A question for those of you who have published technical books - I have
heard they *never* make money but establish you in your field of expertise
- is this true?
Here's what Louis Rosenfeld said -
From: "Louis Rosenfeld"
Subject: Re: [Iai-Members] Does publishing a technical book make your
reputation only?
Yes and no. If your book is good or even decent, it should help establish
your name in your field. Unless you wrote one of the top few all-time
selling books in the industry, you won't make much in terms of royalties;
certainly very little when you consider how much you'd earn per hour for the
time you invested in writing.
But you'll be able to raise your consulting rates dramatically, and if you
have a consulting firm, you'll be able to charge more their time as well.
You might also find that you can be far more choosy about the projects you
do take on.
There are many important indirect benefits (in fact, some that have nothing
at all to do with money), so it's important to look beyond royalties when it
comes to making your decision.
cheers
Louis Rosenfeld :: http://louisrosenfeld.com
Rosenfeld Media :: http://rosenfeldmedia.com
And what Martin White said:
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008
From: "Martin White"
Linda
I've written two books in the last four years so can speak with some degree
of inside knowledge. The royalties will certainly not make you rich but
might subsidize a holiday. For me there have been two benefits. The first
was that in writing the books I had to make sure I really knew my subject,
including areas that until I started work on the book I had ignored as being
uninteresting or difficult. This boosted my confidence in client meetings.
Second they were also a great way to start meetings with prospective
clients. I can't think of a better business card and I bought extra copies
of the books to give as signed copies to clients that a) might use me again
or b) I wanted to use as references. Both worked out well. I don't think
they had any specific impact on my consulting fee rate.
Martin White
Intranet Focus Ltd
http://www.intranetfocus.com
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