Hardware book like "Code Complete"?

Andy Glew wrote:

> Care to estimate the size of the market?
>
> I.e. how much would the author expect to make, given typical publishing contracts?

Speaking as someone who's written three speciality-ish engineering
books (go to www.larwe.com and look down the left-hand column for links
to the books), the point of writing a volume like this is one of two
things:

1. Get it picked up as a textbook or training book in college or by one
of the major semi manufacturers.

2. Treat it as advertising.

Route 1 can lead to respectable direct profits. Route 2 leads to
indirect profits through consultancy and so forth. Do not expect to
make your fortune through route 1; the real money is in route 2 but
requires more work to realize.

Your book is the dynamite that exposes a seam of gold. Significant
pick-work is necessary to extract the gold and bring it to town for
conversion into cash.

"larwe" <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:1156102639.513866.80000@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> Andy Glew wrote:
>
>> Care to estimate the size of the market?
>>
>> I.e. how much would the author expect to make, given typical 
>> publishing contracts?
>
> Speaking as someone who's written three speciality-ish engineering
> books (go to www.larwe.com and look down the left-hand column for 
> links
> to the books), the point of writing a volume like this is one of two
> things:
>
> 1. Get it picked up as a textbook or training book in college or by 
> one
> of the major semi manufacturers.
>
> 2. Treat it as advertising.
>
> Route 1 can lead to respectable direct profits. Route 2 leads to
> indirect profits through consultancy and so forth. Do not expect to
> make your fortune through route 1; the real money is in route 2 but
> requires more work to realize.
>
> Your book is the dynamite that exposes a seam of gold. Significant
> pick-work is necessary to extract the gold and bring it to town for
> conversion into cash.
>

Must it always be about the money? Won't somebody think of the children 
;-)