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Working on a Book...Any Advice? 6

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ESPcomposites

ESPcomposites

Aerospace
Jul 27, 2010
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I am working on an engineering book and am just looking for any advice/ideas/etc.

I am not sure is how to create the final product and what software to use (currently using MS Word and will convert to PDF). But that can get pretty clunky at times with pictures, etc. Perhaps there is a better solution? If not, the Word approach is good enough probably.

My current approach is to construct notes and work with fellow engineers on the content, then to formalize it into a final product. I plan on self publishing.

Other than that, any type of advice is appreciated. I don't know if this is exactly the right sub-forum for this, but could not find anything more relevant.

Brian
 
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ESPcomposites, good for you!

What will be the topic?

If I was so ambitious as to write a book I would consult with another author(s) of a technical book for advice and software suggestions.
 
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FrameMaker has been replaced with PageMaker. It's what the pros use for preparing stuff for publication.

It is not intuitive to learn or use. It's not cheap.

 
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At a reunion, I attended a lecture by a literature professor who had written several books about poetry (the school has gone soft), authored directly in PostScript, using a very primitive but free text editor.

All the engineers in the audience thought he was nuts. Even then, you could use a word processor to generate Acrobat files.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
 
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I had a look and just remembered that the printing company had some suggestions: Indesign or Quark.

It looks like pagemaker is now Indesign so that and Quark may be good options. I will probably choose one of those, but perhaps the Adobe one will play nice with other Adobe programs.

I think many authors give the manuscript to a publisher so they don't have to worry about that part. But I don't really want to do that because I want more control over the final product.



Brian
 
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Are you sure Framaker, was replaced by Pagemaker, was replaced by Indesign?

I'm wondering if they're separate products for different markets based on Adobe website.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
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It looks like Framemaker is its own product, while pagemaker is replaced by Indesign. Trying to understand the plethora of Adobe products is a challenge by itself (still learning some of them). I will give them a call and see what would be the best fit. My other concern is getting an equation editor to go with it. It looks like that may be a separate software. Wow, the cost really starts to add up with these Adobe products.

Brian
 
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I just finished my first novel....
It went so well that I'm considering reading another.


If you have the right kind of personality, you may really enjoy using TEX, LaTEX, or PCTEX.

You can get it all for free.
 
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Do you have a publisher? Most of the time, that stuff is handled by the publisher...you submit your manuscript in MS Word or WordPerfect and they take care of the formatting, photos, tables, etc.

If you book will be self-published, then you will probably need something a bit more robust than MS Word alone...there are many out there as noted...MS Publisher is another one.
 
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When done - have some other engineer who may not (is not) an expert in your field review it. Have him check the formulaes and math.

IF he can get through it without too many questions - it may be getting close enough to publish.

I just hate engineering books written by an expert that leave out vast areas of explanation (because he already knows it) and/or has horibble math formuals and/or mistakes.

By horrible - I mean they just pull the formula out of their butts and forge onward - sometimes making math mistakes along the way.
 
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My plan has been to self publish, but I am rethinking that a bit due to the heavy workload. If I get a publisher, I fear that (a) it won't come out the way I want it, (b) lose control over the final product, (c) the cost may exceed the threshold of many people's budget.

The book is on practical stress analysis of composites. I plan on modeling it after what Flabel's well written book that he self published:


As far as software goes, I suppose I can put it all together in Word and then convert it later, so maybe it is a bit premature to worry about. But I like to see a clear path to completion before I get involved in a project. The equations may be the most difficult part since those probably won't be a copy/paste (i.e. you don't want a converted picture file).

I am somewhat familiar with LaTEX, but not good enough to really go for it. Scribus doesn't seem up my alley. I don't mind paying for good software if that is what is necessary.

Brian
 
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Mike,

I share your sentiment. I am working with a few young engineers and the trade we make is that I show them the ropes and they help with the content. They have been very insightful as to what they would like to see.

As far as equations go, it is very important (and difficult) to get them all correct. This is one reason why I have developed software and have been documenting it along the way (on my website). I have found some errors in popular references, and will present the proper equations in my book.

Brian
 
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I have a book in the planning stage. It was suggested by a successful author to publish a magazine article first to get the attention of publishers, which I have done. This may help you avoid the cost of vanity press publishing.

The title? 'The National Airline Academy, long overdue.'

Certified Flight Instructor, ret and PE, ret.
 
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I recommend putting in the time to get up to speed with LaTEX. It is so worth it - you will avoid many headaches later in the writing process.

xnuke
"Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life." Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
 
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I wrote a book and had it published by a leading company in the Technical book field. I was very satisfied in the way they treated me and my project.

Piping Engineering Leadership for Process Plant Projects
James O. Pennock
Gulf Professional Publishing
ISBN 0-88415-347-9

I have gotten a few negative comments from people who purchased the book but for each negative comment I received at least 10 more positive response.

Above all I did it for my own reasons and I am happy now that I did it.

Good luck to you and your book.
 
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