Damien Bruyndonckx is the author of Enterprise LMS with Adobe Learning Manager 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?
Damien: I was looking for a publisher for a book I had written on Adobe ColdFusion, so I sent my CV and manuscript to Packt. They got back to me in the most unexpected way: they weren’t interested in my ColdFusion book, but they saw on my CV that I specialized in eLearning and Adobe Captivate, and they were looking for an author for a book on Adobe Captivate. That was back in 2011. Today, in 2023, Pack and I are releasing our 8th book together.
Q: What is the name of your book?
Damien: Enterprise LMS with Adobe Learning Manager: Design and develop world-class learning experiences for your employees, partners, and customers
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Damien: As a specialist in eLearning and a long-time Adobe partner, I was already fairly familiar with the subject. I spent some time in the official documentation and talked to other partners and customers, but this was carried out in parallel with the writing. There was no formal research phase for this title, as it’s a technology I use on a daily basis.
Q: Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Damien: Not really a blog, but I am active on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damienbkx/ or via my company page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/dbr-training/
Q: What key takeaways do you want readers to come away with from the book?
Damien: Beginners will find a step-by-step guide to help them discover all the features of Adobe Learning Manager in a logical order. Seasoned users can use this book as a reference manual. Each section is focused enough to allow quick access to any topic from the table of contents or from the index. So there are two ways to read the book: from cover to cover as a step-by-step guide, or from the table of contents (or index) if you’re looking for a specific topic.
Q: Can you share any blogs, websites and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?
Damien: The official ALM documentation can be found at https://helpx.adobe.com/support/learning-manager.html and I also recommend subscribing to the Adobe eLearning community at https://elearning.adobe.com – This is the best place to interact with other users and ask questions on the official Adobe forums.
Q. Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Damien: This is the eighth time I’ve gone through the writing process with Packt, so I knew what to expect and was able to set aside enough time to work on the book. However, as always, urgent matters came up and demanded my immediate attention. So I’d say the biggest challenge is combining your everyday work with the daunting task of writing a book. The key is to be well organized and to have the discipline to stick to that organization as much as possible.
Q. How would you describe your author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Damien: Again, this is my 8th title with Packt, so I know them, and they know me. Therefore, the writing of this book has been a very smooth ride for me.
Q. Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Damien: There’s no competition on this topic. Readers would choose my book, because it’s the only one on Adobe Learning Manager! But most importantly, I’ve tried to provide the best possible mix of step-by-step instructions for beginners and pro tips for more seasoned users. I’m confident that any ALM user will find value in this book, whatever their experience.
Q. What is/are your specialist tech area(s)?
Damien: Web development, eLearning
Q. What advice would you give to readers jumping into this technology? Do you have any top tips?
Damien: All your efforts should be focused on the Learner Experience. Never forget that ALM allows you to create learning experiences. The key word here is “experiences”. This is what sets ALM apart from most other LMSs, and this is what you should be building for your learners.
Q. What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Damien: Adobe Learning Manager is a pioneer in the LXP (Learning Experience Platform) and headless LMS paradigms. I think this is exactly where the eLearning industry is heading to. Individuals realize that lifelong learning is essential to staying relevant in an ever-changing job market and, meanwhile, organizations want to provide highly personalized experiences, not only to their customers but also to their employees, partners, subcontractors, etc. This is a growing trend, and Adobe Learning Manager is at the forefront of it.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
Damien: I used my storytelling skills. When developing the table of contents, I tried to create a story that makes sense. A story that takes the reader by the hand and gently leads them into the platform, discovering all the features along the way. I think the biggest added value I have as a trainer (and that the book has over the official Adobe manual) is precisely this “narrative” approach, proposing an itinerary in discovering the platform and documenting each feature with real-life use cases from my experience of working with customers.
Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?
Damien: I don’t really read tech journals, but thanks to the books I’ve written with Packt, I’m invited as a speaker at international conferences where I meet other experts and am exposed to the latest trends in our industry. I also devote between 15 and 20% of my time to continuous training using online platforms such as LinkedIn Learning and Udemy.
Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, mention them below.
Damien: People can find me on Linkedin : https:https://www.linkedin.com/in/damienbkx/ | company page : https://www.linkedin.com/company/dbr-training/
You can find Damien’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
