Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and Regional Directors (RDs) who have made an impact in the community through their contributions as authors, have been featured in an MVP & RD permanent book collection, a new initiative by the Microsoft Library in Redmond.
The collection of books, purchased exclusively for Microsoft employees, features books on various topics related to Microsoft technologies, such as Azure, SharePoint, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and more. The collection aims to celebrate the authors’ achievements and inspire Microsoft employees as lifelong learners.
Meet the Authors
A Meet the Authors reception was a special occasion that took place at the Microsoft Library in Redmond during the MVP Global Summit 2024. There was a vibrant atmosphere in the Library and this moment provided an opportunity for the MVP Global Summit attendees to meet some of the authors featured in the new MVP & RD collection. Authors were invited to personally sign their books for future readers.
We asked some of our MVPs & RDs who are featured in the Microsoft Library collection, to share their thoughts and feelings about their experiences as book authors.
Steve Knutson, MVP for M365 and Regional Director, author of Building SharePoint Online Intranets
Steve Knutson, MVP for M365 and Regional Director based in New Zealand, author of Building SharePoint Online Intranets, explains what it means to have his book featured on the shelves of the Microsoft Library. “It is honestly something I never thought was possible. I struggled with English at school, and I keep thinking to myself, if only my teacher could see me now. I feel very proud to have written a book, and seeing my book in the Microsoft Library is the icing on the cake," says Steve.
Steve was inspired to write his book during the COVID-19 pandemic after noticing his clients could leverage the solutions of Microsoft SharePoint to improve their Intranet that would also benefit others in their organisation. Steve shares, “I had been working with clients to review their Intranets and noticed common things that would be easily improved, often with low effort. Most people I talked to had no idea SharePoint was a good platform for a modern Intranet, and you could build things without being a developers. The topic of self-publishing came up and I thought it sounded like something that would be fun to try!”
Steve’s best tip for those thinking of writing their own technical book is to write something for yourself first and don’t spend too much time worrying what others will think. He reflects that the act of writing means that writers have put more thought into the topic then most other people. “Be proud of that”, says Steve.
Jonah Andersson, Microsoft Azure MVP, author of Learning Microsoft Azure: Cloud Computing and Development Fundamentals
Jonah Andersson, a first-time published author from Sweden and Nordic Women in Tech Winner, describes how she started her book writing journey. “I have never written a book before, but the migration journey I experienced, really motivated me to write this book. I reached out to O’Reilly about my ideas until it became a project, I did for almost 2 years. I also involved the community. I wanted my book to be driven by my passion to share and I had this idea to have expert quotes of Microsoft MVP friends and Microsoft experts I know and most of the technical reviewers I invited to contribute are MVPs from around the world. A few of them also wrote the Forewords and Afterword”, says Jonah.
Jonah continued, “my tips to aspiring authors is that do not start writing a book unless you know your motivation and purpose on why you want to write one. Writing a book does not earn you a lot of money but it is very rewarding in a way that you learn a lot through the process, and you learn by writing and sharing knowledge to others as well”.
Jonah hopes that her book, Learning Microsoft Azure: Cloud Computing and Development Fundamentals, will empower developers, IT architects, and beginners, to learn and gain knowledge of the fundamentals and important concepts of Microsoft Azure. In addition, Jonah aims to help readers prepare and improve their technical skills in developing intelligent cloud-native solutions on Azure and learn the best practices in cloud migration and modernization.
Freek Berson, MVP for Microsoft Azure, author of Getting started with Bicep: Infrastructure as code on Azure
Freek Berson, an MVP based in the Netherlands, timed his book launch shortly after Bicep became generally available. Freek describes the challenges of writing Getting started with Bicep: Infrastructure as code on Azure, when a product is under preview.
“I started writing the book when Bicep was still in preview. During the authoring process, there were lots of moving parts as the technology slowly prepared for general availability. The challenge was finding the right moment in time to release while making sure all the content was up to date. Looking back, I’m happy with how it worked out and the feedback I have received has been overwhelming,” reflects Freek.
Freek was very enthusiastic about the technology and how Bicep would improve the authoring experience of ARM Templates. In his search for information, Freek realized at the time that the technology was so new that structured information in a single place did not yet exist. This led to Freek’s mission to help others jump start their journey with Bicep.
Freek attended the MVP Global Summit and signed copies of his book for the Microsoft Library. "I’m extremely honored that my book is now also available in the Microsoft Library in Redmond and I hope many will enjoy reading it. I had the great pleasure of visiting the library, meeting other authors, and signing my books while visiting Redmond for the MVP Summit,” says Freek.
Want to learn more?
Our community can learn directly from the MVP authors featured in this blog by visiting:
- Building SharePoint Online Intranets, by Steve Knutson
- Learning Microsoft Azure: Cloud Computing and Development Fundamentals, by Jonah Andersson.
- Getting started with Bicep: Infrastructure as code on Azure, by Freek Berson