I've been working on what is turning into a series of articles for those of you who get the itch to write a book. If you are just joining the conversation, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read Part 1 and Part 2. In this article I want to cover a few topics that you need to be aware of, especially if you are going the self-publishing route. This is a very reasonable and practical publishing route but if you want to be taken as a serious professional author and subject matter expert, you can't cut any corners.
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Let's assume you are humming along churning out content and your book is beginning to take shape. Before you start filling out deposit slips for you big royalty checks, there are a few reality checks you need to deal with first. If you have worked out a deal with a traditional print publisher, these items will be part of your process and you need to realize they will take some time.
Book Cover
There is still something to be said about judging a book by its cover. When you go to Amazon or Leanpub to look at books, the cover tells you a lot about the book. Some print publishers like O'Reilly Media have a very recognizable style. Even if you don't recognize the author, O'Reilly has a good reputation so you're likely to consider the book. Conversely, a non-descript cover on a book by an author you don't know is likely to have you moving on. I am not a graphic designer by any means, but your cover should clearly identity the title and author. There should be some soft of graphic or image that conveys something about the content of your book. Perhaps the technology you will be covering. Or maybe structure, i.e. cookbook. It is certainly possible to have a more abstract image, but if you go that route make sure your title makes it very clear what your book is about.
If you are designing your own cover, start by finding a royalty-free or public domain image that you can use as the base. Then use graphic tools like Photoshop or Snagit to add elements such as your title and author byline. Another option you might consider is finding a graphic artist to create a cover for you. You can probably find someone on any number of freelance job sites. Or you might be able to find a student from a local college. You should still pay them a nominal fee, but they also get something to add to their portfolio and some practical experience. The cover itself may never get printed but it will certainly show up in a variety of digital formats so make sure cover doesn't become a muddied mess when viewed at thumbnail scale.
Digital books don't have a back cover. But in a print book, expect your publisher to show you a proof of the cover (front and back) for you to approve.
Technical Editing and Reviewing
Even though you may be wizard with the technology you are writing about, don't make any assumptions. It is imperative that you have an external technical reviewer and/or editor. This person should read your chapters and attempt to replicate anything you are discussing or demonstrating. This is where you discover that you neglected to cover a key requirement or realize you are using something unique to you. This person should also make sure you aren't forgetting to cover anything and that your material is technically sound. You aren't required to accept every request they make, but you should consider it and have a good reason for ignoring suggestions. The whole point of writing a book is to make learning, using or understanding a potentially complex technology easy. Your technical editor will help you ensure clarity and correctness.
If you have a print publisher, they may ask you for recommendations of someone to review your material. Pick someone you trust, respect and has enough experience with your subject. These people are typically compensated for their time. If you are self-publishing, the very least you can do is provide them a free copy or two of the finished book. And be sure to acknowledge them in your front matter.
Copy Editing
Unless you majored in English in college, your manuscript is going to need editing for grammar, style and punctuation. Actually, even if you have a Ph.D in English you may have some writing habits that need correcting. I think it is very important that you have one or more more people read your manuscript. In addition to helping you catch things like spelling mistakes, the copy editor will also ensure that what you are writing makes sense and isn't confusing. Often this person won't know the subject you are writing about, but they will recognize poor writing and should help you make it better. Personally, I've read my share of self-published works (both fiction and tech) where it was clear nobody edited or reviewed the manuscript. To my mind this is a sign of sloppy work which makes the rest of the content suspect. It also makes me less inclined to purchase future work from them. Expect to write, re-write and re-write again.
As with technical reviewing and editing, you aren't required to accept every suggestion but have a good explanation if you don't.
If you don't know anyone who is a professional editor, you can try searching on freelance job sites, LinkedIn or even put a call out on social media.
I think I've covered most everything you need to know to get started on your first book. Although I expect I'll be back one more time with a wrap-up post in the near future.
