Has Anyone Ever Published a Book (except for Wayne)?
 

I got the wild hair to submit a few abstracts to a publishing house - Industrial Press. They have been around awhile (about 120 years) and typically publish reference titles. I spoke with them on the phone and they seem pretty cool to work with - I just do not know what kind of deal is good or if another house would offer something better.

What do you ask for? Are the terms pretty tight or is there neogotiations involved? Should I get personal liability insurence? What about lit agents?

I have. But Swedish terms probably does not apply.

Generally, here, the royalty is pretty much fixed among the publishers (for us novices anyway). I get 22 % of the price the publisher sells it for.

I am not a rich man.. ;)

No you're not...the thread title specifically states: ....A BOOK :)

Sure ya can Wayne, didn't mean to exclude ya. I was just wondering if anybody else had busted into the book publishing thing. Feel free to tell us about your experience or PM me if you want to let me in on any insider secrets!

My friend Bill (MysticAlpaca) recently wrote a book, I'll have to drop him a link to this thread.

hmmm, well the book I wrote is a technical book about Windows Mobile 2003, that's the OS you find on Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phones.

I was hired to write it for a flat fee and the publisher owned all the rights to the work. I do have first rights to any revisions and I was given 25 copies of the finished product. Additionally they gave me a $1000 signing bonus.

With a book that will "expire" once it becomes obsolete the flat fee style works out nice since it would be doubtful you would see royalties on an outdated book after a few years.

Here is a link to the my book: Master VISUALLY Windows Mobile 2003

It took a few months to write as it had to match the look and feel of the rest of the Mastering VISUALLY series and I worked on it on my off time.

If you book would have resale value years from now you may want to get some sort of royalties deal plus some upfront cash. Wayne may have a better idea on how that works as his is the type of book that will be on the store shelves for years to come.

There are several resources out there as well like: http://www.authorhouse.com/ however I have no experience with them.

--Bill

Bill - thanks for the info. Here are the titles and a brief abstract. This is a real rough concept. The publisher called me today and says that each title falls nicely into what they are looking for. There is room for additional editions and maybe even using them as college textbooks. At the very least I will self publish them for use in the various classes I will teach in the future - that will secure at least 20 copies a year being sold!

Book 1:

Lubricant Performance Selection – Identifying Requirements as Reflected by Operating Conditions

All too often maintenance managers, purchasing agents and plant engineers will select the wrong lubricant that ultimately contributes to increased operating costs by increasing downtime, parts replacement and labor. Improved equipment reliability and reduced maintenance costs can be achieved by selecting the correct performance grease or oil. This book explores the performance selection process as it relates to lubricants. Various problems sources are identified, performance criteria are defined, selection process is understood and proper application methods discussed.



Book 2:

Diagnostic Tools and Techniques for Increased Equipment Reliability

Every piece of equipment has a heartbeat, blood stream, temperature and so on. Understanding the overall health and well-being of your equipment can improve your profitability and provide a competitive edge. There are various diagnostic tools and techniques that can be used that will provide a better understanding of the health state of your equipment and also provide insight into the longevity. Oil analysis, vibration analysis, acoustic analysis, thermography are just a few methods that are being used by forward thinking companies that are focused on getting the most out of their equipment. This book explains the latest tools and techniques used for equipment diagnostics and the ability to implement such techniques in order to drive down costs.



Book 3:

Developing Purchasing Specifications that Will Increase Plant Reliability and Decrease Operation Costs and Drive Your Vendors Nuts!

There are many reasons why we purchase things - either for personal or professional use. Hopefully, these buying decisions are based on a combination of experiences and logic but that is not always the case. There are instances when we buy specific items because we have no choice in the matter. The part may be specific to a tool or machine where the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specifies the performance or dimensional aspects. Often there is little room for deviation. Sometimes, the decision is taken out of our hands entirely. The corporate headquarters has negotiated a deal with a national vendor for the lowest price.

A growing trend in industry is to centralize the purchasing of maintenance and repair items. The corporate headquarters may negotiate the best price and delivery terms and pass that “savings” on to other divisions and departments. In theory if the purchasing requirements are comprehensive, this can make sense provided that all products are of equal performance and the vendors are required to provide services that compliment the mission of the organization. This book explains how purchasing, maintenance or the engineering departments can develop purchasing specifications that will ultimately drive reliability and reduce overall spending.



Book 4:

Applied Physics and Chemistry for Industrial Applications

Today’s factories are modern marvels and maintenance technicians are now charged with having to understand the most complicated systems in the history of manufacturing. A comprehensive understanding of applied physics and chemistry and how it relates to the modern factory is essential for world class performance. The science of physics and chemistry has been somewhat out of reach for many maintenance personal until now. This book is written without the need for an advanced degree in the sciences or engineering yet provides great insight and application of sophisticated and elegant concepts of the physical and chemical world as it relates to the assembly, materials, petro-chemical, pharmaceutical, durable goods, textiles or food industry. The content of this book is not limited to maintenance technicians but rather a resource for any engineer and a primer for industrial engineers, physicists and chemists alike.

Those sound like they are going to be expensive books. Because of their niche market you can get a good price on them and that material will last a long time so you could expect to see sales for many years will small revisions.

The first book should sell very well to the motor enthusiast crowd. I would buy it.

The others look intriguing as well for their respective fields. Are there consulting companies that go around and try to improve plant efficiency? This would be a great tool for that, also a really good business i would think.

--bill

Oh and I forgot, my publisher wanted to see a table of contents for the book and I found that it helped as an outline to keep me on track. I would just jump around and do what chapter i felt inspired to do at the moment. It also will give you base line as to the length of the book.

I was also required to make it a certain number of pages and let me tell you...it was hard to come up with x number of paragraphs on how to set the user name on a Pocket PC...LOL.

Bill,
There are companies that work to improve plant efficiency and reliability for their customers, that is actually what I do for our customers (along with some other stuff).

As for the TOC, that is something they will require along with a preface. I asked if the TOC could change as I wrote and they told me that it would not be a problem provided it didn't stray too far from the original outline.

We are going to be driving to Iowa - this will be a great time for Lisa to jot down my musings. We have done that before and it actually worked out pretty good. Gives her an idea of what I'm trying to do and gives me the chance to do two things at once.

As far as staying power on the shelves and revenue draw - I think these topics are pretty sound and hit a wide enough audience. Plus compensation is related to length.

I know if I tell my wife that she will just say "I told you length is important!"

LOL