Does publishing a technical book make your reputation only?

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 -

Message: 12
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:41:52 -0400
From: "Louis Rosenfeld"
Subject: Re: [Iai-Members] Does publishing a technical book make your
reputation only?
To: iai-members@lists.iainstitute.org
Message-ID:
<95e872690807111141x43af8f7bq18e2d8607eed5f5@mail.gmail.com>
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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