Looking for a Publisher

Updated January 9, 2017 • 23 comments

After several months of working diligently behind the scenes, I am officially announcing my latest project: a new book on WordPress. Without giving away too much at this time, here are some facts about it:

It’s focused on WordPress
It’s co-authored between Chris Coyier and myself
It’s going to be awesome

Chris and I have been working on the book for several months now and are very pleased with the results. Both of us have some — albeit limited — knowledge of the publishing world. Truth be told, we don’t have a publisher yet and aren’t quite sure about how to go about finding one.

Does anyone happen to know more about finding a good publisher? Are there any publishers out there interested in talking about this book? Any other folks have any ideas or advice? Please share your ideas in the comments area below or contact me directly.

About the Author

Jeff Starr = Creative thinker. Passionate about free and open Web.

23 responses to “Looking for a Publisher”

STL 2009/04/15 9:07 am

I don’t know how to find a publisher, but I just want you to remember your northern neighbors (canadians) when signing your publishing contract; I would be the first to buy your book if it was published here too ! I am aware that I can order it through an US-based site, but it’s less hassle to just pick it up at a local book store !

Sidenote : have you try contacting SitePoint about your book ? I don’t know their policy regarding publishing contracts, but they do have a good reputation among web developers.

STL

K 2009/04/15 11:03 am

Wouldn’t the initial step be to find a publishing agent? I have no idea how to go about doing so, but am interested in finding out more about your book.

Jen 2009/04/15 11:13 am

Being a wee peon, I know next to nothing about how to get a publisher or how to get a book published by a big name company. You could try flying Solo using Lulu and/or iuniverse; or you could check out happilypublished.com or publishamerica.com for more info on how to get published.

Whatever you decide, when your book is complete throw down with the “where to go to get it” info as I often find myself scratching my head when it comes to WordPress (issues/problems) and it would be right handy to have some sort of guide -not for dummies!

Jeff Starr 2009/04/15 11:46 am • Post Author

@STL: I’ll do my best to get some copies delivered to our friends up North! I think that would be great ;) Thanks for the SitePoint vote — I have read several books from them and they are all top-quality. Will certainly check it out.

@K: That is a great idea. From what I’ve read, publishers aren’t always involved in the distribution and promotion of the book after it is published. Hiring an agent to handle these sorts of logistics is something that could prove extremely beneficial.

@Jen: Thank you for the publishing leads. I have used Lulu before, but have yet to check out other DIY services such as iuniverse.com, happilypublished.com or publishamerica.com. And rest assured, I will definitely provide readers with a super-easy way to get their own copy of the book. ;)

james 2009/04/15 3:37 pm

I’m no expert, but i like the idea of control. From what I understand doing it yourself is a better way to go about it. You’ll also be able to possibly make more money. Don’t take the back seat and sacrifice control for the possibility of some extra exposure.

Tal 2009/04/15 4:11 pm

I definitely look forward to reading this. You and Chris are both awesome designers and you put out all kinds of detailed WordPress posts, should make for a really good book. Good Luck.

The Kingpin 2009/04/15 4:13 pm

Your book is a technical manual and the best way to get the attention of a big publisher is to get the information in your book in use as soon as possible before it becomes old news. The best way to do this is to publish the damm thing yourself and provide free copies to the people who are teaching this stuff to the masses at universities and techinical schools. You get one lazy instructor to read it and decide to use it in thier curriculum you are off to the races. Publish it yourself. Compile a list of as many instructors as possible do a mass mailing and see what comes back. My old art school buddy Chris Johnson is teaching some kind of computer art in Arizona? he has his owm site, people like him are a good place to start.

Donace | The Nexus 2009/04/16 12:23 am

Sounds great man; Don’t forget the UK..I want to eventually go and buy it as well ;)

Ozh 2009/04/16 4:12 am

I’m suggesting Lulu, too. 37Signals publish stuff with them for example: http://www.lulu.com/content/383343

This said, I have no idea of the contract & money stuff that implies, but it sounds like an option to reach a wider audience.

H5N1 2009/04/16 9:15 am

I have no idea but I want to say: keep me in mind if you want to translate your book in Italian language… for free :)

Kennette Reed 2009/04/16 5:45 pm

There are many publishing options available. The important things to consider are:

1. How much control do you want over the process and the end product?
2. How much do you want to make from the sale of each book?

If you’re willing to give up much of the control over the process and end product, turning your manuscript over to a publisher may be your best option.

However, don’t be under the mistaken impression that the publisher will do all of the book marketing for you. This is far from the truth. In fact, the amount of marketing you’ll need to do will be much the same, whether you are published by someone else or are self-published. The amount of money you make on the sale of each book will be drastically different if you self-publish (possibly more than 5xs as much).

This is a decision you shouldn’t make without doing a lot of research about your options. I’ve written a book that will help with this process. It lays out your publishing options and takes you through all of the ways to take your book from idea to making sales. The title of the book is, From Idea to Author: How to Become Successfully Published. To learn more, visit http://www.ideatoauthor.com .

Best of luck with your book.

Kennette Reed

Jonathan Ellse 2009/04/16 10:30 pm

Make sure, just as STL pointed out, that it is available in the UK. There is high demand for good quality books like this will surely be, due to most of the publishers releasing books in the US only.

Comments are closed for this post. Something to add? Let me know.

STL 2009/04/15 9:07 am

I don’t know how to find a publisher, but I just want you to remember your northern neighbors (canadians) when signing your publishing contract; I would be the first to buy your book if it was published here too ! I am aware that I can order it through an US-based site, but it’s less hassle to just pick it up at a local book store !

Sidenote : have you try contacting SitePoint about your book ? I don’t know their policy regarding publishing contracts, but they do have a good reputation among web developers.

STL
K 2009/04/15 11:03 am

Wouldn’t the initial step be to find a publishing agent? I have no idea how to go about doing so, but am interested in finding out more about your book.
Jen 2009/04/15 11:13 am

Being a wee peon, I know next to nothing about how to get a publisher or how to get a book published by a big name company. You could try flying Solo using Lulu and/or iuniverse; or you could check out happilypublished.com or publishamerica.com for more info on how to get published.

Whatever you decide, when your book is complete throw down with the “where to go to get it” info as I often find myself scratching my head when it comes to WordPress (issues/problems) and it would be right handy to have some sort of guide -not for dummies!
Jeff Starr 2009/04/15 11:46 am • Post Author

@STL: I’ll do my best to get some copies delivered to our friends up North! I think that would be great ;) Thanks for the SitePoint vote — I have read several books from them and they are all top-quality. Will certainly check it out.

@K: That is a great idea. From what I’ve read, publishers aren’t always involved in the distribution and promotion of the book after it is published. Hiring an agent to handle these sorts of logistics is something that could prove extremely beneficial.

@Jen: Thank you for the publishing leads. I have used Lulu before, but have yet to check out other DIY services such as iuniverse.com, happilypublished.com or publishamerica.com. And rest assured, I will definitely provide readers with a super-easy way to get their own copy of the book. ;)
james 2009/04/15 3:37 pm

I’m no expert, but i like the idea of control. From what I understand doing it yourself is a better way to go about it. You’ll also be able to possibly make more money. Don’t take the back seat and sacrifice control for the possibility of some extra exposure.
Tal 2009/04/15 4:11 pm

I definitely look forward to reading this. You and Chris are both awesome designers and you put out all kinds of detailed WordPress posts, should make for a really good book. Good Luck.
The Kingpin 2009/04/15 4:13 pm

Your book is a technical manual and the best way to get the attention of a big publisher is to get the information in your book in use as soon as possible before it becomes old news. The best way to do this is to publish the damm thing yourself and provide free copies to the people who are teaching this stuff to the masses at universities and techinical schools. You get one lazy instructor to read it and decide to use it in thier curriculum you are off to the races. Publish it yourself. Compile a list of as many instructors as possible do a mass mailing and see what comes back. My old art school buddy Chris Johnson is teaching some kind of computer art in Arizona? he has his owm site, people like him are a good place to start.
Donace | The Nexus 2009/04/16 12:23 am

Sounds great man; Don’t forget the UK..I want to eventually go and buy it as well ;)
Ozh 2009/04/16 4:12 am

I’m suggesting Lulu, too. 37Signals publish stuff with them for example: http://www.lulu.com/content/383343

This said, I have no idea of the contract & money stuff that implies, but it sounds like an option to reach a wider audience.
H5N1 2009/04/16 9:15 am

I have no idea but I want to say: keep me in mind if you want to translate your book in Italian language… for free :)
Kennette Reed 2009/04/16 5:45 pm

There are many publishing options available. The important things to consider are:

1. How much control do you want over the process and the end product?
2. How much do you want to make from the sale of each book?

If you’re willing to give up much of the control over the process and end product, turning your manuscript over to a publisher may be your best option.

However, don’t be under the mistaken impression that the publisher will do all of the book marketing for you. This is far from the truth. In fact, the amount of marketing you’ll need to do will be much the same, whether you are published by someone else or are self-published. The amount of money you make on the sale of each book will be drastically different if you self-publish (possibly more than 5xs as much).

This is a decision you shouldn’t make without doing a lot of research about your options. I’ve written a book that will help with this process. It lays out your publishing options and takes you through all of the ways to take your book from idea to making sales. The title of the book is, From Idea to Author: How to Become Successfully Published. To learn more, visit http://www.ideatoauthor.com .

Best of luck with your book.

Kennette Reed
Jonathan Ellse 2009/04/16 10:30 pm

Make sure, just as STL pointed out, that it is available in the UK. There is high demand for good quality books like this will surely be, due to most of the publishers releasing books in the US only.

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