Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#1

Post by new999999937 » Mon, Jul 18, 2016, 11:18 PM UTC

I've been approached by 2 different publishers to author a programming book, based on the strength of a few technical articles I've written. They are both established publishers - think O'Reilly, Packt, Manning, Wrox, etc - and it's darn flattering to be asked. I think it'd be a fun experience, and a feather in my cap. Though I'm under no misconception about the monstrous amount of work it entails.

To those who have been down this road: Before I get into bed with a publisher, what else should I be thinking about? What questions should I be asking? What is a fair, market-rate deal for a first-time technical author writing about a popular subject? What are the areas to negotiate? Thanks HN!

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#2

Post by philip1209 » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:36 AM UTC

I haven't followed through, but just as an FYI - many people who have written blog posts have been approached by publishers. They don't put all of their eggs in one basket - for a given topic, they go through the "outlining" stage with multiple people.

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#3

Post by TylerE » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:40 AM UTC

I would say it depends a LOT on who it is. Packt books for instance, are mostly....not very good.

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#4

Post by j2kun » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:42 AM UTC

Consider whether you're writing a book you want to be a lasting resource, or whether it's a book that needs to get published quickly to keep up with software trends. This will help you prioritize and set deadlines appropriately.

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#5

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:48 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#6

Post by bhouston » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:48 AM UTC

I've been approached quite a few times over the decades.

In my opinion you will make very little money from writing the book (unless it is a rare O'Reilly blockbuster) and it will take a horrible amount of time.

I think if you do the calculation based on expected income versus the time required to write the book, it is likely be close to minimum wage. Or it sure seemed close when I did the calculation for myself.

I think that those books make money for the publishers, but not much for the authors, especially if you can make market wages in a major market, or possibly more if you can get stock or some other form of potentially lucrative compensation.

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#7

Post by adamnemecek » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:53 AM UTC

Please follow this. https://medium.com/@atnemecek/so-you-are-writing-a-tech-book...

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#8

Post by drcode » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:55 AM UTC

As an author of several books with an "established publisher" I guess my main advice is that you know 1000x more about your domain than your publisher and you have a better idea than them what the book should be like so that it will sell a year and a half from now.

The best way to write a financially-successful book is not to negotiate the best royalty rates possible, but instead to make sure you write a book people are actually going to want to buy once the book comes to market... make sure you get a reasonable contract, but after that use any remaining leverage you have to make sure you get to write the right book for your market.

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#9

Post by garysieling » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:56 AM UTC

It seems like the people who are making money at this are the ones that have a following and sell PDFs of the books + addons (video training, a product) on their own.

Manning and Leanpub are built around being able to ship chapters as you write them - I think the feedback while working would be a huge help for motivation.

If you were choosing a publisher, I'd consider what the association with the publishers says about you (e.g. I've always been most impressed by the O'Reilly books)

Re: Ask HN: Considerations when asked to write a book?

#10

Post by toyg » Tue, Jul 19, 2016, 12:56 AM UTC

Like a focused blog, it's really a marketing effort. It may or (more likely) may not generate direct income, so don't do it for the riches, do it for the experience (you will probably have to delve into certain topics to clarify them for the book) and the publicity.

I would say choose the publisher wisely though. I've had a couple of experiences where I was asked to review books and I had to give up after a couple of chapters because they were just unreadable; don't be that author...