19 Tips for first-time authors

Four authors, three from TeachingPoint, a publisher of course specific materials for el-hi and college instructors, shared their advice for first-time authors during a TAA Convention panel on "Writing for the First Time".

Marilyn "Winkie" Fordney, author or co-author of more than 50 books in three different medical career fields, many of which were the first in the field:

1. Spend time researching technical material by getting to the "real" source. Current newsletters are good but if it is a federal mandate go the federal website and find it.

2. Use the material with your students to discover any areas that need clarification.

3. Network with other educators and let them see your work and get input on its value as an educational tool, asking for comments for improvements.

4. Research competitive books to see what is out there. Make note of their strengths and deficiences.

5. Rewrite after evaluations from your peers.

6. Research the names and addresses of publishers pertinent to your subject matter (i.e., Internet, bookstores, libraries). Go to a book store, find books by these publishers, and evaluate the quality and how the publisher does marketing, production, cover design, paper, etc. Decide which publishers to contact.

7. Send letters to publishers. Keep them to one to two pages.

   Bruce Hughes, author of Physics Through Inquiry, and subject area editor for Teaching Point:

8. Five steps to selling a book: 1) Write proposals; 2) Finish your proposals; 3) Submit your proposals to publishers; 4) Continue submitting the proposal until you have a contract offer; 5) Don't revise until you have a contract offer with specific editorial requests.

9. If you intend to be a professional writer, you are better off writing new material then redoing old material.

10. If you are writing a textbook written with an unusual approach, and you feel strongly about the textbook proposal you have made, agree to make changes to the proposal only if they are reasonable and if they are spelled out in the contract. If your material is good, it will find a market.

    Carol Matthews, author of Environmental Science and Marine Biology and Oceanography:

11. The more you can do to get your materials camera ready, the more marketable you will be to the publisher.

    George Burson, author of Advanced U.S. History and IB History of the Americas and IB coordinator for Teaching Point:

12. Write the book for your students first. That way you will know what works.

13. Know your subject area and market.

14. ind a niche market that fills a need.

15. Write short material first. "I had written 12 articles before I wrote my first book," he said. "Write articles first to get your name out there and to get experience in writing for publication."

16. Publicize your book. "I have contacted every IB (International Baccalaureate) Coordinator of an English speaking school in the world via e-mail and posted to the AP (Advanced Placement) listserv, to explain how my material will help teachers and their students," he said. "Let everyone know how good your material is and what faculty and students can gain from it. I want to tip my material over so when someone from the IB or AP community asks what is a great resource, they will say George Burson's books, Advanced U.S. History, or IB History of the Americas."

    Doug Matthews, president of Teaching Point, an academic publisher, had these tips:

17. Start with a road map through your work. If your work includes a teacher manual and student instructional material for a specific course, create the elements in the following order: Standard Alignments (where applicable if doing el-hi writing), Syllabus, Pacing Guide (or Curriculum Map), detailed daily lesson plans, class notes, student activities, labs (where necessary) and assessments.

18. Be willing to work with the publisher's requests for format compliance as you write your work.

19. Honor the publisher's deadlines.