Jim Wolcott - Writing and References
In the past, my business was creating documentation and online help systems for computer and technology products.

During the 15-years that I spent in the Silicon Valley, I've written and illustrated over 120 separate User's Guides for products that span a wide range of technologies.

I've created the documentation for products that stand as benchmarks in their fields, such as the Palm Pilot. Products that are recognized (to this day) as significant achievements in computing.


Rainbow near Skagit Bay © Jim Wolcott, 2006
I'm very picky about the definition of "authorship" for a User's Guide. Everything you see listed in my "User's Manuals" link was created entirely by Jim Wolcott.

I took care of all of the written text. The page layout and formatting. The illustrations. The copy-editing and proofing. And the final production, as either a printed guide, or compiled for distribution in electronic format.

About my Past Projects (from my earlier website)
I create complete, turn-key documentation for a project. I handle everything. You don't have to worry about last-minute production problems, where the layout artist blames the graphics specialist, who blames the copy editor, and so on. If there's a problem, I fix it. Simple as that. Thanks and congrats on your efforts!
You really came thru when we needed you, and we couldn't be happier with the final product. I'll bet that you must be ready to take a break!
-John Dudley, Seiko Instruments
"I've worked with Jim on various projects for over 10 years. I recommend him without hesitation... he works quickly, and produces material of the highest quality. When I give Jim a project, I know that I don't have to worry about it at all."
-Robert Tillman, VP Marketing, SuperMac Technology 		With my experience in creating documentation, I find that what my clients value most is my Management of the documentation project. Staffing limitations preclude an employee dedicated to "watching over" a documentation project. My clients are secure in the knowledge that when I commit to a project, it will be completed on time. And within budget.
My office phone is also my home phone. I am available to my clients 24-hours a day, seven days a week. If there's a problem with a project, I'm available to fix it immediately. No excuses. "We were on a tight deadline to finish the Palm 2.0 ROM. One night, we had to make a change. I knew that Jim was working on the project, so I called him... it was after 11:00pm. He was able to get the software, make the change, and we had the final document the next morning."
-May Tsoi, Product Manager, Palm 2.0
"...you amaze me. One day you were working on the Radius SVGI card, and the next the Radius Rocket (accelerator card for the Macintosh). How do you do it?"
-Phil Repino, Manager of Technical Publications, Radius, Inc.		 I work off-site, which eliminates the overhead involved with an onsite employee. My office is equipped with 3 Windows-based computers, 2 Macintosh computers, and an SGI-UNIX computer. My office is connected to the Internet via Cable Modem, for high-speed file transfers. The software I use with the various computers ensures that I can work with source files and graphics in any file format. There's never a question of file compatibility, either for work in progress, or for the final finished product.
There is no agency or "middle man." Which means you don't pay the "mark up" associated with an agency. And why should you? My reputation is everything to me. If I don't do the job right, the first time, my ability to get future work is impaired. I want my clients to rave about my work. And I want them to tell their friends and associates about me. "Jim... I must say that your rates are very reasonable. You may want to check... and raise them. For the kind of work you do... we at Canon are more than pleased. Remember that we need you for our September schedule!"
-Dan Kohn, Product Manager, Canon Instruments
"When we needed Jim, he was on the next plane to San Francisco. For our project, he proved both flexible and responsive to our needs. Jim also provided insight and help about how we might improve the user-interface for our product."
-Joshua Clark, VP, Softchain, Inc.		 I travel. If you need me to meet with a programmer or engineer in some far-away place, I'm ready to go.