Claus Topke is the author of Network Programming and Automation Essentials, we got the chance to sit down with him and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
Claus: My motivation for writing this book is to help professionals get up-to-date on network automation techniques and improve their skills.
Q: What is the name of your book?
Claus: Network Programming and Automation Essentials: Get started in the realm of network automation using Python and Go.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Claus: The research was based on papers, documents, and the web. Was conducted along with the book to get as much updated information as possible.
Q: Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Claus: No, but I might have it in future.
Q: What key takeaways do you want readers to come away with from the book?
Claus: Learn the fundamental and use the best of Go and Python for network automation.
Q: Can you share any blogs, websites and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?
Claus: I have included in the book these information. The list is long, so won’t fit here.
Q. Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Claus: Writing on the MS platform was very time-consuming; I wish I could have started using GIT or any other text-based system.
Q. How would you describe your author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Claus: Yes, I would recommend. But before starting the author should be aware of all platforms he/she can use to write the book. So he can choose the best fit for him/her..
Q. Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Claus: This book has a comprehensive network automation summary, including standards and protocols. In addition, it presents details on how to use Go and Python languages with network automation efficiently.
Q. What is/are your specialist tech area(s)?
Claus: It is Network Automation.
Q. What advice would you give to readers jumping into this technology? Do you have any top tips?
Claus: Learn computer networking and the basics of Go and Python languages.
Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?
Claus: A few of them as reader and listener.
Q. What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Claus: Network automation is evolving fast towards a stream-based system that will have simulation and AI heavily involved.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
Claus: I had planned badly. If I could go back, I would do it differently. Prioritization of a job is difficult as it always takes priority.
Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?
Claus: The register, particular blogs, tech reviews and communities.
Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, mention them below.
Claus: Of course. LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/claus-topke/.
Q: What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Claus: Spare time to plan, organize the subject into tasks and give them time expectations for research and writing time.
You can find Claus’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
