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[Maria Winslow <maria.winslow AT windows-linux.com>]

On Monday 13 October 2003 12:55 pm, Tanner Lovelace wrote:
one would probably require its own page :)
>
> While David sees opportunities for SQL discussions, I see opportunities
> to ask about writing. :-)
>
> Specifically, I'm curious about how people get into writing technical
> books?  I assume you probably didn't start off writing a book as your
> first project, but even so, how did you get into it?  Did you start
> out writing short articles?  Giving seminars at local tech groups?
> Teaching? etc...  If you have a good idea for a book (or even something
> written already), how do you go about finding a publisher?  (or is it
> better to publish it yourself?)  What else needs to be asked?  Thanks.
>
> Cheers,
> Tanner

Writing a book, especially when you have small children, is a stupid idea. It 
is a long, tedious, and painful project. 

But if you insist on pursuing this crazy idea, then start with articles. You 
will have a much easier time getting accepted if you have published something 
before, and it will give you an idea of whether or not you like writing. 

Most trade magazines want articles about 2000 words in length. I know you are 
a Linux guy, so I would recommend specific technical how-to topics, like a 
tutorial on how to move your Windows fileserver to Linux, or something like 
that. You should research the types of articles that have appeared in your 
target magazines over the past year, and look over their editorial calendar 
for themes that you could contribute to. You can generally find the editorial 
calendar in the advertising section under "media kit" (so advertisers know 
what is coming). 

Good luck!

Maria