Computer Book Writing—How Do I Get Started?

Because I have authored quite a few computer books over the years, people often ask me how to get started as an author. I invariably start by explaining that the whole process of writing a book goes one step at a time and the first (and easy) step is to articulate the reason you want to write the book. Is it because it's a subject that other books have not covered in a way you think you could cover? Do you have some unique hands-on experience that you want to present in your book? If other books already cover the subject, why do you think the market needs another book? Publishers would ask these questions, so you might as well start by thinking about why you want to write the book and what would make your book unique. Assuming that you do have a book idea that you think is unique, the next step is to prepare a good outline along with an estimate of how long it would take to write the book. You should go down to second level headings and put down a sentence or two explaining what you want to cover in each section. As you are working on the outline, you should think about which publisher might be interested in considering your proposal. Publishers ask for proposals in a specific format and have specific instructions for prospective authors—so check out publisher’s web site for author guidelines and the proposal submission instructions. You may have to submit a sample of your writing as well. If all goes well, you would be negotiating that book contract and be on your way to writing the book. These are the generic steps (except that I have not mentioned anything about an agent because I have no experience with agents) to get to the point of lining up a publisher for your book.

Next comes the hardest step of all—the actual writing. Computer book writing involves inexorable, day-in day-out tasks of methodically doing your research, collecting and organizing information, repeatedly installing and configuring the same software (the one you plan to cover in your computer book), and writing about all of that. You have to take an introspective look and think carefully whether you have the persistence and perseverance to do all this on a sustained basis for a few months. You have to be sure that the research, the preparation, and the writing won’t become chores to avoid. Instead you have to be able to see them as opportunities for learning. And all along, you have to devote enough time to the writing so that chapters get finished and you can keep the manuscript submission deadlines. Even if you have written articles and reports, writing a book (especially one with five or six hundred pages or even more) can be a daunting task. In the end, I think the biggest challenge of computer book writing is not necessarily selling a book idea to a publisher; it’s the actual writing. If you can handle that part, I am sure you can get your book published, one way or another.

Note: Eric Gunnerson has written a helpful article—So, you want to write a computer book...—that presents his perpesetive as a computer book author and includes a whole lot of comments from fellow authors with links that you can explore.

Comments

[Joe Wikert]

For my money, there's one word that separates a good author from a great author: passion. Kathy Sierra, another great author, talks extensively about this at her blog ( http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/ ). If someone is just getting started in this business, my advice is to identify the topic you're most passionate about. Focus on that for your first writing project. You're more likely to write a great book on something you're passionate about than something you're sort of interested in -- the words are likely to flow easily for the passionate topic as well.

[Naba Barkakati]

Joe, Yes- -passion is certainly a prerequisite for the persistence and perseverance.