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RE: Looking for a tip on finding a technical publisher...
Subject:RE: Looking for a tip on finding a technical publisher... From:"Gresham, Kathleen 000" <Gresham -dot- Kathleen -at- corp -dot- sysco -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 5 Sep 2003 15:23:55 -0500
Robert wrote:
>> Can anyone recommend a source for finding
>> a technical publisher? I've got Jeff Herman's "Writer's
>> Guide," but I've found only 8 publishers who
>> focus on technical subject matter. Haven't found
>> much on the Web so far --
With all due respect, those are vanity presses. That is, you pay them to design (possibly edit) and print a few copies of your book. Then you try to sell it yourself. They aren't technical publishers.
Even if you are just writing a book to promote your business, and not only don't need to make money from it but don't mind a loss, you will still be much more successful with a commercial publisher, even if you don't make a penny in royalties.
The difference is credibility. Vanity presses don't have it. Using a vanity press will detract from your credibility as an author. No matter the merits of your book, it won't be taken seriously (or even reviewed in trade publications) if you use a vanity press.
Another important reason to try for a commercial publisher is that they have shelf space in bookstores. They have professional reps to sell for them.
John's suggestion is excellent. You can also search for topics related to your subject on Amazon, half.com, Borders, etc., to see which publishers are well represented (and can sell therefore more copies of your book). Going to a few real bookstores is still a good idea, though, to asses the quality of the books published by the publishers you're interested in, and to take a look at books that might compete with yours.
Again, even if you just want to have a few thousand books printed to give/sell to clients, having them commercially published by a real publishing company (even a small one) will confer much more prestige.
HTH
Kathleen, who started out in technical book publishing...
