John Resig (of JQuery fame) got a $7500 advance[1] for a Javascript book. I think it's reasonable to assume that a Javascript book would be 100x (or even 1000x

John Resig (of JQuery fame) got a $7500 advance[1] for a Javascript book. I think it's reasonable to assume that a Javascript book would be 100x (or even 1000x) more popular than a Haskell book. To this day, I don't believe he's made much beyond that advance. I doubt he's reached $20k since 2007. If the author can crowdsource $20k, more power to her. On the other hand, maybe the monetary threshold needs a reality check. EDIT ADD: I looked again and noticed that the $20k is a "flexible goal" so presumably, the author will write the book even without reaching that amount; therefore, the author already understands market forces at work that might prevent a $20k payout. (Of course it's possible that the Haskell book market can charge a premium because of a uniquely enthusiastic audience . E.g., doctors pay $500 for a book that shows surgical procedures and the volume of sales is only in the hundreds.) In the economics of books, the big money is fiction. (50 Shades, Harry Potter, etc). To a lesser extent, you have some non-fiction titles making a decent amount of money (Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eat Pray Love, etc). Way down on the totem pole are the trade publications like computer books. The economics on that level basically dictate that you slave away writing "Java for Dummies" for less than minimum wage. You then use it as a business calling card and let it open doors to speaking engagements at conferences and attract consulting gigs. [1]>http://ejohn.org/blog/programming-book-profits/ http://ejohn.org/blog/programming-book-profits/