Keep your textbook alive through multiple editions

If you want your book to live through more than just the first edition, said Michael Sullivan, an award-winning math author, you need to work at it. "Complacency is your enemy," he said. "No book is ever finished. No book is ever perfect. Every book can be improved." Sullivan shares these tips for ensuring textbook longevity:

• Immediately after the textbook is published, start two files, a reprint file containing little changes, and a revision file, containing larger changes.
• Ask your publisher to get competitive reviews.
• Ask to attend a national sales meeting. Get to know the salespeople. Hang out in the Hospitality Room, but watch your drinking.
• Offer to make sales calls.
• Be prepared for unkind remarks.
• When you attend professional meetings, hang out in the booth where your books are being sold. When there's down time, you can get to know the sales reps very well.