously.

Now, a standalone release post would be boring and predictable, so how about bringing another perspective to the magazine instead? Below you’ll find some insights about the writing process by one of the authors of the book, Sara Soueidan, who has contributed an 80-page long compendium of useful techniques, tricks and strategies for dealing with SVG.— Ed.