As noted the other day, I've been impressed with Shane McChesney's Skipping Dot Net site. He argues that the best books are thin books, and I must say I find his argument persuasive in my own life right now -- I'm too busy to read anything big and I need an author to focus on one topic and cover it well. Shane's thoughts are echoed here, here, and here. The topic is of more than academic interest to me, since I'm under contract to write a book myself (about Jabber, of course). If you feel strongly about the length or focus of tech books, let me know!