Full disclosure: David Lang (and OpenROV) was one of the first friends I made after moving to the Bay Area last year. This review is completely, hopelessly biased.

I supported David’s Kickstarter to write this book, I’ve read it on the web in pre-release, I’m getting the ebook from the Kickstarter, and I’m buying a physical copy because this book is that important. This is the kind of book that you can’t wait to recommend to someone when you find out they’re interested in the subject.

As the Maker movement grows around the world, more and more people are becoming inspired to create things. Anyone at any level of skill can learn from this book. David has been in the center of many different branches of the Maker movement and reports on them all – hackerspaces, electronics, Arduino, learning from scratch, sharing, finding ideas, working with others, community, writing, promotion, Kickstarter, Maker Faire, licensing, starting companies, etc.

But this book is not just for Makers. It is an outstanding guide for building your own skills and presence in ANY creative field. The pattern, told through a Maker lens, is:

1. Find something you’re interested in and want to learn
2. Find people doing that thing
3. Ask them what they’re working on and what they recommend learning
4. Do some project involving the thing you want to learn
5. Share your results (good or bad) and solicit feedback
6. Based on experiences and feedback, return to step 1 and repeat forever

It’s also well written and delightful to read because of David’s writing skill and the breadth of his Maker experiences.

Conclusion: This book will grow to be a cherished and work fixture on the shelf of anyone who loves learning and making. There’s no substitute for doing, but this book will guide your doing in the right direction. Whether you’re a pro or completely new, learning for fun or inventing a new career, making your first prototype or turning a project into a business, David will give you confidence and clarity as you move forward. Don’t let the title fool you, you’re never done becoming a Maker.

PS I’ve posted a bunch of my favorite snippets of the book to Twitter at #zerotomaker.