Writing a book. What can I expect?

[Ratty]

I was asked to write a technical book by a reputable publisher. It's a technical book about XML with a specialized audience. I wouldn't expect more that 10,000 copies to sell, if that. They've assigned a couple of editors to me to give me "whatever help I need." I've never written a book before. How does payment for something like this work? Do they pay me to write the book and then I get royalties? What's a fair sum for something like that? Somebody told me I may have to pay a "publication cost" but I thought that was only done for vanity publishing houses. I'm pretty positive I don't have to do something like that (and I won't) but my friend urged me to check to make sure.

Any advice from DUers who have written books of this sort?

[Lautremont]

1. You get an advance of some kind

and then about ten percent of each book sold, which first pays back your advance. After that it's royalty cheque city! I've written two books and that's how it's worked for me. It's most amusing to get cheques for amounts like $34.50 in the mail, let me tell you.

[Ratty]

3. Thanks!

That's VERY useful information. So I don't actually get a fee to write it per se. I actually only get royalties but they will give me an advance on those royalties at the start. That's really good to know, I won't think I'm being cheated or taken advantage of since I'm a first-timer.

[Book Lover]

2. What kind of editors are they?

Copy editor? Developmental editor? Project editor? All these folks have different ways of working with you, and have different expectations of you.

[Ratty]

5. I don't exactly know

I noticed at least one of them is a professional in the field which I'm writing, which surprised me. I think they are not copy editors. I need a copy editor. I'll probably have my friend look at it who has edited a couple of journal articles for me. I'm very good at the structure and the chapters and I know how to write great paragraphs, but my sentences do need help. I've written lots and lots of internal documentation and training manuals, I'm at least a halfway competent writer, but it's always interesting to see what my friend changes when I have to write something of professional quality. Not so much grammatical changes--never spelling corrections--there's just a style I've never seemed to "get."

[Book Lover]

8. Hm, that sounds like a technical editor maybe

If you can afford the time and money, I highly recommend checking out this list of freelance copy editors:

http://ce-l.technology-corner.com/freelance.html

They usually charge per manuscript page, FYI.

Good luck!

[amazona]

4. Yes, I write nonfiction... READ your contract

If you don't have a contract, I would truly limit the amount of work I would put into this project until I did. Even WITH a contract, the book is not certain to be published, but at least you can get something in advance for your trouble.

Best case, you will get an advance and royalties but in many cases, it will be "work for hire" and you will paid one time no matter how many copies of the book are sold. Only you can make a good estimate of the time involved in writing the book and whether the payment is reasonable. Many times, no royalties are ever paid, and the advance is the only payment you can reasonably expect anyway.

Talk to your editors. Sometimes they do not really do anything but sometimes they have a very specific outline that they want you to follow and they can be of great help in expediting the project.

At this point, it doesn't sound like you actually have a firm offer though. I would talk to the editors about what they want and invite them to send me a contract. I do not write more than one chapter and an outline without a contract because most book projects that are discussed don't actually get anywhere. Even with a contract, one of my books was cancelled and I never got more than the first payment.

[Ratty]

6. More good advice

I decided it would be good to have at least one book under my professional belt. I'm willing to compromise quite a bit, I just don't want to be taken advantage of. They certainly make it sound like it's a done deal, although no contract yet. They are now asking for a "proposal." I was going to contact them today to discuss exactly what they want from me now, your information about an outline and a chapter is useful. I was prepared to send them an outline, but I will offer a chapter as well. I have a couple of really killer ideas they almost certainly have not considered and I'm kind of reluctant to give them away until a contract is signed. Has that ever happened to you?

I'm pretty excited about it. There's a great deal of original research and some interviews to do but most of it I think can just come from my notes.

[amazona]

7. not a done deal if they need a proposal

It definitely isn't a done deal if they want a proposal. A chapter plus outline is pretty standard but when you talk to them, they should be able to give you a good idea of what they need. Sometimes an outline is all they want. They'll tell you what they need to have the best chance of getting your book in the budget.

My books weren't on original topics so I have not really had any "killer ideas" to protect. They were just "how to" step by step things. If the idea is really proprietary, you may indeed want to take care. I just haven't been in that particular situation.