Re: OT: Reasons to NOT write an Oracle book
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2014 12:49:45 -0700
Message-ID: <1412711385.75380.YahooMailNeo_at_web162502.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
Since Seth pointed this conversation out to me, thought I'd through my two-cents in. I also agree with Iggy, but going in with my eyes open, there are ways to help deter some of the challenges and differences in goals between author(s) and publishing company and "make it out alive".... :)
- Set realistic goals with the publishing company. They are a business and your day job and other demands are not something they will understand.
- Don't set out to do a book for the money, you will be highly disappointed...:) Do it for the desire to share your knowledge.
- Do have at least one co-author to lean on and to help you get through the book. A book is a huge challenge and having a solid co-author(s) is important to making it a positive experience.
- If the administration steps in the book drive you crazy, as it does most folks I've spoken to in IT, find away around it. Seth, Ray and I kept the publishing company apart from the book authoring step for 3/4's of the book creation time. We kept our own version repository and met via Google chat or Skype. Having one experienced writer, I was able to navigate some of the challenges that I knew would drive us all up the wall, (although I think Ray is more patient than Seth and especially I with some of the administration headaches... :))
- Know that the outline part of the book is the most important, even more so if there is more than one author. Ensuring that you take at least 6 weeks to build out the outline and know that all authors share the vision of the book will help create a unified front when the publishing company starts to push for a deadline over quality or attempts to change what the book should cover.
Hope this helps and let me know if you need anything Iggy- we're here for you!
Kellyn Pot'Vin
about.me/dbakevlar
~Tombez sept fois, se relever huit!
On Monday, October 6, 2014 4:50 PM, Iggy Fernandez <iggy_fernandez_at_hotmail.com> wrote:
I agree 100% that one must have the right expectations. Unfortunately, it is not in the publisher's interest to advise you that:
- You will hardly make any money. A lot less if you have co-authors.
- You will make mistakes and the reviews will make you cringe.
- The publisher is more interested in schedule than quality.
If the publisher was up front, fewer would undertake the exercise.
Iggy
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2014 17:16:29 -0500
Subject: Re: OT: Reasons to NOT write an Oracle book From: sethmiller.sm_at_gmail.com
To: iggy_fernandez_at_hotmail.com
CC: oracle-l_at_freelists.org
Iggy,
The value one expects from authoring a book will determine whether it is worth the effort. Yes, it is a lot of work and it will be stolen by many. But in my case, I do it for the name recognition, the experience and the opportunity to produce something that will help a larger audience that I could otherwise reach. So is it worth the effort for me? Absolutely! I certainly have not done it for the money so what do I care if it is stolen. I let the publisher worry about that.
There are mistakes in every book. That's what errata and second editions are for. Every author I have contacted about mistakes has been grateful for the feedback. If someone rips into you because of a technical mistake in your book, it's not credible feedback anyway and deserves to be ignored. How many times have I put up incorrect information on this list (hopefully not too many)? I have yet to have any listers attack me for it. They usually politely inform me that I am wrong and I graciously accept and learn from the criticism.
The publisher's job is to produce a product and make money. Of course, they are not concerned about how much time you want to spend with your family. The solution to this is to have the right expectations of the process and a relationship with the publisher. I would recommend that a first time author find co-authors that have experience and established relationships with publishers.
Becoming an author isn't for everybody and I think your experience proves that, but I would absolutely encourage anyone willing to put in the work to become an author. Just make sure you have the right expectations of what it means to author or co-author a book. Part of the reason that IOUG teamed up with Apress to form IOUG Press is there is a natural relationship between Oracle users and technical books both as a reader and a writer.
Seth Miller
On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 9:28 AM, Iggy Fernandez <iggy_fernandez_at_hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear list,
>
>I've revising my beginner DBA book for 12c and can' t help thinking about the reasons to NOT write a book. Here are a few.
>
>
> * It's not worth the effort. The market is saturated with books; so much information is available online that nobody buys many books nowadays; your book will be pirated on the day it is published; it will be obsolete very quickly; prices are low unlike college textbooks and much lower in emerging markets; the royalty is 10% of the wholesale price--not the list price--and has to be shared by all the co-authors. You'll be lucky if your book sells 5000 copies over a five-year period. Assuming that the list price is $40 and the wholesale price is $20 and that you have one co-author, and that you spent 500 hours writing and researching, you are literally getting paid minimum wage for your effort. Writer beware.
>
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> * You will make terrible mistakes that will haunt you for ever. In my case, I made a horrible mistake on page 22 of my book that was soon discovered by a beginner who was testing every line of code for himself.
>
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> * Some of the reviews will make you cringe. You will wish that you had reviewers BEFORE you finished the book, not after the book was printed.
>
>
> * To you work and family commitments come first but, to the publisher, the book comes first. To you quality is everything but, to the publisher, the schedule is more important and I quote "It is better to go to market first with a good enough book than to be months late with a perfect book. A successful good enough book can be improved in a second edition. A failed perfect book is simply a failure. Schedule matters to your publisher. Variable pay is the norm. Missed quarterly and yearly targets can cost your editor and others whom you work with hundreds, even a few thousands of dollars. Those same missed targets hurt the business too."
>
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>On the plus side, you can send a copy to your mom and she will show it to all her friends.
>
>
>That off my chest, I would appreciate any help in reviewing the first drafts so that I can put out a better book. Comments on accuracy as well as clarity and readability would be very welcome. I will post the finished chapters to Google Docs so that anybody can make comments inline. I will be very grateful for help and will acknowledge all those who helped in the preface. Please let me know if you can help.
>
>
>Kindest regards,
>Iggy
-- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-lReceived on Tue Oct 07 2014 - 21:49:45 CEST