4 ms·

Ask HN: Is self-publishing a programming book a viable option nowadays?

Raed667 8y ago
My personal observation is that you need a brand around it. Video lessons, github activity, twitter presence etc...
- CyberFonic 8y ago
  Agreed! The book could be one aspect of a portfolio of "products" related to your main topic.
  - crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
    Yeah, that's the idea basically. And the question had to do with whether having such kind of a "platform" would benefit more from having the book component published by professionals, or self-published.
tlb 8y ago
Why do you want to self-publish? Because you don't think you can get an established publisher to work with you, or because you want more control over printing and distribution? Either way, there are several good small publishers that might work with you. They'll save you a lot of pain -- don't underestimate the work of printing, marketing, and distribution.
- zerr 8y ago
  With established publishers you only get some fixed amount of pre-payment without royalties from sales, no?
  - crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
    Yes, exactly! This has been exactly one of my major concerns, with respect to the "conventional" option of working with a publisher.
- crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
  I'd say, the major concern has been the limited control in terms of the kind of deal I'd be left with. Could you, please, provide some examples of those small publishers you got in mind (in case you actually did)? > They'll save you a lot of pain -- don't underestimate the work of printing, marketing, and distribution. That's a great point! I completely agree.
  - tlb 8y ago
    Well-regarded tech book publishers include: - O'Reilly (huge) - APress - MIT Press - Manning (https://www.manning.com/ https://www.manning.com/) - Packt (https://www.packtpub.com/ https://www.packtpub.com/) The best way to choose is to look for books similar in style or audience to what you want to write and talk to the authors about their experience. Your experience will be largely determined with the particular editor you work with, so try to get feedback about them. It's also better, when talking to a publisher, to have a warm intro from a fellow author than to cold-email.
CyberFonic 8y ago
It really depends on how you define "viable". For most technical writers book sales are very poor return on the investment in time and effort. Far less that what you could earn in doing programming work. But there non-financial benefits that keep people going. When you look at print on demand (POD) and eBook publishing angles, you might be able to eke out some revenue. IMHO the only reason to publish a book is to support your consulting and related activities. There still is some kudos in being a "published author". With a bit of googling you should be able to find some war stories by people who have gone ahead and published their own technical books. I encourage you to read about their experiences before making your decision.
superasn 8y ago
I think in terms of viability, it is much better to create a resource than to write a book nowadays. By resource I mean something that isn't just for reading but has everything one could need to learn things quickly including videos, screencasts, code academy like online exercises, etc. I suggest you read this interview of egghead's creator on indiehackers[1]. May give you some inspiration! [1] https://www.indiehackers.com/interview/how-we-turned-coding-screencasts-into-a-million-dollar-business-f20ef382a1 https://www.indiehackers.com/interview/how-we-turned-coding-...
trumbitta2 8y ago
I highly suggest this practical guide: http://nathanbarry.com/authority/ http://nathanbarry.com/authority/ It worked for me in 2013 More info on how it ended: http://nathanbarry.com/authority-case-studies/ http://nathanbarry.com/authority-case-studies/

My personal observation is that you need a brand around it. Video lessons, github activity, twitter presence etc...

CyberFonic 8y ago
Agreed! The book could be one aspect of a portfolio of "products" related to your main topic.
- crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
  Yeah, that's the idea basically. And the question had to do with whether having such kind of a "platform" would benefit more from having the book component published by professionals, or self-published.

tlb 8y ago

Why do you want to self-publish? Because you don't think you can get an established publisher to work with you, or because you want more control over printing and distribution? Either way, there are several good small publishers that might work with you. They'll save you a lot of pain -- don't underestimate the work of printing, marketing, and distribution.

zerr 8y ago
With established publishers you only get some fixed amount of pre-payment without royalties from sales, no?
- crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
  Yes, exactly! This has been exactly one of my major concerns, with respect to the "conventional" option of working with a publisher.
crypto-jeronimo 8y ago
I'd say, the major concern has been the limited control in terms of the kind of deal I'd be left with. Could you, please, provide some examples of those small publishers you got in mind (in case you actually did)? > They'll save you a lot of pain -- don't underestimate the work of printing, marketing, and distribution. That's a great point! I completely agree.
- tlb 8y ago
  Well-regarded tech book publishers include: - O'Reilly (huge) - APress - MIT Press - Manning (https://www.manning.com/ https://www.manning.com/) - Packt (https://www.packtpub.com/ https://www.packtpub.com/) The best way to choose is to look for books similar in style or audience to what you want to write and talk to the authors about their experience. Your experience will be largely determined with the particular editor you work with, so try to get feedback about them. It's also better, when talking to a publisher, to have a warm intro from a fellow author than to cold-email.

CyberFonic 8y ago

It really depends on how you define "viable". For most technical writers book sales are very poor return on the investment in time and effort. Far less that what you could earn in doing programming work. But there non-financial benefits that keep people going. When you look at print on demand (POD) and eBook publishing angles, you might be able to eke out some revenue. IMHO the only reason to publish a book is to support your consulting and related activities. There still is some kudos in being a "published author". With a bit of googling you should be able to find some war stories by people who have gone ahead and published their own technical books. I encourage you to read about their experiences before making your decision.

superasn 8y ago

I think in terms of viability, it is much better to create a resource than to write a book nowadays. By resource I mean something that isn't just for reading but has everything one could need to learn things quickly including videos, screencasts, code academy like online exercises, etc. I suggest you read this interview of egghead's creator on indiehackers[1]. May give you some inspiration! [1] https://www.indiehackers.com/interview/how-we-turned-coding-screencasts-into-a-million-dollar-business-f20ef382a1 https://www.indiehackers.com/interview/how-we-turned-coding-...

trumbitta2 8y ago

I highly suggest this practical guide: http://nathanbarry.com/authority/ http://nathanbarry.com/authority/ It worked for me in 2013 More info on how it ended: http://nathanbarry.com/authority-case-studies/ http://nathanbarry.com/authority-case-studies/