Steve Jobs died Oct. 5. His 630-page biography comes out Monday.

[KamaAina]

One expects this sort of turnaround, for, say, Michael Jackson. :eyes:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_19179351

Isaacson, whose book "Steve Jobs" goes on sale Monday, did an extended interview on the CBS news magazine show "60 Minutes," in which he said that from early childhood, Jobs understood himself as chosen and special.

The program, which aired Sunday night and is on the show's website, includes audio excerpts of Jobs talking with Isaacson during more than 40 interviews they did in creating the 630-page book. Their final session took place just weeks before Jobs succumbed to pancreatic cancer at his home in Palo Alto on Oct. 5....

In his interview with correspondent Steve Kroft, Isaacson pointed out one of Jobs' essential conflicts. Despite being a dedicated, antimaterialistic hippie, Jobs was driven to sell things. That disregard for consumerism -- ironically part of the genius who stoked the world's electronic consumer culture -- stayed with him.

Even after amassing great wealth, Jobs lived in a modest house in Palo Alto without live-in help or an entourage. Early on, Jobs said, he saw how money affected Apple employees. "People bought Rolls Royces, they bought new homes, their wives got surgery," he said. "These people who were really nice, simple people turned into bizzaro people. I made a promise to myself: I'm not going to let this money ruin my life."

[ManiacJoe]

1. You seem to be wrongly assuming

that the writing of the book started after his death. :shrug:

[KamaAina]

2. No, the article clearly states that biographer Isaacson had been interviewing Jobs for some time

but 26 days still seems like an awfully short time to get a book edited, printed and distributed to stores.

[razorman]

4. Time frame is not so short if it was done on Jobs' Apple equipment.

[Xithras]

6. According to the interview I heard on the radio this morning....

...the book was completed (or nearly so anyway) before Jobs died. Although Steve Jobs didn't have or want any editorial control over the book, he was apparently provided with a completed copy shortly before his death as a courtesy. He never got back to the author on it, and nobody knows if Jobs ever had a chance to look at it.

While Jobs' death certainly lit a fire under the publisher to get the book out ASAP, it sounded like the book was pretty much finished and would have been published this fall either way.

[jmowreader]

8. Not really

They've been working on the book for quite some time, so it stands to reason the early matter would have already been edited and signed off--probably with Jobs' approval. Then they made PDFs out of those pages for the printing company and put them on CDs for the time they were needed. Also, there's nothing that says they couldn't have printed the early matter ahead of time and put the folded signatures on skids in a warehouse. The text about Jobs' final days and his memorial service probably fits in one chapter, and the parts about his death and memorial were written in a very short period of time.

The last sig could be edited, signed off by the family, plated and printed in less than a week if need be, leaving three weeks to bind the books and drop ship them to stores.

[Chih]

9. Clearly, the release date was moved up to capitalize on the moment.

Mr. Isaacson's job is to write books; Simon & Schuster is in business to sell books.

[frazzled]

10. I am sure the editing process has been going on for years

Most likely, all but the final chapters were done. This was a books that was waiting for his death and/or the the November 21 publication date.

If not, it's going to be a mess. Which most books are these days. (I say as I am in the midst of proofing a book for publication.)

[Staph]

3. Jobs was diagnosed with cancer in 2003.

Pancreatic cancer is very aggressive. I suspect that he decided to get his version of history and his story out first, and that's why Isaacson was hired to write the book.

[dkf]

5. Jobs thought he would be able to read it.

[onehandle]

7. He was a minimalist. His Buddhism shows in his products. nt

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. Not really

http://www.zenguide.com/principles/eight_fold_path.cfm#speech

Cheating a supposed friend, profiting from slave labour, and exploding in foul-mouthed tirades at underlings: not examples of right speech, action, or livelihood. His supposed Buddhism isn't much in evidence in his personal life, whatever its effect on his aesthetic sense.

[emulatorloo]

12. What does that website say about Judgemental People on internet boards?

[WinkyDink]

15. Puh-lease.

[emulatorloo]

13. Hate to break it to you: book has long been scheduled to come out now

Announced long before Job's death.

[bluestate10]

14. Jackson died suddenly and un-expectantly. Jobs has been gravely ill for years.

Years give plenty of time to write a biography.