Inside the editorial approach

[Betsy]

Mike: As the editor (and IBMer), how did working with three seasoned journalists on this project influence your thinking?

[Mike]

It was very different from the kind of writing and/or editing work I do as part of IBM's Corporate Communications team. Each of these guys is a renowned researcher and writer, and the whole reason we went this route -- rather than, say, have me write the book myself -- was because we wanted to get objective perspectives and new insights on the ideas and meaning of IBM's history. So that meant my role was not to direct the book's thesis or research so much as to serve as a sounding board for each writer and an integrator of what they found. I'll tell you, I learned a whole lot -- it was a fascinating experience.