how to write your first (technical) book
DESCRIPTION
Anyone can write and everyone is an author! This presentation gives you an overview of how you can get started and write your first book. This presentation is written with first-time authors in mind with main focus on writing a technical book.TRANSCRIPT
McGraw-Hill Author Workshop, 23rd August 2014, CBE
How to write your first (technical) book
Ganesh Samarthyam!Author, corporate trainer, and independent consultant
Can I write a book?
If you can write, you're an author!
Just like Nike’s mission statement - every one is an author!
If she can, you can
If she can write, you can write
too!
If I can, so you can
If I can, you can write too!
I am second from left (wearing glasses)
Deep C, S G Ganesh, BPB Publications, 2002!http://amzn.com/8176565016
But “why should I write a book”?
Get known
❖ Visibility!
❖ Credibility!
❖ Respect !
❖ …
Learn & gain expertise
❖ Gain in-depth knowledge !
❖ Become an expert!
❖ Have fun learning new things!
❖ …
Earn some extra income
❖ Regular royalty income !
❖ Tax free returns (up to 3 lakhs)!
❖ Secondary income (i.e., salary++)!
❖ …
Get a sense of achievement
❖ Way to express your passion!
❖ Sense of achieving a concrete result/milestone !
❖ Leave a legacy (i.e., make your mom proud)!
❖ …
The writing process
Hmm, okay, but how to write the book?
'Begin at the beginning, the King said, very gravely, and
go on till you come to the end: then stop.'
Quote from “Alice in the Wonderland”
Step #1: Get a book idea
Your !interests
Your !skills
Market !need
Ideal book topic
E.g.: Java, Smalltalk, Ruby, Python, C, C++, Scala, Swift, Objective-C, …
E.g.: Mobile app development, iOS/Mac OS, Game development, …
E.g.: Certifications, Apple products, Job search, …
Developing games in Swift
Step #2: Develop content
Create training programs
Write articles and blogs
Take notes when experimenting
Give talks or presentations
…
Step #3: Fill the book proposal form
BPF is sort of an “application”
Helps publishers decide on your proposal
Iterate over several times to refine it
Remember: This is the key step in publication process
https://www.mheducation.co.in/downloads/assets/Book%20Proposal%20Form.pdf
Step #4: Contact an editorContact editor of the publisher you
are targeting
Check linkedin, publisher website, etc for contact details
Send sample chapters + BPF
Talk to the editor (over phone/email) to improve the proposal
…
Step #5: Sign contract & follow prod. process
Sign the contract
Deliver the draft
Support copyediting
Proof-read pages
Support production
Check the terms before signing the contract
Stick to the committed schedule and deliver the
draft manuscript
“Developmental edit” may happen if writing
needs much improvement
Check if editorial changes are fine and “sign-off” (next
step will be creating “camera ready” copy)
Finalise “cover page design”, sign copyright
documents, etc.
Step #6: Celebrate the success
May sound cheesy, but this is the best part of writing a book - getting it out in the
market. Celebrate.
Step #7: Aggressively promote the book
Request online reviews (e.g., amazon.com)
Reach out to potential bulk purchasers (e.g., libraries, training institutes)
Reach out to your readers (e.g., write articles, speak in conferences)
Promote your book online (e.g., search engine optimisation, create website, blog, tweet, …)
Relax: Its okay to “blow your own horn” once in a while
Parts of the book
Anatomy of a book❖ Title!
❖ Dedication!
❖ Table of contents!
❖ List of illustrations, tables, etc !
❖ Foreword!
❖ Preface!
❖ Acknowledgements!
❖ Chapters!
❖ Appendices!
❖ Bibliography/references!
❖ Index
⎬ Fron
tmat
ter
⎬Ba
ckm
atte
r
Title should reflect the book’s contentTip: If possible, make it catchy (or “remarkable”)
Dedication: A way to say thanks Tip: It need not be serious
Joseph J. Rotman, ‘An Introduction To Algebraic Topology’
Acknowledgements: Another way to say thanks
Tip: Make sure you thank each and everyone who has contributed to the book (even in a small way)
C.S. Lewis, ‘The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe’
Front cover is the face of the book - make sure it looks good
Collage of diagrams from our book! Thanks to: Tushar Sharma
Tip: See if you can add a “personal touch” to it
Book writing: facts and fallacies
Fact or fallacy?
You must be a born writer to write a book
Of course, anyone can write a book!
Fact or fallacy?
You can become super rich by writing a book
There are of course exceptions (e.g., J K Rowling) !"In general: Yes, you can make money, but not get rich by writing a book
Fact or fallacy?
There is NO “one-right-way” to write a book
Yes, there is no such thing as “one-right-way” to write a book!"There are different ways to write a book - find what works for you and stick to it
Different approaches to book writing
Start from the first chapter Take random notes and later ”stitch” them together
Work in a quite place for days together No dedicated time - write whenever there is some free time
Directly type in a word processor Write it in a notebook and then type it in a word processor
Directly write it in the book format Create presentations or write articles and later convert into book
Get acceptance from publisher and then start working on the contents
Complete the draft and then reach out to the publishers
There is no “one way” to develop content - find what works for you and stick to it
Fact or fallacy?
You need to actively promote your book
As an author, your work does not stop with writing !"You need to aggressively promote and market your book
Fact or fallacy?
You need to learn to use specialised writing tools before you write a book
MS Word is more than enough for writing !"[You can learn to use specialised tools as you gain more experience]
Tips for writing
Tip #1
Plan ahead and allocate time to write your book
Rule of thumb: it takes 2X time/effort to complete writing your book !"[given X is your initial estimate for completing the book]
Tip #2
It takes a team to write a book - so find co-author(s)
It could get lonely to write a book !"There are always exceptions (e.g., D. Knuth) who can write tomes on their own, but in general, partner with right one(s)
Tip #3
Be prepared for rejections - just move along!
J K Rowlings’ Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers!"Agatha Christie struggled for 5 years before landing her first publishing deal
Tip #4
Choose a topic that you are good at + passionate about
Just because you are good at something doesn't mean you should write a book on that. !"If you are not passionate about the topic, the challenging task of writing the book will wear you out!
Tip #5
Write a book that is “useful”, “helps” people, or makes a contribution
It could be teaching programming, a cook book, or just a bunch of tips and techniques
Tip #6
Make sure there is an USP (Unique Selling
Proposition) for the book
It could be the first book in the market, only book for the subject, a novel approach to the topic, …
Tip #7
Organise your thoughts using “mind-map” tools (and other
available tools for writing)
“Mind maps” are especially effective in organising and stream-lining your thoughts !"Find and use such tools (if it works for you)
An example
Mind map created for our book “Refactoring for Software Design Smells” !Thanks to: Tushar Sharma
So, what are you waiting for?
Get, set, …. go!
“Dash Parr” (in the movie Incredibles) started running like crazy once he discovered he could run
That’s how I did too
Once my self-doubt got cleared, I also started running
If you can write, you’re an author!
Just as Remy gets to become a cook by believing in “anyone can cook”
You can write too!
@GSamarthyam
http://bit.ly/sgganesh
Ganesh Samarthyam